“That's what I signed up for”: USC star JuJu Watkins reveals the pains of being a high-performing student-athlete 

USC star JuJu Watkins is one of the top stars in women's college basketball. Watkins, who is in her sophomore season with the Trojans, is averaging 25.5 points in eight games and leads the team with 2.8 steals and 2.4 blocks.

However, being a basketball star is not as easy as it may look. In an Instagram video posted by Uninterrupted on Monday from the documentary series, "On the Rise," Watkins revealed that life as a USC student-athlete is tough. She spoke about how balancing her studies with playing basketball can be difficult.

"Now, being here, truly as a student-athlete, it's tough. ... A lot of my schedule is jam-packed. Barely any time to do some stuff i want to do like shopping. But I mean, that's just the, that's what I signed up for," she said.

However, JuJu Watkins admitted that the transition has had its positive effects as well.

"It's definitely feels like more like a gradual transition than a thrown-into-the-fire type of thing," she added. "I feel grown now. Just learning how to be more independent. Wash clothes. Do the dishes. I’ve learned so much on the court and now I’m getting to a point in the classroom where I’m just making sure that I’m staying on top of things and just being the best student-athlete I can be."

JuJu Watkins becomes first USC player to be named a Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week

JuJu Watkins is the first Trojan to be named a Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week, which was announced on Dec. 9. Watkins has earned a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll twice this season, but this is her first selection as the Player of the Week.

The USC sophomore guard averaged 30.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks across the Trojans win last week. The Trojans beat California Baptist 94-52 at Galen Center before their 66-53 victory against Oregon in their Big Ten opener.

Watkins scored 40 points against CBU and shattered USC's program record for 3-pointers made in a game when she posted nine threes. She also became the third Big Ten player in the last 25 years to score 40 points and make nine 3-pointers in a single game. This marked Watkins' 16th career game scoring 30 or more points.

Against Oregon, she struggled with foul issues but still emerged as the top scorer with 21 points in just under 28 minutes played. Both wins against CBU and Oregon led USC to improve to 8-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.

Next up, JuJu Watkins and USC are back in Los Angeles to host Fresno State on Tuesday, Dec. 10.