Women’s basketball needs faces of future to be Black. Enter JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo
JuJu Watkins crossed over her defender, stepped into the lane and floated a pretty runner into the hoop. The whistle blew, and Watkins stepped to the line for an and-1. Over the Galen Center loudspeaker, the voice of DJ Malski, the Trojans’ in-house hype man, rang above the crowd.
“Yeahhhhhhh, Ju,” Malski crowed as Watkins swished her free throw attempt.
“Yeahhhhhhh, Ju,” the crowd parroted back.
It’s understandable why Watkins, the front-runner for national freshman of the year, sparks this kind of reaction. The 6-foot-2 rookie from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, has a silky smooth jumper, a veteran’s poise and a combination of skill, power and body control rarely seen.
Leave a Reply