After more than 14 months recovering from a torn ACL, JuJu Watkins is back on the court as USC begins summer camp, saying she feels “back like myself” and can scrimmage. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb praised the work behind her return, while teammate Kennedy Smith ca
LOS ANGELES — The gym doors opened and JuJu Watkins stepped onto the court again, moving like a player who had been counting days.
More than 14 months after tearing her ACL. the USC guard is back in practice as the Trojans begin summer camp in their third week. and she didn’t hide how much it means to be there. “I’m just really blessed to be here. feeling back like myself and being able to practice with the team. ” Watkins said Monday. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve 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.”.
Watkins missed the entire 2025-26 season after the injury she suffered in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. On Monday. she and coach Lindsay Gottlieb stayed light on specifics about her status. but Watkins made clear the recovery has progressed far enough for full-team action on some level. “Watkins said she’s been able to scrimmage,” according to her comments, while Gottlieb described the change she’s seeing.
“She’s stronger, faster, in her best shape ever,” Gottlieb said. “The work that she put in is something that is going to speak volumes.”
For USC, the timing feels personal. After back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight. the Trojans went 18-14 overall last season and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Watkins wasn’t on the floor then. and the loss came behind Big Ten freshman of the year Jazzy Davidson. who carried the load in Watkins’ absence with averages of 17.9 points. 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Davidson remembers what Watkins looked like from the sideline, even in the toughest moments. Watkins was a regular presence on the bench, offering support and encouragement. At road games, she would set up chairs in the locker room for team talks.
“They just kind of gave me a job because I couldn’t sit still,” Watkins said, smiling.
Now, that presence is shifting back to the court. Teammate Kennedy Smith summed up what it looks like from inside the team: “She’s back like she never left.”
Gottlieb, too, knows the weight of the injury and the long road that follows. She tore her ACL before her senior year of high school, and she said it changed how she viewed basketball—something she told Watkins during the recovery.
“I said there’s things that are going to come from this that you cannot possibly know right now that someday you’re going to be grateful for,” Gottlieb said.
Watkins also leaned on other athletes who had lived through ACL recoveries. She received support from Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, who tore her ACL at UConn in 2022 and was cleared to resume playing a year later. Bueckers, Watkins said, was constantly reaching out.
“She was ‘constantly checking up on me, sending me texts,’” Watkins said. “Every person in the WNBA world who had gone through that just had nothing but love and support for me, so I really appreciate that.”
Watkins kept much of her recovery private as it progressed, unintentionally building anticipation for the return. The Trojans open the season on Nov. 2 against UNLV in Las Vegas, and the first glimpse of her back on the court already feels like a milestone to the players around her.
“Just seeing her on the court, it’s really surreal,” Davidson said.
Watkins will be hard to miss, too. She’s known for a sleek high bun that she calls her superpower, and she hinted at what’s next with a smile. “It’ll be back,” Watkins said.
One injury changed the pace of her life for more than a year. Now, in the first days of summer camp, it looks like she’s returning on her own terms—stronger, faster, and ready to practice with the team again.
JuJu Watkins USC Trojans women's college basketball ACL recovery summer camp Lindsay Gottlieb Jazzy Davidson Kennedy Smith Paige Bueckers UNLV Las Vegas