USC Trojans’ JuJu Watkins Chance At History, Shooting Guard Of The Year Candidate

USC Trojans sophomore guard JuJu Watkins is a top-10 candidate for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year award. Watkins won the award as a freshman and could be the first player to receive the honor in back-to-back years.

Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball downcourt during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

USC Trojans sophomore guard JuJu Watkins is on the short list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year award. The award recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after class of 1993 Naismith Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale, who became the first player, regardless of gender, to be named an All-American in four consecutive seasons. 

The award is still fairly new, having only existed since 2018, and Watkins can become the first player to receive the honor in back-to-back years after winning it as a true freshman in 2024. Fan voting will begin on Friday, February 7, the fan vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.

Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball downcourt during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The list will be narrowed from 10 to five finalist in March and in late March, the five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where the winner will be announced. Additional women’s awards that will be presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award best point guard, Cheryl Miller Award, best small forward, Katrina McClain Award, best power forward and the Lisa Leslie Award, best center.

Watkins has followed up her historic freshman season with a spectacular star to her sophomore season. The Trojans guard has been selected as the Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week four times and also picked up her first Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Week award in mid-January. She is averaging 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game this season. 

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Watkins became the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She was also third quickest player in women's basketball to reach that mark. The Los Angeles native has scored in double digits in all 21 games this season. Watkins lead the Trojans to a 72-70 win over then No. 4 UConn on Dec. 21, the same team that ended their season in Elite Eight a year ago. Her signature performance came against Penn State when she scored 35 points on 13-15 shooting. 

The No. 7 Trojans had their 15-game winning streak snapped when they fell to Iowa 76-69 on the road Sunday. It was their first loss since Nov. 23 and first in Big Ten play. USC’s 15-game win streak was its longest since the 1982-83 season and the 9-0 start in conference play was its best since the 1993-94 season.

USC will continue their Midwest road trip and travel to Madison to face the Wisconsin Badgers. Tip-off is slated for 4:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Feb. 5. 

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