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JuJu Watkins Signs with USC

Dick Weiss on College Basketball

JuJu Watkins, the top-rated prospect in the class of 2023, has signed a national letter of intent with USC.

Watkins, a versatile 6-2 guard who grew up in Watts just 10 miles from the Los Angeles campus, chose the Trojans over South Carolina and Stanford. She is a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball. She won a state championship at Sierra Canyon High School and is the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
Watkins averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2. 8 steals and 2.0 blocks as a junior and started all seven games last summer as a member of USA Basketball’s U17 team where she averaged a team high 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assiss and 2.3 steals.
She follows in a long line of legands at USC including Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie and is considered to be Lindsay’s Gottlieb’s best recruit ever.
Watkins began playing basketball at age 7 despite her parents desire for her to follow in Serena and Venus Williams’ footsteps as a tennis player. She transferred to Sierra Canyon from Winward High School in Los Angeles and became the first high school athlete to sign with Klutch Sports Group for NIL representation last February. This October, she joined Bronny James, a 6-2 point guard who is the son of NBA legend LeBron James, to sign an NIL deal with Nike.
James, who is considering Ohio State, Michigan, UCLA, Oregon, USC and Memphis, said he would not sign in the early period.

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Dick Weiss is a sportswriter and columnist who has covered college football and college and professional basketball for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Daily News. He has received the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is a member of the national Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He has also co-written several books with Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Dick Vitale and authored a tribute book on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

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