USC's JuJu Watkins shares heartfelt message with fans following Naismith Player of the Year win
JuJu Watkins's 2025 March Madness might have been cut short, but she garnered a crucial dub over Paige Bueckers, Lauren Betts and Hannah Hidalgo on Wednesday. The USC guard was named the Naismith National Player of the Year over the stars from UConn, UCLA and Notre Dame.
With that, Watkins appeared on the official announcement to accept the award, logging in through a video call.
"Wow, I'm at a loss for words right now, what an incredible honor," she said. "I wanna sincerely thank Naismith for this amazing recognition, this is truly special. I feel so blessed to be among some of the best in the game. I wanna thank my teammates, coaches and the staff at SC for making this all possible.
"To my family, friends, fans - the love and support mean the world to me. This is just the beginning and I can't wait for what's ahead. So, thank you so much again."
JuJu Watkins remained among the top five scorers on the NCAA leaderboard all season despite a slow start, as she averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks while making 42.6 percent of her shots.
Her numbers remained lower than her freshman season. However, Watkins became the fourth-quickest player to touch the 1000-point mark in WBB. The guard also outscored Caitlin Clark, who holds the all-time MBB and WBB scoring title, for most points in the first two seasons.
JuJu Watkins and USC Trojans spark an upcoming series with the defending champions
The USC Trojans were ousted from the 2025 March Madness by UConn in the Elite Eight round on Monday. Unlike its previous season's NCAA tournament loss to the Huskies, the offseason will be full of uncertainties for the program.
Star guard JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending injury in the second-round game against Mississippi State, with no timeline has been announced for her return. It is speculated that she might miss the 2025-26 season to recover.
Nevertheless, the Trojans fans will continue to bring high-caliber basketball to their fans. Starting next season, Dawn Staley's South Carolina and USC will begin a two-game non-conference bi-coastal series.
The coastal series's first leg will be played on Nov. 15 at the Crypto Arena. In 2026, the series will move to South Carolina for the game "The Real SC."
The Complete Sports Management group will host the games, significantly contributing to solidifying the home-and-home series.