JuJu Watkins' Knee Injury 'Will Not Shake Her Drive and Dedication,' USC HC Says

USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb released a statement Wednesday, two days after superstar JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL in her right knee.

"One thing I know about JuJu is that she is resilient," Gottlieb said. "We are in full support of her and believe that this injury will not shake her drive and dedication to be the best player and person she can be, and to help her teammates shine."

The sophomore suffered the injury during her team's 96-59 win over Mississippi State in the second round of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

Watkins is a two-time unanimous first-team All-American who also won USBWA National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year honors this year. For the season, she averaged 23.9 points on 42.6 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

Obviously, Watkins is a tremendous talent with a bright future ahead. The injury is an unfortunate setback on her career path, but it shouldn't preclude her from achieving her ceiling as someone who could be considered one of the best (if not the best) women's basketball players in the world someday.

At the same time, UConn guard Paige Bueckers is enjoying a fantastic season (19.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.4 RPG) while leading a Huskies team that could very well win the national title. Bueckers has gone through horrible injury ordeals, most notably a torn ACL that cost her the entire 2022-23 season and a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear that sidelined her for 19 games in 2021-22.

But she's back, dominating and should be going No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA draft.

Watkins could easily be the top pick as well someday. For now, her rehab process begins, while the Trojans look toward the Sweet 16, where they'll play Kansas State on Saturday.