So much had been heaped on JuJu Watkins from the start — from the moment she set foot on USC’s campus, she was the one who would bring the program back to the mountaintop. This season, she was the player who would carry the star power in women’s college basketball in the wake of Caitlin Clark.
It was a lot of weight on anyone’s shoulders, but she handled it well. She thrived under that responsibility and blossomed in the spotlight.
But last weekend, the biggest star in women’s college basketball was carried away after collapsing to the court with a season-ending ACL tear. Her absence has left USC fans stunned and the women’s college basketball world restless.
Some kind words for JuJu Watkins 🥹 pic.twitter.com/8syMkUOUCu
— espnW (@espnW) March 25, 2025
Salt in the wound? Commercials featuring Watkins will continue playing during the NCAA Tournament. She’s the biggest individual star in women’s college hoops right now, drawing red-carpet-like turnout from celebrities at her games in the Galen Center. That reception would have boomed with a Final Four trip or national championship as an undeniable Hollywood storyline.
While prayers rained on Los Angeles for Watkins’ recovery, questions bubbled up: What now? Who now?
It’s a fair question. And it echoes the…
