Watkins previously told Fox News Digital that she welcomes the controversial new fans Clark has brought to the sport
Is the WNBA doing enough to support Caitlin Clark's stardom? | The Herd
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are on a 6-1 run, with Clark seemingly running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright ask if the WNBA is doing enough to support Clark's rising stardom.
USC women's basketball star JuJu Watkins surpassed one of Caitlin Clark's biggest milestones on Sunday night and took another step closer to overtaking Clark in the college basketball record books.
In a 72-67 loss to UCLA in the Big 10 championship game, Watkins put up 29 points to officially move past Clark's mark for points scored by a player across their first two seasons.
Clark put up 1,662 points in her first two seasons, while Watkins now has 1,684. That puts Watkins just behind Kelsey Mitchell for most by any player in their first two seasons, as Mitchell holds the record with 1,762.
USC women's basketball player Juju Watkins before a recent game at Cal St. Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on Dec. 21, 2023. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
However, Watkins has a chance to surpass Mitchell and gain even more ground on Clark, as she still has yet to play in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Watkins has a chance to break Clark's record for most points scored by a basketball player, men's or women's, in NCAA history. Clark broke the mark in her historic senior season in 2023-24, with 3,951.
Watkins replaced Clark as the face of women's college basketball after Clark began her WNBA career last year, and the teen admits that breaking Clark's record is something that she keeps in the back of her mind.
"Naturally, being on pace, it's always in the back of my mind," Watkins previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "The goal is to continue to produce at this level, and do it as efficiently as I can."
Watkins could have the benefit of playing more games than Clark did in college as the teen looks to chase down the record.
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Southern California guard JuJu Watkins signs autographs after an NCAA women's basketball game against Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Still, Watkins said she only "wishes" she could play like Clark, who is far and away the better 3-point shooter.
"I wish I played like her," Watkins said.
Watkins has had the chance to break Clark's record in front of a larger audience for women's basketball than in previous years, amid the aftermath of Clark's transcendent impact on the sport during her college career. Last year, the NCAA women's championship game got more viewers than the men's for the first time in history.
"The attention wasn't always there, so to just see the eyes on it and people respecting the sport more, and young girls getting into the sport more, it's a dream come true," Watkins said.
Watkins has embraced the new fans that Clark has brought to the game, even as other prominent women's basketball figures have condemned new fans for negative comments about players other than Clark.
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Caitlin Clark, left, and JuJu Watkins. (IMAGN)
"So many new fans being in the sport sometimes can be, not necessarily challenging, but can just kind of give you a headache a bit. Not a lot of people know what they're talking about sometimes. But it's great for the sport. The fact that people are watching is enough in itself," Watkins said, when previously asked by Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview about what challenges come with the sport's new attention.
"We would like it to be positive, but it's not always going to be like that, so as long as we continue to raise the numbers and viewership goes up, I think that's all we can ask for."
Watkins said she even wants those fans to cheer for her, too. However, even if they end up "hating" her, she will still embrace the fact that they're paying attention. When asked if she wants the sport's controversial new fans to cheer for her, too, Watkins answered, "Oh yeah. I love supporters and I also love haters.
"I think that's just a part of the game. There's so many sides to it. So it's the nature of the game and there's always going to be negative and positive aspects of it."
As Watkins looks to break Clark's scoring record, she hopes many of the new fans of women's basketball, even the ones who cause her "headaches" and "don't know what they're talking about sometimes," will come to cheer for her. But Watkins will also embrace these fans and the attention if they "hate" her.
"I love supporters and I also love haters."
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
