{"id":6455,"date":"2026-07-06T08:34:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T08:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6455"},"modified":"2026-07-06T08:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T08:34:41","slug":"juju-watkins-back-on-the-court-after-acl-recovery-as-usc-begins-summer-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6455","title":{"rendered":"JuJu Watkins back on the court after ACL recovery as USC begins summer camp"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
JuJu Watkins discusses her return to Southern California\u2019s basketball team after missing last season with an injury on Monday, June 29, 2026 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Beth Harris)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Southern California\u2019s JuJu Watkins<\/a> is back on the court preparing for the upcoming college basketball season over 14 months after one of the biggest stars of the women\u2019s game suffered a torn ACL<\/a> .<\/p>

Read more Women\u2019s leagues in Canada, US, aim to take advantage of men\u2019s World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just really blessed to be here, feeling back like myself and being able to practice with the team,\u201d Watkins said Monday. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time coming. I\u2019ve just been working out, grinding every day so that I could be in this position, so to see all of that hard work kind of pay off right now is really fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watkins missed the entire 2025-26 season as she recovered from the injury she suffered in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s back on the court and it\u2019s just a beautiful thing to see,\u201d coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.<\/p>\n

Watkins and Gottlieb didn\u2019t get into specifics about the guard\u2019s status, although Watkins said she\u2019s been able to scrimmage. The Trojans are in their third week of summer camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s stronger, faster, in her best shape ever,\u201d Gottlieb said. \u201cThe work that she put in is something that is going to speak volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teammate Kennedy Smith said, \u201cShe\u2019s back like she never left.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s welcome news for the Trojans.<\/p>\n

After back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight, USC went 18-14 overall last season and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament behind Big Ten freshman of the year Jazzy Davidson. She carried the load in Watkins\u2019 absence, averaging 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.<\/p>\n

Watkins was a regular presence on the bench, offering support and encouragement to Davidson and her other teammates. At road games, she would set up chairs in the locker room for team talks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just kind of gave me a job because I couldn\u2019t sit still,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>

Read more After Asia\u2019s World Cup stumble, resignations pile up from Seoul to Riyadh<\/a><\/p>\n

Gottlieb could relate to Watkin\u2019s injury and long recovery as more than her coach. She tore her ACL before her senior year of high school. Like Watkins, it led her to view the game from a different perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said there\u2019s things that are going to come from this that you cannot possibly know right now that someday you\u2019re going to be grateful for,\u201d Gottlieb said she told Watkins.<\/p>\n

Watkins received support from Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers<\/a> , who tore her ACL at UConn in 2022 and was cleared to resume playing a year later. Bueckers was \u201cconstantly checking up on me, sending me texts,\u201d Watkins said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery person in the WNBA world who had gone through that just had nothing but love and support for me, so I really appreciate that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Watkins kept her recovery mostly private, inadvertently building a huge level of excitement for her impending return. The Trojans open the season on Nov. 2 against UNLV in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust seeing her on the court, it\u2019s really surreal,\u201d Davidson said.<\/p>\n

Watkins will be instantly recognizable with her sleek high bun, which she\u2019s called her superpower.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be back,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP women\u2019s college basketball: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/womens-college-basketball<\/a><\/p>

Read more St. John\u2019s forward Donnie Freeman to miss next season following surgery on Achilles tendon<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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