'feeling Back Like Myself.' Juju Watkins Returns To Practice At Usc

She’d been retired for complete a year, her long, arduous betterment from a season-ending knee injury kept almost wholly nether wraps. But arsenic JuJu Watkins took her spot successful beforehand of a microphone for nan first clip since returning to believe this summer, the USC superstar could hardly incorporate her gratitude.

Asked Monday what nan champion portion astir being backmost has been truthful far, a large grin crept crossed Watkins’ face.

“Honestly everything,” Watkins said. “Like I don’t moreover know, nan smallest worldly conscionable gets maine excited.”

Watkins’ return is simply a momentous mile marker for a squad that has superior nationalist title aspirations this season. Her position remains uncertain, and reporters successful attendance Monday were told not to inquire further astir Watkins’ circumstantial betterment timeline. But Watkins did opportunity that she’s already been capable to scrimmage during USC’s summertime believe and that she’s “feeling backmost for illustration myself.”

“It’s conscionable been a agelong clip coming,” Watkins said. “I’ve conscionable been moving retired and grinding each time truthful that I could beryllium successful position, truthful to spot each of that difficult activity salary disconnected correct now, it’s really fulfilling.”

Watkins was a two-time statement All-American and nan Associated Press Player of nan Year successful 2025, erstwhile her knee buckled that March during a breakaway successful nan 2nd information of nan NCAA tournament. The injury, a torn ACL, wouldn’t conscionable derail a imaginable title tally for USC that season, but besides upend nan Trojans’ trajectory for nan next one.

Facing 1 of nan toughest schedules successful nan nation, USC missed Watkins dearly. The Trojans vanished their frustrating run 18-14 earlier losing successful nan Round of 32.

As she sat out, Watkins said she struggled to support still. Patience didn’t needfully travel naturally. She recovered herself leaning connected others, she said, for illustration Dallas Wings constituent defender Paige Bueckers, who went done her ain ACL recovery.

“She was perpetually checking up connected me, sending maine texts, encouraging me,” Watkins said of Bueckers. ‘I really appreciated that.”

Coaches suggested she move that power into her teammates. So she took solace successful doing nan small things, for illustration arranging nan locker room chairs during pre-game.

“Just to watch her return thing that was truthful difficult and move herself into everything that went into past twelvemonth was thing I’ll ne'er forget,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I really do return a batch of inspiration from it.”

The metallic lining, coming retired of a play without their superstar, was nan emergence of freshman Jazzy Davidson, who came to USC to play alongside Watkins. Instead, she ended up winning National Freshman of nan Year and becoming a rising prima successful her ain right,

This month, Watkins and Davidson were yet capable to return nan level together, conscionable arsenic Gottlieb had erstwhile envisioned. She’d waited rather a while for that pairing, she reminded Monday. But Davidson, she thinks, will beryllium each nan amended for having survived her freshman play without Watkins.

“You conscionable travel backmost pinch a different level of confidence,” Gottlieb said. “I dream she brings pinch her each acquisition she had because who had much acquisition than Jazzy successful position of a freshman twelvemonth wherever she handled truthful much?”

Now, pinch Watkins backmost and Davidson group to return different measurement forward, location won’t beryllium truthful overmuch unit connected nan Trojans’ newest apical recruit.

Saniyah Hall marks nan 3rd consecutive No. 1 wide imaginable to motion pinch Gottlieb and USC, but she steps into a decidedly different script than nan different 2 did. In summation to Watkins and Davidson, nan Trojans besides brought successful 2 different apical freshmen successful Sitaya Fagan and Sara Okeke, arsenic good arsenic 2 privilege portal adds successful Ryann Bennett and Pania Davis.

“With nan talent that’s connected nan team,” Hall said, “I deliberation it could beryllium thing that’s very special.”

That starts pinch Watkins, who, successful spite of a twelvemonth away, apparently hasn’t skipped a hit successful her return.

“I consciousness for illustration she’s backmost for illustration she ne'er left,” defender Kennedy Smith said.