USC women's basketball star JuJu Watkins was named The Associated Press Women’s Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday, becoming the first player in Trojans' history to receive the award.

Watkins, a sophomore, accepted the honor via Zoom from Los Angeles.

“I’m just so honored to be recognized in this fashion,” she said, as reported by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. “I want to thank my teammates, my amazing coaches, my family and friends. They made all this possible. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love.”

She earned 29 of 31 votes from the national media panel that also selects the AP Top 25 each week. Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo received the other two. Both were named first-team AP All-Americans.

Watkins is the fourth sophomore to win the award, joining Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris (2007) and UConn’s Maya Moore (2009) and Breanna Stewart (2014). The AP began giving out the honor in 1995.

“I think what’s so significant about this award is that this was a year that didn’t have an absence of talent and stars, and JuJu found a way to elevate herself and her team,” USC women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

The AP honor adds to Watkins' growing list of accolades — she was also awarded the Naismith Player of the Year Wednesday.

JuJu Watkins led Trojans to regular-season conference title 

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Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season before suffering a season-ending ACL injury during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She led the Trojans to their first regular-season conference title in 31 years and was a key figure in the program’s resurgence.

“She makes a lot of things that aren’t easy look easy,” Gottlieb said. “It’s one thing to say she’s a generational talent, but another to actually do it and put yourself up with names like Stewie, Maya and Courtney Paris.”

Cori Close, head coach of UCLA and the AP Coach of the Year, praised Watkins’ impact beyond the court.

“I know that everybody knows what an amazing basketball player JuJu Watkins is, but I think this is an incredible award because I know her heart of service,” Close said.

Watkins helped boost USC’s home attendance to nearly 6,000 per game and continued to raise her profile with standout performances against top opponents and a growing presence in the NIL space.