The neck-to-neck competition between Iowa’s stalwart Caitlin Clark and USC’s wonder kid JuJu Watkins has been one of the highlights of this year’s NCAA competition. Both these prolific athletes have been the standout performers for their respective teams and are giving the fans iconic moments with their exceptional talent.

While this might be the final season for Clark, JuJu Watkins is still in her freshman year. Though many people have touted her to be the next best after Caitlin Clark, Watkins’ Sierra Canyon Head Coach told EssentiallySports in an exclusive that she also wants a similar path for her.

Alicia Komaki wants JuJu Watkins to parallel with Caitlin Clark

Several popular observers of the NCAA opined that it is JuJu Watkins who can match Caitlin Clark’s historical legacy. In fact, some even think that this powerful No.12 of the Trojans can easily smash all of Clark’s records in her career. However, Sierra Canyon’s Head Coach Alicia Komaki just wants Watkins to reach the same heights as Clark did. She touched on it during a recent exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. When asked to draw comparisons between these exceptional athletes, Komaki had a very appropriate response. She went on and said, “Caitlin and JuJu are very different players, especially in how they score. Caitlin has been blessed with a healthy career and I hope the same happens for Ju.” 

The explosive USC shooting guard has been an unstoppable force in her freshman season. In her debut match, she overcame Lisa Leslie’s USC record for most debut game points by ending her night with 32. Soon after, she tied with  Cheryl Miller by registering three consecutive 30-point games. In addition to this, her career-high 51 points against Stanford was enough to break the 35-year-old record held by Cherie Nelson for most points in a single game.

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These astonishing accolades help us wonder if Caitlin Clark was really this good in her freshman season.

A comparison between the freshman years of Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watson

As it turns out, Caitlin Clark held a very respectable stat sheet in the 30 games she played during her freshman season. She was able to score at a healthy average of 26.6 points per game while grabbing 5.9 rebounds. Moreover, she was also an impactful distributor in her team with an assist rate of 7.1 per contest.

Meanwhile, Watkins has played 5 games less than Clark but she seems to hold an upper hand in scoring. Impressively, she is currently maintaining a scoring average of 28.2 points per contest along with a rebound rate of 7.  However, she lags behind in the assists column as she is averaging 3.4 assists per game.

Evidently, the numbers are impressive for both the players. While both have a different style of play, one thing that is common between them is their hunger and will to be the best. We will have to wait and see if JuJu Watkins can fulfill the expectations of her High School Coach. Do you think she can have a similar career to Caitlin Clark? Let us know in the comments section.

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