USC sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins claimed some new hardware for her ever-growing trophy case on Saturday.
Watkins was officially named the winner of the 2024-25 Wooden Award, given to the most outstanding player in women's basketball.
In 33 games this season, Watkins averaged 23.9 points per game to go along with 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals. She led USC to a 31-4 record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before suffering a torn ACL in a second-round matchup against Mississippi State.
"I think this season was a real growth year for me. I was able to learn so much," Watkins said Saturday on ESPN's College GameDay. "Just IQ wise, playing with Kiki Iriafen and so many great players around me, it forced me to level up and be a better player and teammate."
"It's everything that I've dreamt of." 🙌
— espnW (@espnW) April 5, 2025
JuJu Watkins on @CollegeGameDay after winning the 2025 Wooden Women's Player of the Year award 👏 pic.twitter.com/yRQvxGo8Ps
Without Watkins on the floor, USC went on to lose 78-64 to No. 2 seed Connecticut in the Elite Eight. But Watkins and the Trojans are clearly building something special in Los Angeles.
"It's everything that I've dreamt of," Watkins said. "... I wanted to change the trajectory of the program ... and that's exactly what we did. This is only the beginning—and there's more to come [at Galen Center]."
Watkins now will begin rehabbing her knee to get back on the floor for USC next season. And when she does, she'll have the coveted title of "Wooden Award winner" already on her resume.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USC Star JuJu Watkins Wins Wooden Award for 2024-25 Season.
