Southern Cal may be famous for football, but the university’s basketball programs are booming. While the men grabbed headlines after recruiting Bronny James, the women’s program touts a celebrated freshman, too. 18-year-old JuJu Watkins made her anticipated debut on the hardwood on Monday. The USC star did not disappoint.
Watkins dazzled in an 83-74 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. She scored 32 points, dished out five assists, and pulled down six rebounds in 31 minutes. She shot an outstanding 11-for-18 from the floor in her college debut and showed nerves of steel at the free throw line, where she went 9-for-10.
Watkins’ sharpness paved the way for USC to get the victory in Las Vegas. T-Mobile Arena hosted several games on Monday as the 2023-24 men’s and women’s college basketball season tips off.
USC figures to be a team to watch out west this season, and a lot of that has to do with Watkins. The 18-year-old LA native attended the famed Sierra Canyon School and ranked as the top recruit in the 2023 recruiting class. She participated in the McDonald’s All-American Game and was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year, and California’s Ms. Basketball.
She committed to USC over powers like South Carolina and Stanford, as well as a host of others. Oh, and she has an NIL deal with Nike.
Needless to say, the USC star freshman had everybody talking after her performance.