JuJu Watkins wins Naismith Trophy, joins elite list at USC

JuJu Watkins didn't get the chance to step into the national spotlight she had earned this March, going down with a torn ACL in USC's second-round NCAA tournament game and having to watch at home as the Trojans lost to UConn in the Elite Eight, but Watkins' stature atop the sport was already cemented.

And on Wednesday she was named the Naismith Trophy winner as the top player in women's college basketball, capping a sophomore season that also included Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year honors by the USBWA, Big Ten Player of the Year and first-team All-American honors as she ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 23.9 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

Watkins is the third USC women's basketball player to win the Naismith award, joining Cheryl Miller (a three-time Naismith Trophy recipient) and Lisa Leslie. Watkins is also the 10th player to win the award at both the high school and college level.

In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 9 all-time in career scoring with 1,709 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four shy of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.

Speaking after USC's Elite Eight loss to UConn on Monday night, coach Lindsay Gottlieb lamented that Watkins wasn't able to finish what she started with her team this year.

"I think when I just take a little time, I'll still be so just crushed for JuJu and the game because that just wasn't supposed to happen like that, but I have no doubt that her comeback is going to be legendary," she said.