ROSEMONT, Ill. -- USC star JuJu Watkins brings a lot of traits to the basketball court, but she added one during her long rehab from a knee injury suffered in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
"The whole process has taught me a lot of patience, patience that I didn't even know I had within," Watkins said at Big Ten media days. "This journey has been a big test but also very fulfilling to know that, you know, I showed up every day, I put in the work to get to where I am."
The 2024-25 Wooden Award winner missed all of last season as she recovered from a torn ACL in her right knee sustained in a second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State. Watkins, who averaged 25.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists during her first two college seasons, said she's on "a learning curve" while recapturing her form.
She's set to return to the court for USC's opener Nov. 2 against UNLV in Las Vegas.
"I'll continue to get better and progress throughout the season," she said. "The goal is to peak at the right time."
Watkins anticipates being "a smarter player" after watching games and practices for a season and spending time around coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her teammates. Gottlieb said she doesn't manage Watkins like just any other player coming off a major injury.
"It is not just business as usual with her," Gottlieb said. "I just don't do the same things I've always done. You have to be aware, when you have a player like that, a gravitational, generational type star, that you have to put things in place for them to be successful, for them to be them, and it's not the cookie-cutter, what you've always done."
During Watkins' rehab, she was in regular contact with Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, who missed the 2022-23 season at UConn because of an ACL tear. Watkins credited Bueckers for advising her on the stages of recovery, and said she got "so much love from so many WNBA players" along the way.
Although Watkins has gained greater patience during her recovery, her competitiveness sets her apart, Gottlieb said, and will fuel her return.
"There's no doubt that that she was the best player in college basketball when she got hurt, and she has high standards for herself," Gottlieb said. "There's no intention for her to come back and not be at a really high level -- the highest level."