Juju Watkins, female basketball player of the NCAA title year, announced Sunday that she would not play during the 2025-26 season.
Watkins, who torn the ACL in his right knee against the state of the Mississippi in the second round of the NCAA tournament in March, says that she will spend her third year at the USC concentrating on her recovery.
The 6-feet 2-inch goalkeeper collected on average 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last year to win the honors in All-American Consensus and national player prices of the year while leading the Trojan horses at a seeded n ° 1 in the NCAA tournament.
After Watkins’ injury, Trojan horses lost against Paige Bueckers and the possible national Connecticut champion in the elite eight.
“In recent months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest and reflection,” said Watkins. “Putting this injury was not easy, and I want to thank you – your love, your support and your kind words have really raised me during one of the most difficult moments of my life.
“Because you were with me at every stage, I wanted you to hear it directly from me, following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit this season and focus fully on the continuation of recovering so that I can come back to the game I love.”
“The health and well-being of Juju is our top priority,” said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, in a statement. “And we fully support her decision to focus on recovery this season. Although we will certainly miss her impact on the field, she continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate.”
In 67 games during its first two seasons, Watkins accumulated 1,709 points, 472 rebounds, 225 assists, 150 interceptions and 130 points at 3 points while pulling 41.2% on the field, 32.2% on 3 points and 83.6% on the free line.
– Field level media
