JuJu Watkins cherishes her close bond with USC legend Cheryl Miller

USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins went on to achieve great stats last season as a freshman — scoring 920 points. Her scoring prowess evokes comparison to USC's all-time great Cheryl Miller, who led the Trojans to two national championships.

Watkins, who idolizes Miller, got the incredible opportunity to develop a mentor-mentee relationship with the legendary Trojan.

During an interview with Andy Katz this week, Watkins discussed her aspirations for the upcoming season and shared her experience interacting with Miller.

"I might be biased but I think this is one of the best schools ever for women's basketball. Just to see we have so much rich history here. Some of the greatest have come through here, so being a part of that legacy is really inspiring," Watkins said.

"I mean thankfully Cheryl's around a lot, just helping the team and giving us words of encouragement all the time. So I'm grateful to have her in my backyard just to pick her brain about anything that I'm curious about and get her perspective on things," she added.

Cheryl Miller played at USC from 1982 to 1986 and averaged a minimum of twenty points per season.

She still holds several records for the USC Trojans, including the most points scored (3,018), the most rebounds (1,534), and the most steals (462).

JuJu Watkins overthrew Miller's record of 26.8 points per game by a small margin last season, averaging 27.1 ppg in her debut collegiate campaign.

JuJu Watkins shares things she worked on during the offseason

In the same interview, JuJu Watkins mentioned the areas she focused on improving over the summer.

"I'm lucky that I had that experience in my first year so now I know what to expect. Got my feet wet a little bit so just in terms of IQ, I've definitely grown," Watkins shared.

"I'm seeing the results of the work I put in over the summer ... I think the biggest thing for me is efficiency — something that I have worked on. So just excited to see how this year turns out," she added.

After an extraordinary freshman year, JuJu Watkins already drew comparisons to several top players, including Caitlin Clark. NBA legend Charles Barkley even went as far as saying she is a better player than the former Iowa star.