JuJu Watkins of USC women’s basketball is taking the baton from Caitlin Clark as the foremost star in women’s college hoops for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. It is therefore not surprising that Watkins — very much in demand as a public figure and as a basketball star — is very commercially attractive. Accordingly, JuJu Watkins reportedly signed an extension of her shoe deal with Nike on Tuesday. This raises her profile one month before the USC women embark on a season rich with possibility and defined by huge expectations.
JuJu Watkins is a superstar in her own right, but USC — or any team — making the Women’s Final Four and competing in April for a national championship depends on multiple stars lifting a roster. The South Carolina team which won the 2024 national championship was much more than just Kamilla Cardoso. The LSU team which beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa for the 2023 national title was a lot more than just Angel Reese. The 2024 USC women’s basketball team had JuJu and some really good role players, but it didn’t have that second superstar to move the needle more against elite teams. UConn was able to limit USC’s offense in the Elite Eight. The Trojans needed a few extra pieces to make themselves a Final Four favorite. Lindsay Gottlieb did that by bringing in Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State transfer Talia Von Oelhoffen. USC should have the starting five needed to win big this season. The key to the season is less about the starters and more about the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class evolving over the season, to the extent that it can provide substantial and productive bench minutes, particularly in February and March.
Follow Trojans Wire for extensive USC women’s basketball coverage once the 2024-2025 college basketball season gets going in early November.
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