JuJu Watkins, a sophomore at USC, distinguished herself in women's college basketball by becoming the first Trojan to be named Associated Press player of the year. This accolade comes as part of a series of national awards she received after leading her team to a Big Ten championship and a top seed in the NCAA tournament. Despite suffering a knee injury that cut her season short, Watkins' performance was remarkable, averaging 27.1 points and 7.3 rebounds, showcasing her growth into a more efficient player and a finalist for defensive player of the year.
Watkins became the first Trojan to be selected the Associated Press player of the year Thursday, joining Courtney Paris, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart as just the fourth sophomore to win the award.
Watkins won the Naismith Trophy, another player-of-the-year honor, on Wednesday, becoming the third USC player - after Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie - to take home the award.
USC won the Big Ten in its first season in the conference, while Watkins was named Big Ten player of the year.
Watkins averaged fewer points (27.1 to 23.9) and rebounds (7.3 to 6.8) than she did as a freshman but became a more refined and efficient player.
Collection
[
|
...
]