After Caitlin Clark's record-breaking performance, could anybody topple her mark?

Women’s college basketball is in good hands.

In the same season that Caitlin Clark surpassed Kelsey Plum to be the new NCAA all-time leading scorer, the league has seen the emergence of a superstar freshman class.

Players like JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Madison Booker and Mikaylah Williams have already made impacts on their respective teams.

Three of those players have been called generational talents.

“Hannah (Hidalgo), JuJu (Watkins) and MiLaysia (Fulwiley) have separated themselves from all of the freshmen,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “The three of them are extremely confident, extremely dynamic and are top tier in their position.”

And two of those freshmen are on pace to approach Clark’s newly set record.

In her debut season Clark averaged 26.6 points. USC’s Watkins is averaging 27.7 points, while Notre Dame’s Hidalgo is averaging 25.1.

Clark’s numbers steadily increased every season from 26.6 to 27 as a sophomore, 27.8 as a junior, and 32.1 this year. If Hidalgo and Watkins do the same, three years from now, we will likely see them battling to become Division I's new all-time leading scorer.

Believe the hype

Clark, Watkins and Hidalgo were already stars before entering college.

Clark was the No. 4 prospect in the class of 2020, behind Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink. She averaged 32.5 points per contest as a high school senior, and received scholarship offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Drake and Texas by the time she was a freshman.

On HoopGurlz, ESPN’s recruiting platform, scouts marveled at Clark’s ability to create shots on offense, with particular emphasis on her long-range shot — something Clark has continued into college with her patented “logo 3s.”

Watkins chose USC over South Carolina and Stanford, and was the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2023. She received significant hype, signing with Nike even before playing a college game. As a senior at Sierra Canyon, she averaged 24.5 points per game.

“JuJu is the best and most decorated player of her class both in the country and internationally,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said when Watkins signed with USC. “I could talk for days about her skill set: her shot-making ability, creativity to the rim, dominance on the boards, defensive tenacity and her elite court vision."

Hidalgo was the fifth-ranked prospect in her class, behind Watkins, Williams, Jadyn Donovan and Ciera Toomey. She was named the New Jersey Gatorade Basketball player of the year, averaging 21.5 points per game as a senior. Like Watkins, Hidalgo was expected to make an instant impact at Notre Dame.

“She just had a swag and confidence that I thought separated her from everyone in her class,” Ivey said of Hidalgo.

Highlight-level performances

It’s one thing to have hype. It’s another to deliver on that hype. Clark got on a record-setting track with 12 30-plus point games as a freshman, and Watkins and Hidalgo have delivered in similar ways.

Watkins opened her freshman campaign with a 32-point performance in USC’s upset of No. 7 Ohio State. She joined USC great Lisa Leslie as freshmen who scored 30-plus points in their debuts as Trojans. Watkins followed up the performance with five more 30-point games in her first month of college basketball.

Since then, Watkins hasn’t slowed down. The highlight of her freshman season (so far) came in a Feb. 2 upset of No. 4 Stanford, in which Watkins scored 51 of her team’s 67 points. Her effort led to a 67-58 victory, and also cemented her as a USC legend. The 51 points is a USC record, breaking the mark of 50, set by Cherie Nelson in 1989.

Hidalgo burst onto the college basketball scene on a massive stage. She and Notre Dame opened their season in Paris against South Carolina. The Irish lost 100-71, but Hidalgo was ready for the moment. Her 31 points made the freshman a household name among women’s basketball fans.

She’s had four other 30-plus point games, and has scored at least 20 in all but two contests. Hidalgo already holds the Notre Dame freshman scoring record, which was previously set by Shari Matvey in the 1979-80 season, Hidalgo surpassed her with 30 points against Louisville on Feb. 8 with seven games left in the regular season.

What’s next

Clark’s numbers increased year after year, but one thing stayed the same: her usage rate. During her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, Clark’s usage rate hovered right around 37%. This season it’s up to 40%, but in all four of her seasons at Iowa, Clark has been the center of the Hawkeye offense, and her usage rate is one of the highest in the country..

Hidalgo’s usage rate this season is 32.2%, and Watkins’ is at 43% – which is higher than Clark’s has ever been.

Those numbers are likely to go down next season, which could impact Hidalgo and Watkins in pursuit of the scoring record.

Hidalgo has been the main source of offense for Notre Dame, but next season she will split that responsibility with Olivia Miles, who missed this year with an injury. In 2022-23, Miles scored 14.3 points per game, with a 24.5% usage rate.

At USC, Watkins will be joined by three five-star recruits next season and three more four-star recruits. As the USC roster receives an influx of talent, Watkins likely won’t need to score as much.

Their freshman campaigns have put Hidalgo and Watkins on track to break the scoring record, but what comes in the next three seasons remains to be seen.

Clark’s record is safe – for now.