JuJu Watkins Has Herself to Thank For USC Preseason All-American Teammate
As a freshman, USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins managed to carry her team to an appearance in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament, despite not having any elite players around her.
This success has fans fascinated to find out what Watkins can accomplish as a sophomore; especially now that she has a superstar sidekick.
Former Stanford Cardinals standout Kiki Iriafen joined the Women of Troy this year after legendary Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer retired at the end of the 2023-24 season. And if this duo's potential wasn't already clear, it became so on Tuesday once the Associated Press (AP) announced that both Watkins and Iriafen were on their preseason All-America women’s college basketball team.
.@USCWBB stars Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins have been named AP Preseason All-Americans!
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) October 22, 2024
They become the first pair of teammates selected to the All-America team since the 2017-2018 season ✌️ pic.twitter.com/pT61KAUlFd
These two Trojans join UConn star Paige Bueckers, Notre Dame standout Hannah Hidalgo, and Texas icon Madison Booker to round out the All-American list. It's the first time AP's preseason All-American list includes three sophomores (Watkins, Hidalgo, and Booker) and the first time a pair of teammates were selected since the 2017-18 season.
While Watkins is surely feeling grateful to have another All-American (who dunked in a practice earlier this summer) with her, AP's article of the announcement conveys that she has herself to thank.
Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb is quoted in the AP story saying, “Kiki came because she wanted to play with JuJu, who recruited her because she wanted to play with Kiki. It’s exciting to see their personalities mesh.”
Sounds like Watkins played a crucial part in getting Iriafen to join her squad this season, which led to USC being deemed AP's No. 3-ranked team.
Let's see whether this duo can live up to lofty expectations this season.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.