USC women's basketball star JuJu Watkins is establishing herself as one of the best players at the college level. She is expected to be a future WNBA star. Right now, though, Watkins is focused on leading USC. During a recent interview, Watkins revealed when she first started taking basketball especially seriously, via Danielle Wright of girlsunited.essence.com.
"Basketball was always in my family. My parents and then my older brother played in high school, so it was always around me," Watkins said. "We would be playing in the backyard, and I just always loved it. At first, I was not good at all—and I just really had a hunger to get better. At that point, I knew that it was something that I wanted to take seriously."
Watkins has been around the sport of basketball for a long time, as she says it is a game that her family played. She clearly made the right decision by pursuing it, as now she has become a star.
JuJu Watkins playing at a high level with USC women's basketball
Watkins is only 19 years old, yet she is playing at a high level without question. She is currently averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per outing. As her statistics confirm, Watkins impacts the game in multiple ways.
The USC star is also shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc. She has increased her three-point shooting percentage this season, as she recorded a mark of 31.9 percent last year.
Watkins, who is in her second college basketball season, is hoping to lead USC to a championship. USC is ranked No. 6 overall with a 23-2 record at the moment. The team has a realistic opportunity to make a championship run. With Watkins leading the way, there is reason to believe they can accomplish their goal.
However, teams such as Notre Dame, UCLA, North Carolina, UConn and others also feature no shortage of talent. Anything can happen once the tournament begins. Nevertheless, there is no question that JuJu Watkins and this USC women's basketball team will have a chance to make things interesting.
Regardless of whether or not she wins a championship, Watkins is arguably the best player at the college basketball level right now.
Watkins and USC's next game is scheduled for Wednesday night against Michigan State at 9:30 PM EST.