SUMMARY
- JuJu Watkins just concluded her freshman year at the University of Southern California.
- The PAC-12 Freshman of the Year aims to become an efficient shooter, more than she already is.
JuJu Watkins had an overly impressive freshman season at the University of Southern California. The 18-year-old took the entire world by storm after breaking multiple scoring records in the PAC-12 Conference and in the NCAA as well. She recorded the most points by a freshman in a single season, a record that Tina Hutchinson held for four decades. She has always solidified her name in USC’s history books as well.
YEAH JU!
JuJu Watkins has been named the WBCA Freshman of the Year 🔥✌️ pic.twitter.com/A89ArTDfgy
— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) April 3, 2024
After a stellar first season in college leading the USC Trojans to the NCAA Tournament and winning the PAC-12 title, Watkins and her team were upset in the Elite Eight bracket. The Trojans were defeated by UConn, who would face the eventual champions, Southern California. Watkins walked away with a lot of respect, even from legendary athletes like LeBron James, who name-drops her ever so often.
JuJu Watkins aims to improve her offensive productivity
JuJu Watkins recently collaborated with Paul George on his podcast. George has been making waves on the entertainment side of the sport and bringing the All-PAC-12 player was a must. Watkins addressed various things such as her relationship with James and her overall experience as a freshman. George asked her about where she feels she needs to improve moving into her sophomore year.
She said, “Just knowing that I’m a high-volume shooter, I think efficiency is the next step in my game. Umm, so that’s definitely something I’m working on. I guess just enhancing my efficiency, being more precise about where I shoot the ball and stuff like that.” On an average of 34.6 minutes played JuJu attempted 22.4 shots per game. She averaged 40.1% from the field per game. In order to be a better scorer, JuJu would have to become efficient, as she claimed.
JuJu Watkins speaks on what makes her game different from Caitlin Clark’s
JuJu Watkins reminds a lot of basketball fans about Caitlin Clark. The Iowa Hawkeyes guard was also explosive from the field averaging 26.6 points per game as a freshman. Watkins produced more points than Clark in year one averaging an impressive 27.1 points per game. However, Watkins claims there is a major difference between herself and Clark, who has a limitless range.
“Range is definitely something that’s a constant process of working on. But I would say I’m kind of different… If you can give me the ball in my slots it’s like iso. I could pull the transition three stuff like that. But I’m more of a spots person,” she told George. Watkins broke the record for the highest-scoring night in USC history recording 51 points against Stanford. She also holds the record for most 30-point games in USC history.