USC Women's Basketball: JuJu Watkins Rises Near Top Of Latest ESPN Player Rankings

Rising in the ranks.

USC women's basketball freshman star JuJu Watkins continues to rack up the accolades, awards and high rankings in just her first season. 

Watkins is now moving up the power rankings of ESPN's top collegiate women's basketball players. After previously ranking fifth, Watkins now ranks second in the rankings, only behind the great Caitlin Clark. Following Watkins and Clark, Stanford's Cameron Brink, UConn's Paige Bueckers and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo complete ESPN's top five.

It's not surprising to see the former No. 1 recruit coming out of Sierra Canyon School ranked this high. Besides Clark, no player has garnered the same hype and attention as Watkins. And it's deserved.

Watkins is averaging an absurd 27.9 point, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. She's already broken numerous school records, including the USC single-game scoring record and the most 30-point games by a Trojan freshman. 

As her freshman season winds down with the regular season finishing up this weekend, look for Watkins name to pop up plenty more times for end of season awards and honors. Already a thirteen-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, Watkins will likely win the conference's Freshman of the Year award, along with the national freshman of the year title.

To say it's been a freshman year to remember would be a drastic understatement. As Watkins' first season heads into March, she'll have opportunities during March Madness and the Pac-12 Tournament to further cement her season in the history books.