JuJu Watkins Named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List, Chasing an Unprecedented Third Award Days After Her Return
USC's senior guard made the 20-player preseason watch list for the shooting guard of the year award she has already won twice — in her first week back on a court after 580 days away.
JuJu Watkins is already collecting honors in her first week back. The USC senior guard was named Tuesday to the 20-player preseason watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced, according to USC Athletics.
The watch list puts Watkins in line for a piece of history. She is seeking an unprecedented third Ann Meyers Drysdale Award after becoming the first two-time winner in the honor's history, claiming it in each of her first two collegiate seasons, in 2024 and 2025, USC reported. The award, now in its 10th year, recognizes the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
The nomination lands days after Watkins returned to competition for the first time in 580 days, having missed the 2025-26 season while recovering from an injury sustained during the 2025 NCAA Tournament. In USC's exhibition against Cal on October 25, she scored 18 points with three rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 23 minutes as the Women of Troy won 78-76, according to the report.
Her last full season explains the expectations: Watkins averaged 24.6 points per game in 2024-25 and swept the nation's top individual honors, winning the Naismith Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award, the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year award and AP National Player of the Year, and she was a unanimous AP All-America First Team selection, USC reported.
