Judea Juju Watkins - No. 1 basketball recruit for 2023

[Carnac]

Still has not revealed her commitment yet. The No. 1 recruit in high school girls' basketball, who received offers from countless schools and narrowed her choices to South Carolina, Stanford and USC, has been the source of buzz emanating across the country for months, years. The best high school basketball player in the nation, and maybe the best player the high school game has seen in years, Watkins isn't the child of a celebrity. She is her own celebrity -- whether she believes it or not.

Bigger than Bronny? Hype erupts around Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins

She has signed with Nike, appeared in a commercial with LeBron and Bronny, and autographed a fan's face with a Sharpie. Big deal. For Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins, basketball always comes first (and second and third ...).

www.espn.com

 

[visitingcock]

I. Think she is still building her brand with her Stanford /SCar flirtation but stays home to play for Southern Cal where she has (probably) been told she will start on day one. There, she will be THE star from day one and get exposure in one of the largest sports markets in the world.

But, if she wants the national exposure of competing for championships for 3/4 years, she goes to Stan/Scar where she may not start her first year.

Stanford is closer to home and has the academics( which would sway me). SCar can get her more TV eyeballs in building her brand. Plus, she may want to play in front of huge home crowds that the other two don’t offer.

Still, I would bet on the home team if I had to bet. Southern Call alumni network offers a great opportunity for future earnings if basketball doesn’t prove to be the golden calf of her future due to injuries or whatever.

I wonder when she’ll make her decision? Early next week it is said. Anybody know where the ESPN crews will be Monday/Tuesday?

 

[TheFarmFan]

I. Think she is still building her brand with her Stanford /SCar flirtation but stays home to play for Southern Cal where she has (probably) been told she will start on day one. There, she will be THE star from day one and get exposure in one of the largest sports markets in the world.

But, if she wants the national exposure of competing for championships for 3/4 years, she goes to Stan/Scar where she may not start her first year.

Stanford is closer to home and has the academics( which would sway me). SCar can get her more TV eyeballs in building her brand. Plus, she may want to play in front of huge home crowds that the other two don’t offer.

Still, I would bet on the home team if I had to bet. Southern Call alumni network offers a great opportunity for future earnings if basketball doesn’t prove to be the golden calf of her future due to injuries or whatever.

I wonder when she’ll make her decision? Early next week it is said. Anybody know where the ESPN crews will be Monday/Tuesday?

FWIW, your analysis more or less is shared by a lot of folks on our board. We're also really loaded at the SG position in the next few classes, and while I doubt Watkins thinks she won't start at the top of the rotation, she will not be the singular star of our team the way she could be at USC.

The main things working against USC, IMHO, is that their fan base for women's basketball is so meager, and Gottlieb has such a meh track record as a coach and player developer. With the exception of Kristine Anigwe, Gottlieb has almost nothing to show for her time at Cal where she both recruited and coached the player to further professional success.

 

[Gate81]

So USC may appeal short-term but for her long-term growth and success? Then again, it is her life and decision and sometimes tough to predict.

 

[visitingcock]

I read the Cardboard this morning. Looks like nobody has a clue for any school.

I will add that her NIL agent, Jade Li English of Klutch Sports, is a Gamecock athletic alum and daughter of Gamecock basketball great and Board of Trustee member, Alex English.

 

[visitingcock]

I still have to adjust my thought processes. She will be choosing between an SEC school, a Big 10 school and a PAC school. SECN vs BTN vs. Larry Scott legacy for Stanford folks.

 

[ucbart]

I have no idea where she will go, but the brand building is so new, that I have questions:

1. If she does go to South Carolina, which has a contract with Under Armour, would she be able to wear Nike sneakers while she is playing?

2. LA is a huge market, but not so much a college one. Would she really rather go to a school that's mediocre at best, but is able to be THE star, or does she go to a school like South Carolina which by far and away, gets the most press from ESPN(the main network of all things WBB)? Then there is Stanford, which has a large brand, is a WBB juggernaut, would be the best combo of athletics/academics, but branding wise, might be the worst fit because the west coast is not the east coast(SC) and Palo Alto is not LA(USC).

This is fascinating. One thing I know is, this kid must be pretty special to be more highly regarded than Mikayla Williams, who looks like the second coming of Maya Moore to me.

