As the start of the NCAA Tournament approaches, women’s college basketball fans are hyping themselves up and making their “player to watch” picks. First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith is among those anticipating the high level of talent that will be displayed, and he’s making it known that he’ll be showing love to USC’s JuJu Watkins.
“I don’t want to hear about anybody other than JuJu Watkins,” Smith said. “We talked about Caitlin Clark and raved all day, every day about this girl last year, and she deserved it. But what does JuJu Watkins deserve? She’s a show. This girl is spectacular. She is flat-out balling. I don’t want to hear anything about anybody else before I hear about JuJu Watkins.”
Smith went on to make comparisons to Clark’s record-breaking days while at Iowa, alluding to the fact that Watkins should be regarded on the same level as the 2024 WNBA first-overall pick. “We talked about (Clark’s) shooting and passing ability. What can’t Watkins do?” he added. “She’s a showstopper.”
The ESPN personality shouts out other notable women’s college basketball figures that will stand out throughout the tournament, like UConn’s Paige Bueckers and legendary South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
USC was eliminated by Bueckers and perennial championship contenders UConn in the 2024 tournament, which is a rematch that will likely happen again this year since both teams are the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, respectively, in the Spokane 4 region. In that case, the stage is set for Watkins and the Trojans to get their revenge and prevent Bueckers from leaving the NCAA with a ring.
Meanwhile, Staley and the Gamecocks may pose an even bigger threat as the reigning national champions, regardless of being a No. 2 seed.
However, many have considered Watkins the next big thing in women’s basketball since she first arrived at USC in 2023. She set multiple Trojans records in her inaugural year alone, including for the most points scored in a freshman debut and in a single game with 32 and 51, respectively, before helping to lead the Trojans to last year’s Elite Eight.
Smith has understandably been on the Watkins bandwagon for a while, as he made similar statements on First Take following USC’s regular-season title win over UCLA just two weeks prior.
“There’s nobody, there’s no team, there’s no individual that I’m more interested in seeing and talking about in women’s college basketball than that young lady right there.”
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