The Oklahoma State Cowgirls won their opening round matchup of the NCAA Tournament against Princeton, and helping lead the way was sophomore guard Jadyn Wooten. Wooten dropped 18 points off the bench, the second-highest individual point total for the Cowgirls behind Achol Akot’s 28 points.
That’s been a regular occurrence for Oklahoma State this season. Wooten is averaging a career-best 12.7 points per game, second on the team in scoring behind only Micah Gray’s 13.9. She played regularly last season as a freshman, but her minutes are up this year and she’s putting up the best numbers of her college career to this point.
Wooten has embraced her role as the team’s sixth player and spark plug with the reserves, something she chalks up to simply stepping up and doing what the team needs from her.
“It’s the role that I feel like I’ve been called to step into. I think it’s just another position on this team, just embracing it for my team,” Wooten told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “Just locking in and doing whatever they need me to do. Whether that’s scoring on one night or playmaking on another night, just doing what I’ve been called to do using the gifts that I’ve been graciously given by God.”
As a point guard, finding the balance between scoring and playmaking is sometimes a fine line. Point guards are required to be floor leaders, an extension of the coach on the court. They’re tasked with quarterbacking the offense and creating shot opportunities for their teammates.
But a true point guard has to be able to score as well. They need to know how to assert their will on the game and when to look for their shot. Wooten has done a good job of that this season.
She is averaging a career-best 5.3 assists, the highest mark on the team. Her season-high was the 13 assists she dished out in a win against Mississippi Valley State back in early December, and she racked up 10 assists in Oklahoma State’s round of 64 win against Princeton. For her, it boils down to reading the flow of the game.
“You just kind of have to go out there and play basketball. I think that’s something that I’m thankful for is the ability to score the ball and be able to play-make as well. The coaches do an amazing job of putting me in those positions to do that,” Wooten said. “If the shot is there, take it. But if it’s not, and the defense reacts, I would say the defense is always wrong. Defense is good, but offense beats defense in my opinion. Just doing what the defense gives me.”
Jadyn Wooten’s development for Oklahoma State
One of the ways where Wooten has been effective in scoring the basketball has been the mid-range jumper. As the game of basketball has seen a shift towards being influenced more by analytics, and 3-point shots and shots at the rim heavily stressed, Wooten has continued to thrive with that 15-foot jump shot.
She doesn’t take many 3-point shots. Through two seasons at Oklahoma State, she’s averaged only 1.2 shot attempts from distance. Of the 334 shot attempts Wooten has taken this season, 153 of them have been from 17-feet or less, as per Synergy Sports. 108 of those attempts have come from the painted area.
It’s either the mid-range or all the way to the rim for Wooten, just making herself harder for opposing defenses to reign in.
“The middy [mid-range] is something that’s like an unguardable space, in my opinion, because you have to be able to contain the 3-point line. It’s usually either threes or get down to the rim. So if you’re able to stop and pop in the mid-range, it’s hard for the defense to stop and pop with you,” Wooten said. “Just get into that spot. It’s something I’ve always worked on. It’s a gift that I’ve always had since I was a kid. Just knowing it’s a hard shot to guard, and perfecting it as much as I can.”
Wooten is shooting 48.9 percent from the field this season. If you factor out her 3-point attempts, she’s shooting 51.5 percent. She’s an incredibly efficient player as a smaller guard. Oklahoma State knows what they’re going to get from her on a nightly basis.
And for her, that’s been the biggest area of growth this season. Just being more consistent than she was as a freshman.
“I talk a lot about it, but just really consistency,” Wooten said. “Just embracing the role that I have on my team and consistently showing up and doing that. That’s probably the biggest step forward that I’ve taken with my game.”
After defeating Princeton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma State now has a daunting task ahead of them. Their reward is a round of 32 matchup against the UCLA Bruins, the No. 1 seed in their bracket.
Advancing to the next round has already been a blessing in Wooten’s eyes. Last season, the Cowgirls were eliminated in the opening round by South Dakota State. She just wants to soak up this moment as much as she can with her teammates.
“I’m grateful to even just play this game. This has been my dream, to be in March Madness, to play at this level, since I was a kid,” Wooten said. “I would say that it’s already been successful because God has been so graciously good to me that I can be here playing this game. But at the same time, we have goals. Getting another win would be amazing. But honestly, just finishing on the highest note possible with these people that I love.”