 

[Cockygirl]

The Nike endorsement does not bother me in terms of South Carolina. I would think she could still wear UA shoes when playing for her team but rep Nike on her own time. Destanni Henderson did the same with Reebok. It would seem to be illegal for Nike to make her sign a deal saying she will only wear Nike shoes when she plays bc that would force her to choose a Nike school. That would be against NCAA regulations I would think.

 

[visitingcock]

I have no idea where she will go, but the brand building is so new, that I have questions:

1. If she does go to South Carolina, which has a contract with Under Armour, would she be able to wear Nike sneakers while she is playing?

2. LA is a huge market, but not so much a college one. Would she really rather go to a school that's mediocre at best, but is able to be THE star, or does she go to a school like South Carolina which by far and away, gets the most press from ESPN(the main network of all things WBB)? Then there is Stanford, which has a large brand, is a WBB juggernaut, would be the best combo of athletics/academics, but branding wise, might be the worst fit because the west coast is not the east coast(SC) and Palo Alto is not LA(USC).

This is fascinating. One thing I know is, this kid must be pretty special to be more highly regarded than Mikayla Williams, who looks like the second coming of Maya Moore to me.

well, she visited SCar after signing the Nike deal. I don't think she flew 3000 miles for nothing.

 

[Carnac]

well, she visited SCar after signing the Nike deal. I don't think she flew 3000 miles for nothing.

Two psychic predictions here...........

1. She will be a HUGE get for wherever she goes. She may not start, but she will get starter's minutes. She's THAT good.
2. She'll be a high 1st round draft pick in the 2028 WNBA draft.

She has all the skills to be highly successful. She knows the game, plays with passion and with a purpose (urgency). She has a long history of playing in BIG games and tournaments. She's won gold in international tournaments. I've seen her twice in person. She's can't miss. Not saying she'll be FOY, but she should be on the watch list.

 

[Carnac]

I have no idea where she will go, but the brand building is so new, that I have questions:

1. If she does go to South Carolina, which has a contract with Under Armour, would she be able to wear Nike sneakers while she is playing?

2. LA is a huge market, but not so much a college one. Would she really rather go to a school that's mediocre at best, but is able to be THE star, or does she go to a school like South Carolina which by far and away, gets the most press from ESPN(the main network of all things WBB)? Then there is Stanford, which has a large brand, is a WBB juggernaut, would be the best combo of athletics/academics, but branding wise, might be the worst fit because the west coast is not the east coast(SC) and Palo Alto is not LA(USC).

This is fascinating. One thing I know is, this kid must be pretty special to be more highly regarded than Mikayla Williams, who looks like the second coming of Maya Moore to me.

Good question! She's NOT your typical recruit. She's given us no clue as to which way she's leaning. Her reasons for choosing a program MAY NOT be a typical one. Winning a NC may not be her ultimate goal. Staying close to home may be more important to her than winning NC's. Her ultimate goal is to play professionally. She can do THAT no matter where she goes. I'm very interested in hearing her first press conference explaining why she chose the program she does. Hopefully she'll sign somewhere during the early signing period and end the suspense.

 

[SCGamecock]

One thing I will add here is that SC will likely lose 7 players from a currently 13 player roster after this season, and 4 of them are guards. We return 3 guards next season. THREE.

So if any time is a good time to be a guard and get early playing time at SC, it’s going to be next season. We need immediate impact players in the backcourt.

That said, I’m still thinking Stanford.. but I’m holding out hope.

 

[DefenseBB]

Why do we care about a recruit 17,000+ year into the future (year 20123).

 

[visitingcock]

Why do we care about a recruit 17,000+ year into the future (year 20123).

Like you don't care about El Alfy.

 

[CompSci87]

The recent story on her by ESPN has her putting a lot of emphasis on improving her game, with an eye to playing pro. So getting great coaching and learning how to play at a high level with great teammates might be more important to her than being close to home in Southern California.

But... Why am I here trying to read her mind...? Slap me upside the head.

Bigger than Bronny? Hype erupts around Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins

She has signed with Nike, appeared in a commercial with LeBron and Bronny, and autographed a fan's face with a Sharpie. Big deal. For Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins, basketball always comes first (and second and third ...).

www.google.com

 

[Floridaduck]

 

[Floridaduck]

Sorry for posting the above on this thread. I have NO indication this has to do with Juju Watkins. I meant to post it on the "Non-UConn Recruiting" thread. Cannot figure out how to delete/move it.
Still... looking forward to what the excitement is about.

 

[Carnac]

So USC may appeal short-term but for her long-term growth and success? Then again, it is her life and decision and sometimes tough to predict.

