Caitlin Clark’s throne at the top of college basketball history may soon be history itself.
The 19-year-old JuJu Wakins, a sophomore at USC, is on pace to smash many of the career records Clark set at Iowa. Watkins has arguably one-upped Clark’s collegiate start as the best in the sport’s history so far.
Clark holds the record for most career points scored in history, among both men and women players with 3,951. But Watkins is on pace to take that jewelry for herself, with 1,142 already in just 38 career games. Clark took 40 games to hit that mark.
In mid-November, Watkins crossed the 1,000-point marker two games before Clark as well. Watkins has consistently maintained the edge in scoring pace since then.
Caitlin Clark reacts during the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)
With 376 total field goals, Watkins is on pace to finish with a larger total than Clark in that statistic as well. Watkins had a staggering 301 total field goals her freshman year, while Clark had just 266 as a freshman.
This season, Watkins leads the NCAA with a .476 field goal percentage. If she holds that number throughout the end of the year, it will be a better field goal percentage than Clark ever had in a single season at Iowa. Granted, Watkins is only eight games into the season.
The biggest difference between the two players is scoring approach. Clark is undeniably the better 3-point shooter, holding the NCAA’s all-time 3-point record that Watkins is nowhere near on pace to touching. Watkins does most of her damage from within the arc, and is a better finisher in the paint.
Watkins scored the vast majority of her 920 points her freshman year off of a nation-leading 553 2-point shots. The most 2-point shots Clark ever made in a single college season was 359 her sophomore year in 2021-22.
Playing so strongly in the paint has also put Watkins at the foul line at a historic pace. Watkins leads the nation in free throws with 45 after leading it as a freshman with a staggering 241. The most Clark ever achieved in a season was 239, and that wasn’t even until her junior year in 2022-23.
INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL
Southern California guard JuJu Watkins signs autographs after a game against Cal State Northridge, Nov. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Another critical stat that Watkins has vastly outpaced Clark in so far is steals. Watkins leads the country with 22 through eight games after 78 as a freshman last year. The most Clark ever had in a season was 68, and that wasn’t even until her historic senior year in 2023-24.
However, Watkins will likely not come close to catching Clark in assist numbers. Clark led the nation in assists every year of her college career, starting with 214 in her freshman year in 2020-21, nearly double that of Watkins’ 112 as a freshman .
Unlike Clark, who grew up in suburban Iowa, Watkins was born and raised in Los Angeles.
Watkins says her biggest sports “hero” is Lakers star LeBron James, according to her USC team page. James came to play for Watkins’ hometown Lakers in the 2018 offseason, just two weeks before Watkins’ 13th birthday.
And like LeBron James, Watkins has represented the U.S. in international competition, having competed for the U.S. U16 and U17 national teams. Watkins won gold medals with USC at 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, and even had a signature 28-point performance in a gold medal game against Canada.
Clark was famously snubbed from the recent U.S. women’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics this past summer.
Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins (IMAGN/Getty Images)
Watkins won’t be eligible for the WNBA Draft until 2027. Her first season against Clark will likely be that year, when Clark is in the fourth year of her career.
One year later, the Olympics will come to Watkins’ hometown of Los Angeles. Whether Watkins will be selected for the first Olympics of her pro career may be a topic of contentious conversation four years from now. She would technically be one year ahead in her pro career than Clark was when Clark was denied an Olympic spot for Paris.
It is very possible they could be teammates together in the 2028 LA Olympics.
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