Women’s Basketball | February 16, 2024
Barely a year into her Trojan career, USC women’s basketball freshman guard JuJu Watkins has been named one of the most country’s outstanding athletes at the collegiate of Olympic level with her selection as a semifinalist for the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award. The annual award goes to a U.S. athlete who displays not only athletic ability but who demonstrates qualities of leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship on and off the field of play.
Fan voting weighs into an athlete’s advancement to the finalist category — VOTE HERE: https://aausullivan.secure-platform.com/94th/gallery?roundId=5 — fans can vote once per day through the final day of voting on Feb. 21, 2024.
A 12-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, Watkins is one 30-point outing away from tying the single-season record for such efforts by a Trojan — set by three-time Naismith Award winner Cheryl Miller in 1984-85. Already this season, Watkins has matched Miller’s record of consecutive 30-plus games (three) and she pinned up a 32-point performance in her first game as a Trojan, bettering Naismith winner Lisa Leslie’s freshman debut effort back in 1990. Watkins also put forth a USC record-setting performance with a 51-point outing in a USC win at Stanford, which also stands as the most points scored by any DI player this season.
Watkins stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 27.7 points per game. Her USC record-setting 51 points scored in USC’s win at Stanford stands as the most points scored by any Division I player in a game this season. She’s led the No. 10 Women of Troy in 19 games this season, and her eight 30-plus scoring efforts has set a new record for such performances by a USC true freshman. Watkins leads USC in scoring, assists (3.5 per game) and steals (2.6 per game) and is second on the team in 3-pointers made (44). She’s also second on the team in rebounding (6.9 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game).
For her all-around achievements in and out of basketball, Watkins has been selected one of the 2024 California Women Making HERstory by the California Women’s Caucus. She has been active in community outreach through the Good JuJu Holiday Giveback, where she partnered with Nike and Finish First — her family’s nonprofit organization — to donate…
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