After last season, in which the Player of the Year debate was more like a foregone conclusion, this season’s race was far more crowded with players putting their cases on the floor until the final day of the season. Or, in the case of The Athletic’s pick, the second-to-last day of the season.
With a 30-point, five-assist, two-steal, three-block performance Saturday against crosstown rival UCLA, USC sophomore JuJu Watkins sealed her spot as our national Player of the Year. Her unanimous selection by The Athletic’s committee of voters follows her recognition as The Athletic’s national Freshman of the Year last season.
This season, Watkins averaged 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game as the Trojans (27-2) won the Big Ten regular season title, making her the most impactful and one of the most well-rounded players in college hoops.
“Her talent jumps off the screen for people who are watching on TV — the explosiveness, the body control, the complete game,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb told The Athletic. “To me, what makes her next level is her impact on winning and her ability to rise to any moment that presents itself, no matter how big.”
ABSOLUTELY LETHAL FROM JUJU. 💪
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/qR8wbuYu2J
— USC Women’s…
