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Sierra Canyon’s Juju Watkins and the Sierra Canyon girls basketball team were in the school’s gym Monday morning getting photos taken. Watkins and company thought it was one last photo opportunity of the year.
It was all a setup.
Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki had Watkins step out in front of her teammates, acting as if the group was changing its pose for another shot.
“Can somebody please grab a ball for Juju,” Komaki instructed.
After a moment of pausing, out came WNBA star Candace Parker, holding the 2022-23 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award to surprise Watkins.
“I don’t have a ball, but will the Gatorade National Player of the Year be okay?” Parker said.
Watkins, who’s signed to play at USC, won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the court, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Girls Basketball Players of the Year, who have combined for more than nine WNBA MVP awards, 53 All-Star appearances, 15 WNBA championships, 15 WNBA first round draft picks and two became Hall of Famers.
Fattal: Sierra Canyon’s Juju Watkins dominating her way into high school greatness
Parker, who currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces, is a two-time WNBA champion and two-time Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player.
“Juju was in the conversation as one of the nation’s top players in the Class of 2023 prior to playing her first high school game,” said Chris Menning, a national evaluator for Blue Star Basketball and U.S. Junior Nationals. “She truly separated herself from her peers as an upperclassmen—her game continually evolved.”
Watkins averaged 27.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game this season, sparking Sierra Canyon (31-1) to the CIF-Southern Section Open Division title. Watkins led the USA Basketball Women’s U17 National Team to the FIBA World Cup championship last summer, earning tournament MVP honors.
Watkins will play in this year’s McDonald’s All-American game on Saturday, March 28, in Houston on ESPN.