JuJu Watkins is keeping busy in absentia after getting an invite to partake in Team USA’s first pre-2028 Olympic camp.
Yogi Berra once remarked that one could “observe a lot by just watching.” JuJu Watkins and the United States’ women’s national basketball team certainly hope that rings true this holiday season.
Watkins crossed coasts over the weekend to take part in Team USA training camp at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University, the squad’s first step on the multi-pronged journey to the 2028 Summer Olympics in her hometown of Los Angeles. The University of Southern California rep was one of two active collegiate stars in the “young and turnt” core alongside fellow Pacific hopeful Lauren Bettsbut continued rehab from a torn ACL suffered in the last NCAA Tournament has forced Watkins to watch from the sidelines.
“It was definitely like a pinch-me moment, even all the way back to when I got the invite,” Watkins said of her Team USA experience. “I’ve dreamt of being a part of this atmosphere. To see that actually kind of come true, in a sense, and seeing that I’m headed toward the right direction is definitely satisfying, just in terms of how much work I put in to be here.”
“It’s super special to be back, reunited again, and for her to just soak up everything,” fellow first-time senior club participant and fellow USC alumna Kiki Iriafen noted. “But she’s a great spirit, and we can’t wait for her to be ready and back on the floor.”
Watkins didn’t bring a notebook to Durham, but reported that her early immersion into the voices and culture of the temporarily revamped Team USA program has helped fulfill the goal of “osmosis” set forth by star-spangled legend and newly-minted managing director Sue Bird.
“I think there’s so much to learn,” Watkins continued. “It’s only my first day, so it’s hard to kind of say everything, but I think, just from an observing standpoint, just the attention to detail, the leadership, the communication, it’s unmatched, and definitely something that I can get better at and can continue to give to grow.”
JuJu Watkins still playing a major role for @USCWBB 💯 pic.twitter.com/cxkxPVfWtv
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 16, 2025
Kara Lawson Explains JuJu Watkins’ Importance at Team USA Camp
Though Durham is known for its raucous spectators, Watkins wasn’t going to let the spirit of the Cameron Crazies influence her. The LA native, having previously starred at Windward School and Sierra Canyon in the City of Angels, was said to have taken on a bit of a verbal role in the early going, engaging in several post-practice discourses with new head coach Add Lawson.
The hardwood knowledge that Watkins has displayed at 20, Lawson hinted, made it downright essential for Watkins to partake in absentia.
“We wanted her here,” Lawson firmly declared. “You can see that there’s a great deal of talent there, and that’s somebody that’s going to be in the conversation, obviously, in the future. We were really intentional about inviting her here and having her be a part of it. I think there’s great value in having her observe and be around the group, and then just the connectivity, like to choose another one I hadn’t spent any time with.
“My plan is to have a conversation with her every day because I don’t get to be with her on the court,” Lawson said further. “I’m not going to share everything that we talked about and that between us, but it’s about her growing from this and also like being inspired and motivated by this. You get in this environment, and there’s a physical reaction to it. If you’re someone that loves the game like she loves it, you want to be out there, yes, but you’re inspired by, like, seeing the level that some of these players are at, and you want to get to that and you want to be out here.”
Watkins Gives an Injury Update
Taking in the antics of basketball royalty in one of the game’s widely-accepted cathedrals afforded Watkins a moment of reflection. The would-be junior said she put off her decision to sit out the entire 2025-26 season “as much as possible,” but eventually opted to be an educating observer once again. That has allowed her to keep an eye on her “love” of current Trojan headliner Jazzy Davidsonwhom Watkins lauded as a “great student of the game.”
Paige Bueckers on JuJu Watkins’ recovery from her torn ACL. #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/hcH7K4tiFF
— Chicago State of Mind Sports (@ChiStateOfMind_) December 12, 2025
All that and more, including the year’s culmination of Team USA’s camp invite, has allowed Watkins to maintain a demeanor as bright as the SoCal sun back home, even if her current on-court work primarily consists of “picking up the ball a little more” nine months after the injury.
“It is what it is. I just had to come to terms with kind of where I was at,” Watkins said. “[The injury] sucked, but everything happens for a reason … It feels great to be here, surrounded by a lot of great basketball, a lot of great players and great people. I’m so happy to be here.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be in this atmosphere, so to sort of live out those dreams, even though it looks a little different, I’m still blessed to be here and happy.”
Sans Watkins, USC (7-3), made its way to 16th place in the most recent national poll. The Trojans continue their Watkins-less tour on Thursday when they host Cal Poly (7 p.m. PT, Big Ten Plus).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags