WNBA

JuJu Watkins Is About to Beat Caitlin Clark’s NCAA scoring record

After joining the 1,000-point club, USC sophomore star JuJu Watkins is chipping away at Clark's all-time college scoring record.

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2 minutes read

 JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans
(2024 Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest names in basketball right now, but before she ascended to the bright lights of the WNBA (the top woman’s league in the world), Clark made her name as a scoring sensation at the University of Iowa.During her four years with the Hawkeyes, Clark, in addition to being named a two-time National Player of the Year, became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 3,951 points. In doing so, Clark passed NBA and college legend “Pistol” Pete Maravich to claim top spot on the vaunted leaderboard.Yet roughly 10 months on from Clark’s college exploits, and another budding star is already emerging as a strong contender to claim the scoring crown as her own.

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JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans drives past Paige Bueckers #5 of the Connecticut Huskies.
JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans drives past Paige Bueckers #5 of the Connecticut Huskies.

(2024 Getty Images)

JuJu Watkins: College basketball’s new phenom

While Clark was building her name at Iowa, JuJu Watkins was dominating the high school scene in Los Angeles. As a senior at Sierra Canyon School, Watkins was ranked as the number one recruit in her class by ESPN and earned national high school player of the year honors.

The 6-foot-2 (1.87m) point guard collected two gold medals with the USA women’s international team at the youth level (at the FIBA U-16 Americas Championship and FIBA U-17 World Cup) — no doubt foreshadowing future involvement with the senior team — before committing to the University of Southern California.

Once in the college ranks, Watkins wasted no time in establishing herself as one of the best playmakers in the country.In her first game for the Trojans, she scored 32 points in an 83–74 upset win over No. 7 Ohio State, surpassing four-time Olympic gold medallist Lisa Leslie for the USC record for points in a freshman debut.It was a sign of things to come, as two months later the 19-year-old scored a career-high 51 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 67–58 victory over No. 4 Stanford.

With a silky-smooth jump shot, elite ball handling skills and explosive first step, Watkins is a nightmare match-up for defenders. Stick too close to her, and she’ll burn you with a quick cross-over. Give her space to defend against penetration, and she’ll pull up in your face to bury a three.This is the formula Watkins has stuck to (and no one has been able to stop) as she has amassed 1,142 career college points as of writing, taking just 38 games to hit the mark — two fewer than Indiana Fever All-Star Clark.
While she still has some way to go to beat Clark’s record of 3,951 points, Watkins’ electric form (she’s averaging 25.5 points through eight games thus far this season) will quickly see her close on Clark’s tally.That is of course assuming Watkins stays at USC beyond this season.With every game Watkins is cementing her status as the No.1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft — should she elect to go pro.

That is a decision only Watkins can make, but until that point basketball fans will simply have to make do by watching her light up college courts across the country.

Photo of Q Nhuan Q Nhuan
2 minutes read

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