EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- JuJu Watkins put up shot after shot on the far end of the Phoenix Mercury practice court with her trademark bun pulled down to the back. She sported the No. 40 on her red Team USA jersey with a blue T-shirt underneath. There was no knee brace needed for the Southern California star working her way back from a torn ACL that took away her 2025-26 season."Recovery's coming along very well," Watkins said. "Just staying with it, and I'll be back soon."I'm like working out and stuff. While I'm here just shooting mainly, but back home just working on everything. Getting closer to the finish line, so I'm grateful about that."The No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class tore her right ACL in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament against Mississippi State on March 24. That leaves her over a year removed from the injury, and she's expected to be ready by the start of the 2026-27 college season.Watkins earned All-America honors in each of her first two seasons and was named the 2024-25 AP Player of the Year."I think this journey has definitely taught me to have a lot of patience," Watkins said. "So many ups and downs within the process, but just staying true to myself and staying true to process."I would love to be out there participating with everyone else to the best of my ability. Just to be here and be in this space, get out of L.A. for a while. It's a different change of scenery. It's really nice. Just reminding me to stick with it."Watkins has been a limited participant at the USA Basketball national team training camp being held at the Mercury facility. Limited participation is an improvement from the December training camp held on the Duke University campus, where Watkins simply watched from the sidelines in Team USA warmup gear."JuJu's in a great spot," said Sue Bird, Team USA managing director. "Obviously, tearing your ACL as a young player is not fun. But, I can speak firsthand, you learn a lot from the experience. And just in talking to her, you can see she's in a really settled place, a really calm place. Ready to get back on the court. I'm sure she's itching to do that."As you get closer to the end, it actually gets harder because you know you're ready, but you still have to take your time with it. But she looks great. I know she'll have a great summer, and hopefully we'll see her back on the court next year."The Trojans earned a No. 9 seed in the 2026 NCAA tournament without Watkins and finished with an 18-14 record. They lost to South Carolina in the second round. The program currently has the No. 1 recruiting class for the upcoming season, including the No. 1 recruit in Saniyah Hall. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb has signed the No. 1-ranked player in the nation in three of the past four seasons, adding Jazzy Davidson in 2025."I learned a lot of things," Watkins said of watching the Trojans this season. "A lot of ways we can improve. A lot of things we do well. Just from a viewer perspective, just being able to see things from a different perspective has definitely helped and given me some things I can continue to contribute to the team next year."
