JuJu Watkins, one of the brightest young stars in women’s college basketball, is back on the court. The Southern California guard was sidelined last season while rehabbing a torn ACL.
Watkins’ first two seasons with the USC Trojans saw her score an average of 25.6 points per game. Now, she returns to a talented supporting cast as the No. 3 Trojans pursue their first national championship since 1984.
“It’s on my mind every day,” Watkins said. “So much anticipation has gone into this year. I want it really badly, but also in a healthy way. I just want to have fun and really enjoy this year.”
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Watkins added that she’s already imagined what it will feel like to see her first basket go in.
“I’ve had dreams about that every night. I might shed a tear, honestly, I can’t lie,” she said. “That’ll be a really amazing feeling for me.”
Watkins scored 18 points in 22 minutes during USC’s recent exhibition win over California, offering an early glimpse of what her return could mean.
She will share the backcourt with Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson, who averaged 17.9 points last season. Although this will be their first season playing together, the duo began building chemistry while Watkins recovered from the injury she suffered in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She could often be seen encouraging Davidson from the sideline.
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“She saw me being hard on myself and I think she saw a little bit of her in me,” Davidson said, “and so she kind of knew what it was like going through that. Being able to build the friendship that we were able to build, it’s a huge blessing.”
USC’s stockpile of talent includes guard Saniyah Hall, who had 23 points, six rebounds and five steals in the Trojans’ exhibition, as well as forward Sara Okeke, one of three five-star recruits to join the roster.
“They have proven that they’re going to be really impactful players at a high level,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
Last season, Watkins would set up chairs in the locker room for the team talk on the road. It was one of the small ways she found to be useful without being on the court.
“I was able to take on a leadership role for sure, and I can’t say I really owned that role prior to that,” she said. “Being able to do that and also see the game from a different perspective and seeing how can I help my team really helped grow my IQ and leadership skills.”
The Trojans season tips off Monday in Las Vegas against UNLV in the Hall of Fame Series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.