"It's not that crazy": JuJu Watkins exudes confidence talking about 'overnight' success
USC guard JuJu Watkins confidently spoke about her success on and off the court and clarified that it didn't happen overnight and that it was due to her hardwork and desire to be a better player every game.
Watkins spoke about that during a guesting on a podcast hosted by Stella Lockhart where she talked about she became one of the best college women's basketball player in the nation in a short while.
The 6-foot-2 scoring dynamo clarified that hardwork from regular training in the gym helped her become the player she's now.
"It wasn't really overnight for me. I think I expected a lot out of myself and I saw the success from working and started to see like my hard work pay off," Watkins told Lockhart that was posted on Overtime Select's Instagram page.
"So I was kind of prepared for it in a way. It's not that crazy but I guess sometimes I have moments where it's like 'oh wow.'"
The 19-year-old Sierra Canyon product believes that her early collegiate success was due to her utmost dedication to her priorities as a basketball player — winning as many games as possible and trying to become a better player every day.
"It's cool. I think for me priority is just like winning.and just trying to be a better player. So that's just my priority, but I guess other things come with it and that's cool," she said.
JuJu Watkins scooped up many awards during her freshman year in USC. They include the AP and USBWA First-Team All-American, Best Breakthrough Athlete Award by the ESPYs, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, WBCA Coaches' All American, USBWA, WBCA and Pac-12 National Freshman of the Year, All Pac-12 Team, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
JuJu Watkins' USC voted as top favorites to win the Big Ten Conference
The transfer of JuJu Watkins and USC from Pac-12 to the Big Ten Conference has sent shockwaves before tipoff. The coaches and media covering the conference picked the Trojans as the team to beat in the Big Ten for the 2024-25 season.
The Lindsay Gottlieb-coached team are ahead of fellow Pac-12 transfers UCLA and Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State. Maryland and Indiana rounded out the Top 5.
JuJu Watkins is expected to be the next star of the conference a season after the departure of Iowa superstar and NCAA All-Time leading scorer Caitlin Clark, getting voted the Preseason Player of the Year. Her teammate, Kiki Iriafen, was selected in the Preseason All-Big Ten Team along with Watkins.
ESPN has ranked the Trojans as the third best team on paper, behind UConn and South Carolina, and is expected to be in the thick of the fight in the Race to the 2025 Final Four.