Juju Watkins capped off her illustrious high school career with one of the most prestigious awards at the HS sports level. The Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) star was named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Monday.
Watkins had a stellar senior year, averaging 27.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game as he led Sierra Canyon to a 31-1 record. He had 45 points, 16 rebounds on January 26th and then broke his scoring record five nights later with 60 points, 21 rebounds on January 31st.
Listed at 6-foot-2, Watkins has entered legendary ranks at the girls high school levels. She was the FIBA ​​World Cup MVP, a McDonald’s All-American, a 2020 Sports Illustrated Sports Kid, and was named the Los Angeles Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year both her sophomore and junior years (this season in Los Angeles). Times Award yet to be announced). Watkins was also Klutch Sports Group’s first athlete client.
Gatorade also considers community service and education when selecting awards. Watkins is very involved in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, working with the Watts Working Community Action Committee, which was started by his great-grandfather, Ted Watkins.
She said she wants to help the community gain financial literacy and educational opportunities, inspire young women to persevere through adversity and bring Fortune 500 companies to the area.
“My goal is to inspire my community and be a frontier for women’s basketball,” Watkins said of her signing with Clutch. “We don’t have as many resources as others, so just speak up and be a part of that women’s basketball story.”
He also volunteered for Hands of Hope and Shoes for Souls, according to Gatorade. Watkins had a 3.72 GPA.
Watkins, the No. 1 player in the class of 2023, has signed with USC, where he will attend this fall.