University of Southern California’s basketball sensation JuJu Watkins has added another prestigious honor to her growing list of accolades. The recent accomplishment has drawn a reaction from the USC Trojans women’s basketball head coach, Lindsay Gottlieb.
JuJu Watkins Makes History, Earns Reaction from Head Coach
JuJu Watkins has added another feather to her many-feathered cap. On Tuesday, it was announced that Watkins has won the Big Ten Conference Female Athlete of the Year for the 2024-25 season.
According to B1G, she became the first USC player and the 11th women’s basketball student-athlete to receive the honor.
The award went to Caitlin Clark for the last two years.
Penn State University wrestler Carter Starocci won the 2024-25 Big Ten Conference Male Athlete of the Year.
Following the announcement, Gottlieb shared the post on her Instagram story with three emojis: one red heart, one yellow heart, and the peace sign.
She tagged Watkins in the story as well.
Watkins herself posted a similar reaction on her Instagram. Sharing a reel posted by B1G celebrating her award win, she commented the following:
The news is no surprise, as Watkins made an incredible impact on the Trojans’ first year in the Big Ten Conference. She helped USC to the Big Ten regular-season title and a top seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
She has also received the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, the Dawn Staley Award, the John R. Wooden Award, and the USBWA’s Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year Award.
Her accomplishments are backed by a powerful sophomore season at USC, where she ranked No. 9 all-time in career scoring with 1,709 points. Watkins is the fastest to score 1,000 career points in Trojan history.
According to USC Trojans‘ official website, she also became the first Division I collegiate, WNBA, and NBA player since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks, and five assists in a single game.
JuJu Watkins’ Knee Injury Made Lindsay Gottlieb Cry
Watkins suffered a harrowing season-ending knee injury in the middle of the NCAA Second Round. In a brutal blow to the Trojans’ championship hopes, she tore her ACL in the right knee and is currently in recovery.
In April, Gottlieb shared an update with TMZ, stating that Watkins was “doing great” and was in “focus mode, rehab mode.” However, the head coach said she would still need more time to heal and get back.
In June, Gottlieb admitted to Hoops HQ that she began to cry while describing the moment of the injury to a documentary film crew.
“Anytime a player goes down with a significant injury, it is brutal,” she said. “But I don’t remember anything like that. What we all experienced in that arena when she got hurt was just indescribable. But especially for someone like Juju, it was so heartbreaking, not just for us but for basketball.”