JuJu Watkins says she has a goal that she retains at the back of her thoughts.
That purpose is to interrupt the NCAA all-time scoring record, at present held by Caitlin Clark. It’s a lifelike purpose for her, statistically.
“Naturally, being on tempo, it is all the time at the back of my thoughts,” Watkins instructed Fox Information Digital in an unique interview. “The purpose is to proceed to supply at this stage, and do it as effectively as I can.”
Watkins performed the fiftieth sport of her faculty profession on Wednesday night time in a 79-74 win over Maryland, bringing her profession level whole 1,318 over these first 50 video games. Clark put up 1,328 factors over the primary 50 video games of her faculty profession. Watkins was outpacing Clark in profession scoring after a 40-point sport in opposition to California Baptist on Dec. 3, however slowed down over the following eight video games in comparison with the identical stretch in Clark’s sophomore season.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Nonetheless, Watkins has the good thing about probably enjoying extra video games in her profession with an expanded Massive 10, in comparison with the one Clark performed in, and probably extra postseason video games.
Nonetheless, even with that aggressive tempo, Watkins solely “needs” she might play like Clark, who is way and away the higher 3-point shooter.
“I want I performed like her,” Watkins stated.
JuJu Watkins, heart, is defended by Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen in the course of the second half of an NCAA ladies’s basketball sport on the XL Heart on Dec. 21, 2024 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Joe Buglewicz/Getty Photographs)
Watkins additionally has a number of alternatives to do what Clark by no means might in faculty – win the nationwide championship sport. That first alternative might come as early as this March. Watkins has led her squad to a 15-1 begin and a top-four nationwide rating. They only must get previous the massive sister on the town, as rival No. 1 UCLA is undefeated, with two matchups to play in opposition to Watkins late within the season.
Clark’s direct interference could or could not play a job in whether or not Watkins finally ends up doing any of that. Sooner or later this season, or any sooner or later, Watkins has the choice to ask Clark a query.
“I met her as soon as,” Watkins says. “She supplied her quantity and he or she stated, if I ever have any questions, she would reply them.”
Watkins added, “It is going to in all probability simply be a spur of the second kind of factor,” when she does attain out.
JuJu Watkins of the USC Trojans waits to return into the sport in opposition to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike’s Area on Jan. 5, 2025 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (G Fiume/Getty Photographs)
HOW CAITLIN CLARK BATTLED THROUGH CULTURE WARS EN ROUTE TO HISTORIC 2024
There may be lots she might ask when that point comes. It may not even have something to do with enjoying basketball. At simply 19 years outdated, Watkins has already been anointed a subcultural icon.
She has a religious and visual following in her dwelling group of Southern California and has taken the reins as the preferred participant within the faculty sport, nationally, within the aftermath of Clark’s departure for the professionals.
On her first street journey to the East Coast as a participant within the Massive Ten Convention for USC’s inaugural season, Watkins made a cease in New Jersey to guide a 50-point blowout win in opposition to a Rutgers crew reeling from the dysfunction of a mysteriously-benched star participant. Nonetheless, almost your entire crowd stayed the entire sport to look at Watkins.
On Thursday in Maryland, she put up 21 factors earlier than fouling out of the sport, beating an undefeated top-10 crew in entrance of a religious crowd of lots of her personal followers, whereas a nationwide viewers watched on Fox Sports activities.
“The eye wasn’t all the time there, so to only see the eyes on it and folks respecting the game extra, and younger ladies entering into the game extra, it is a dream come true,” Watkins stated, crediting Clark for bringing the eye.
Earlier than it was enjoying in entrance of dwelling court-type away crowds hundreds of miles from dwelling, Watkins’ dream had loads of tougher moments alongside the way in which.
Controversial NBA star Draymond Inexperienced made Watkins vomit with an awesome exercise in highschool
Watkins remembers all of the exhausting moments. One significantly obtrusive second got here in the course of the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020. Watkins was only a sophomore in highschool and admitted she was in all probability out of practice due to the life-style restrictions in the course of the pandemic.
“I used to be out of practice, I used to be so out of practice,” Watkins stated.
So Golden State Warriors participant Draymond Greene got here knocking with a exercise provide.
“I’ll always remember it,” Watkins stated of the expertise.
Watkins stated Inexperienced’s exercise had her dribble up and down a court docket and shoot the ball again and again till she threw up.
“I used to be completed,” Watkins stated, including that she didn’t even speak to him after the exercise. “I do not even assume I might converse, actually.”
Inexperienced spoke about this exercise with Watkins throughout an episode of his podcast in February.
Draymond Inexperienced and JuJu Watkins at The 2024 ESPY Awards held on the Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Gilbert Flores/Selection by way of Getty Photographs)
“It is not your typical NBA exercise,” Inexperienced stated.
“You go shoot some spots and go to the following like we go and he or she got here to our exercise and the primary day like you may inform her ability was there and like all of the issues, however she was struggling to get by the exercise a bit and and like you already know I am pushing her like ‘hey come on Ju you bought it come on.'”
