JuJu Watkins and USC stars gush over teammate Kayleigh Heckel’s snaps summing up the season

USC guard Kayleigh Heckel on Tuesday shared some pictures on Instagram that reflect how her season has been.

Heckel wrote: "embrace the journey 🤍."

The post had different frames showing her season for the USC Trojans.

She drew a lot of attention from her teammates, especially JuJu Watkins, who reacted to the post in the comments section.

Watkins used two emojis 🎈 🤞🏽to react to the post.

Avery Howell sent a hand gesture emoji "🤙🏼."

"4L twin🫶🏻🫶🏻," Rian Forestier wrote.

JuJu Watkins and USC stars react to Kayleigh Heckel’s snaps (Credit: IG/@heckel_kayleigh)

Forestier also wrote, "My loveeee."

Aaliyah Gayles used an emoji that showed her admiration: "😍."

"My dawg," Malia Samuels replied.

Kayleigh Heckel has had a limited role with the Trojans, averaging 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 45.9%.

With Watkins out with her knee injury, the No. 1 seed USC Trojans (31-4) lost 78-64 to the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies in the Elite Eight on Monday. Heckel had five points in 19 minutes.

However, less than 48 hours after the Trojans' 2024-25 season ended, Heckel announced Thursday that she was entering the NCAA transfer portal.

“Saying goodbye to this chapter isn’t easy, and I’ll always be grateful for the experiences and relationships I’ve built here,” Heckel wrote in an Instagram post.

JuJu Watkins, the Naismith Player of the Year, has been exceptional, averaging 23.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.4 apg.

NCAA Tournament second round: USC vs. Mississippi State - Source: Imagn

JuJu Watkins wins Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year award

Following a sensational sophomore season, USC star JuJu Watkins was awarded the Naismith Player of the Year on Wednesday.

The guard beat UConn's Paige Bueckers, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and UCLA's Lauren Betts to become USC’s first Naismith Award winner since Lisa Leslie in 1994.

She expressed her appreciation for the prestigious honor on Instagram.

“I’m at a loss for words right now. What an incredible honor,” Watkins said in her acceptance video. “I want to sincerely thank Naismith for this amazing recognition. This is truly special, and I feel so blessed to be selected amongst some of the best in the game.

“I want to thank my teammates, coaches and the staff at SC for making this all possible. To my family, friends, the fans, your love and support means the world to me. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait for what’s ahead.”

Watkins is the first USC Trojan to win the AP Player of the Year and the fourth player to win the award as a sophomore.

About the author

Oladehinde Stephen is a college basketball journalist with Sportskeeda with over four years of experience with publications such as Sports Buddy and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Stephen has a degree in Computer Science, which provided him with a strong foundation in research, analysis, and writing, skills that are key for sports writing.

His favorite team is the Duke Blue Devils, largely due to some of the talents to come out of the program, including Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving.

Stephen's favorite player of all time is Michael Jordan, and his impressive college career at North Carolina set the stage for his legendary NBA career.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Stephen likes to play football or just spend time with his friends.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein