DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — JuJu Watkins made the most of her brief trip to the USA Basketball senior national team camp.
While she wasn't able to participate in the on-court activities because the Southern California star is still recovering from an ACL injury she suffered last March, Watkins saw the invitation as an opportunity to grow her leadership abilities.
“It’s enough just being (here) and feeling the energy, that’s mostly what I’ve picked up on,” the reigning AP Player of the Year said. “Hearing everyone’s voices, the communications, the leadership, it’s something that you can see automatically. It brings up your standards, so I’ll definitely be taking some of these lessons back to USC to continue to grow as a leader and a player.”
Watkins was able to get up a few stationary shots with coaches after practice was over, which was a positive step in her rehab.
“Whatever I can do, I am trying to maximize that,” she said.
Watkins had announced in September that she would miss the entire college season to give her full attention to rehab. She said Friday that she had tried to put off the decision whether to play for as long as possible, but in the end she “had to come to terms with where I was at. Getting over that mental curve has been the biggest thing."
U.S. coach Kara Lawson said it was important that Watkins, who will be a vital part of the team in the future, to attend the camp.
“We wanted her here ... I think you can see that there’s a great deal of talent there, and that’s somebody that is going to be in the conversation, obviously, in the future,” Lawson said. “We were really intentional about inviting her here and having her be a part of it. I think there’s great value in having her observe and be around the group, and then just the connectivity."
Watkins was only around on Thursday and Friday because she returned to Los Angeles for the 16th-ranked Trojans' game against No. 1 UConn on Saturday.
Being at camp gave her a chance to connect in person with Paige Bueckers. Watkins said Bueckers has been great in helping her with her ACL rehab. Bueckers missed the 2022-23 season with her own ACL tear.
“She’s been checking on me every couple months. Great person,” Watkins said. "So to be here with her, and see her kill it, and see her on the other side of it, it’s very inspiring. She’s just helped me throughout the process of sending the texts, checking in on me, that’s meant a great deal.”
Watkins said she had always wanted to be part of the senior team. The Olympics are in her hometown of Los Angeles in 2028.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be in this atmosphere, so to live out those dreams, even though it looks different, I’m still blessed to be here,” she said.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
“A dazzling delight for all ages” Read moreRodger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Celebrate the season with us at CY Danceworks’ Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 7th! Read moreChristmas Open House-Free Dance Classes, Holiday Crafts, Food, Pics with Santa & More!!!
Interact with live nativity characters; pet various animals; sing along with Christmas carol… Read moreChristmas Under the Stars
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.