LOS ANGELES — Juju Watkins, a two-time Los Angeles Times player of year who is considered the No. 1 girls' basketball player in the nation from the class of 2023, announced on Tuesday that she has chosen to stay close to home for college, picking USC.
The 6-foot-2 Chatsworth Sierra Canyon High senior is a generational talent, able to play any position on the court. She grew up in Watts, attended L.A. Windward for her first two years of high school before transferring to Sierra Canyon. She led the Trailblazers to the Open Division state championship last season and has won two gold medals playing on USA national teams.
Her announcement from Sierra Canyon's gym was shown live on ESPN. A banner was dropped revealing her choice. She previously signed an NIL representation agreement with Klutch Sports.
"Honestly, there's no place like home, so I will be spending my next four years at the University of Southern California," Watkins said when asked to reveal her college choice.
Her decision is a huge boost for USC and women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb, in her second season with the Trojans.
Watkins had narrowed her list of college choices to USC, Stanford and South Carolina.
