After Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, Charles Barkley Projects High Hopes for NCAA’s Next “Face of Basketball”

Caitlin Clark has a maximum of two games left in her college basketball career and Angel Reese is already headed to the WNBA. Clark will be able to play two games only if she succeeds in the Final Four. Regardless of the games remaining, she has played a huge part in bringing the spotlight to women’s basketball by recording a historic season in her last year of college. While many believe Clark and Reese cannot be replaced easily, Charles Barkley has already made his choice for the new face of women’s college basketball. 

The Philadelphia 76ers legend joined famous American sports commentator Dan Patrick for an interesting YouTube episode. Barkley was questioned if he saw the thrilling game between the LSU Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He replied, “I watched both games.” So he was not just keeping an eye on Clark and Reese, but also the players from the UConn Huskies and the USC Trojans. This is where he took note of Juju Watkins.

The USC Trojans lost to the Connecticut Huskies 73-80. However, USC standout Juju Watkins did not fail to impress Barkley. The 1993 MVP boldly claimed, “Shout out to Juju Watkins man. Man, she is unbelievable. She is going to be the face of the basketball for the next, however long she stays in college.” 

Despite a loss, Watkins recorded 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists, which helped the Trojans stay alive in the game. Also, her performance throughout her freshman year was excellent. 

What has Juju Watkins accomplished in her very first year of college basketball?

While Clark and Reese played high-level basketball in their fourth season of college basketball, Watkins was doing the same in her freshman year. Clark holds the 1st place for most points per game with 32 points this season, followed by Watkins, who has 27.1. The 18-year-old is also averaging 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists with a field goal percentage of 40.1%. On top of this, she also broke some historic records as a USC Trojan. 

After a 23-point performance against the Texas Islanders in the first round of the NCAA, Watkins surpassed Cheryl Miller to record the most points in a single season by a Trojan. This is also the most points in a single season by a Division 1 freshman. After a notable performance in the Pac-12 tournament, she was given the Freshman of the Year award this season.

She also made it to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and All-Defensive team simultaneously. All of the above are the badges she has collected in just one season. So, like Charles Barkley said, do you think Watkins can fill the shoes of Clark and Reese? 

Read more: “Met JuJu When She Was 13, She’s LeBron”: NBA Starlet’s Mom Drops Ultimate Praise on Women’s DI Freshman Scoring Leader