Fever’s Caitlin Clark shares truthful advice for potential next big thing in women’s basketball
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is no stranger to the limelight. The NCAA all-time scoring leader constantly had cameras in her face in college, and USC women’s basketball’s JuJu Watkins may be the next student-athlete to take that mantle.
Clark had some words of wisdom for Watkins when they met in April, via Luca Evans of The Orange County Registry.
“‘I had this attention for a year and a half, two years’ … she said to Watkins. ‘You’re going to have it for the next three.’”
Clark commented when she ran into Watkins and Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb at the Wooden Awards at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Both players were finalists for the Wooden Award, which is akin to the MVP trophy in the pros. Clark took the trophy home, but her departure from the NCAA cleared the way for Watkins to sit on the throne next.
How can Watkins learn from Clark’s career as she prepares for her sophomore season?
Clark’s Fever tenure should remind Watkins that even the cream of the crop needs to keep practicing
Gottlieb marveled at the way Clark has carried herself during her brief tenure at Indiana thus far. The 46-year-old met Clark again on Thursday, as the Fever came to practice at USC’s Galen Center facility ahead of their Friday matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks. Clark took the time to briefly hang out with Gottlieb and her son Jordan, causing her appreciation of the rookie to grow even more.
“I’ve still never seen anything like this, where one player, five games into their rookie season, is from all angles getting every kind of attention,” Gottlieb told the Southern California News Group on Friday. “And that’s why I think I was so, just, blown away by her. Like, there was not one fake thing about her interaction with us.”
Clark’s ability to stay grounded amid the media frenzy around her is a skill that only she may be able to help Watkins with.
“For JuJu, there’s not that many people who probably understand what her life might be like,” Gottlieb reflected Friday. “And Caitlin’s one of them.”
Watkins was dominant as a freshman, scoring 27.1 points per game on 40.1% shooting, with 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks. The 18-year-old won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which is given to the best shooting guard in the country. She also took home WBCA Coaches’ All-American, AP first-team All-American, and USBWA National Freshman of the Year honors, and that’s not even half of her accomplishments, via USC’s website. Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers will be favorites to win the Wooden Award heading into next season.
While Clark can certainly advise Watkins on dealing with media attention, she’s also an example of how Watkins still has a long way to go in her development. Clark is the best player the women’s college game has ever seen, and she’s still experiencing adversity at the next level. Indiana has sputtered to a 1-6 record to start the campaign.
Be the first to comment