Inexperienced stated he has seen different athletes refuse to return again the following day after their first session, however Watkins returned for extra punishment.
INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL
“I’ve had NBA gamers come to my exercises, throw up, not come again, you already know. I’ve had, I’ve seen all differing types, and he or she got here again the following day, and I used to be like that ‘that younger woman has a future on this sport,’” he stated.
What occurred subsequent?
Sierra Canyon guard JuJu Watkins, high, and La Jolla Nation Day guard Jada Williams battle for a unfastened ball throughout a highschool basketball sport between Sierra Canyon and La Jolla Nation Day in The Chosen-1’s Invitational at Galen Heart on Jan. 7, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs)
Watkins went on to have such a powerful sophomore season amid the disaster of a pandemic, that she gained the 2020 Sports activities Illustrated Children’ SportsKid of the 12 months award. Her status began to actually unfold. Then she went on to win Gatorade Nationwide Participant of the 12 months and Naismith Prep Participant of the 12 months, and have become the top-rated faculty recruit in 2022.
She shocked the nation when she turned down a proposal to play for Daybreak Staley at South Carolina, as a substitute staying dwelling in Los Angeles to play for USC.
Then got here what she calls the toughest expertise of her life.
“The adjustment from highschool to varsity, and getting used to the rigorous schedule of all of it, it was only a large adjustment for me. It was a giant change,” she stated. “It gave me a brand new perspective on life.”
Watkins didn’t get into an excessive amount of element about what that adjustment regarded like. Nonetheless, the numbers say she was capable of modify in time for the beginning of her first season. She bought on tempo to probably break Clark’s report instantly with a historic freshman yr and has stayed on the right track ever since.
Watkins is the descendant of a outstanding labor rights chief – generations later she desires to see gamers like her get extra from the sport
A interval of progress for ladies’s basketball can also be a time of diligence for gamers like Watkins. She is extremely conscious of the significance of gamers sustaining leverage as they negotiate their dues, rights and privileges from the WNBA and NCAA.
“It is so necessary to advocate for our rights, particularly on this area as ladies,” she stated. “That is the place true change comes, having the ability to voice our opinion and alter issues that do not appear match for us.”
In 2024, WNBA gamers bought entry to constitution flights for the primary time. Now the gamers’ union, the WNBPA, is taking the league again to the negotiating desk. The union voted to decide out of its present collective bargaining settlement (CBA) in October, and the league might see a piece stoppage if a brand new deal will not be met by the tip of the 2025 season.
Southern California guard JuJu Watkins indicators autographs after an NCAA ladies’s basketball sport in opposition to Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photograph/Ryan Solar)
The following CBA that the union negotiates will decide simply what number of rights and advantages Watkins will get as a participant when she enters the WNBA in 2027 or later. So, she is rooting for the union to get as a lot as it may well, particularly after the await constitution flights.
“Constitution flights, that was lengthy overdue,” Watkins stated. “It is what these ladies deserve, they work so exhausting, the least they will get is chartered to their video games.”
Watkins’ ardour for that is rooted in her household historical past. Her great-grandfather, Ted Watkins, organized and based the Watts Labor Neighborhood Motion Committee (WLCAC) in 1965. He organized it simply months earlier than the notorious “Watts Rise up,” also referred to as the “Watts Rebellion” and “Watts Riots.” This incident noticed hundreds of residents within the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles riot out of anger over points that included employment discrimination and poverty.
After the riots, Ted organized the youth to wash up blighted vacant tons, plant grass and flowers and switch them into vest-pocket parks, based on the WLCAC website.
Ted Watkins’ committee grew to prominence as a group self-help company aiding hundreds of residents in gaining employment and important companies. He was concerned within the building of a monetary establishment and hospital in Watts, in addition to the event of low-income housing and youth packages.
“My great-grandfather is a giant a part of our household and one in all my function fashions simply to look as much as for my metropolis of Watts and only for so many individuals,” JuJu stated.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Nonetheless, she additionally understands the significance of rising the game as an entire to make sure that it may well present as a lot as potential for these gamers.
The WNBA has not been worthwhile in a single season in its historical past.
Clark’s arrival in 2024 seems to be the league’s greatest alternative to alter that for the primary time. Clark’s arrival, and the brand new wave of followers and media consideration she has delivered to the sport, has additionally sparked controversy and criticism from WNBA veterans and former gamers.
Watkins, who’s now seeing the spoils of all the eye Clark delivered to the faculty sport, is ready to embrace it all.
“I do not assume anybody has modified the trajectory of the game a lot,” Watkins stated of Clark.
As Watkins seems to interrupt Clark’s scoring report, she hopes most of the new followers of girls’s basketball, even those who trigger her “complications” and “do not know what they’re speaking about typically,” will come to cheer for her. However Watkins will even embrace these followers and the eye in the event that they “hate” her.
“I like supporters and I additionally love haters.”
Observe Fox Information Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Source link