USC women's BB team hasn't been formidable or relevant in decades. If she chooses USC, it will be to stay home, and play right away. If she chooses Troy, she will be the face of that program the day she sets foot on campus. You can't name one player on USC's roster.

USC is a very good private school. Some parents have tried to "buy" their kids way into USC. A very good football team this year, but their basketball teams don't make the grade. UCLA's women's BB team gets all of the media attention here. USC women seldom have over 400 fans at their home games. USC couldn't sell out the Galen Center (10,258 seats) if UConn and SC came there for a game.

Watkins is going to the WNBA in 5 years. Probably as a first round draft choice. She does not have to go to SC or Stanford to reach that goal. Some kids want to stay home and attend a local college. Columbia SC is a long way from West L.A. California. Go figure.

 

[jumpstart]

USC women's BB team hasn't been formidable or relevant in decades. If she chooses USC, it will be to stay home, and play right away. If she chooses Troy, she will be the face of that program the day she sets foot on campus. You can't name one player on USC's roster.

USC is a very good private school. Some parents have tried to "buy" their kids way into USC. A very good football team this year, but their basketball teams don't make the grade. UCLA's women's BB team gets all of the media attention here. USC women seldom have over 400 fans at their home games. USC couldn't sell out the Galen Center (10,258 seats) if UConn and SC came there for a game.

Watkins is going to the WNBA in 5 years. Probably as a first round draft choice. She does not have to go to SC or Stanford to reach that goal. Some kids want to stay home and attend a local college. Columbia SC is a long way from West L.A. California. Go figure.

True...but some people want to get away from the local area. I think Stanford if she values staying on the West coast and for academic reasons...So.Cal. if she wants to be close to family and friends also good academics.....and South Carolina if she seeks the limelight of WBB and television exposure. There is no bad choice for her. It's just what she values most. Staley is by far the more active coach on the national level and the interactions with her players seem to be heads and shoulders above the rest. Staley is the "cool" coach.....so Watkins may be swayed by that....who knows.

 

[Carnac]

True...but some people want to get away from the local area. I think Stanford if she values staying on the West coast and for academic reasons...So.Cal. if she wants to be close to family and friends also good academics.....and South Carolina if she seeks the limelight of WBB and television exposure. There is no bad choice for her. It's just what she values most. Staley is by far the more active coach on the national level and the interactions with her players seem to be heads and shoulders above the rest. Staley is the "cool" coach.....so Watkins may be swayed by that....who knows.

Agreed. I have no kick with your take. We have no idea which way she’s leaning because like the UConn basketball office, there are no leaks in her camp. She’ll choose the best fit for her, regardless if its popular or not.

She’s a local girl so I’m going to follow and root for her no matter where she goes. She’s uber-talented. She going to play professionally where ever she goes. IMO, she could play and start for a lot of division 1 programs THIS year!!

 

[SCGamecock]

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I can't really fault someone for staying home to play for even a losing program.

So Cal has obvious history and upside and a new coach so maybe Watkins can be the cornerstone of that build.

Seems like it never quite works that way for So Cal basketball of any kind in modern times though.

 

[SCGamecock]

I can't really fault someone for staying home to play for even a losing program.

So Cal has obvious history and upside and a new coach so maybe Watkins can be the cornerstone of that build.

Seems like it never quite works that way for So Cal basketball of any kind in modern times though.

I definitely understand the “stay home, help us build” pitch. It’s what we did with A’ja.. although SC was much further along as a program than USC currently is. So even if Watkins goes there I think they are a ways away from being able to pitch national championship/final four. But we’ll see.

Intriguing mix of schools and they all have their pluses and minuses. I think Watkins could be great in the SEC though, especially in the backcourt with Fulwiley. I’m salivating at her and Fulwiley going up against Mikayla Williams at LSU for SEC POY for 3 or so years.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I definitely understand the “stay home, help us build” pitch. It’s what we did with A’ja.. although SC was much further along as a program than USC currently is. So even if Watkins goes there I think they are a ways away from being able to pitch national championship/final four. But we’ll see.

Intriguing mix of schools and they all have their pluses and minuses. I think Watkins could be great in the SEC though, especially in the backcourt with Fulwiley. I’m salivating at her and Fulwiley going up against Mikayla Williams at LSU for SEC POY for 3 or so years.

Well, and... No offense to Lindsay Gottlieb, but she's no Dawn Staley.

 

[ochoopsfan]