AMHERST, N.Y. — Chellia Watson loves the game of basketball.
“Basketball is everything to me," Watson said. "I’ve been loving it since I was a little girl.”
Ever since then, she's also loved putting up points.
“I’ve always been a scorer though," Watson said. "I have that scoring mentality, but I’m not afraid to pass it either.”
Opposing defenses would probably prefer to see her pass than shoot.
Watson ranks 3rd in the entire country in scoring at 24.8 points per game, only behind Iowa star Caitlin Clark and USC standout freshmen Juju Watkins.
She also sits top five in field goals. Her 198 made field goals ranks her 4th in the NCAA.
“When I get in a flow, it’s basically just hard to stop," Watson said. "I want the ball back and I want to keep scoring in bunches.”
Scoring in bunches is exactly what happened earlier this season at Toledo, when Watson dropped a school record 47 points and earned her 1000th career point At the team’s next home game, Watson was presented with a commemorative ball.
“Having a front-row seat... I’ve got the best seat in the house to see her doing what she’s doing," said UB head coach Becky Burke.
Making this season more special? It’s Watson’s first on the court at UB after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules.
“I was ready, excited," Watson said. "I couldn’t wait.”
Watson came to Buffalo from South Carolina Upstate, following her coach to Western New York after athletic director Mark Alnutt hired Burke in 2022.
“I’ll never forget when Mark and I were talking throughout the process when he was like hey, you have anybody in mind you’re going to bring in, you’re going to have to fill some roster spots," Burke recalled. "I was like, 'yeah, I’ve got the best player in the MAC that’s going to come with me'.”
“I believed her, she believed in me, and we’re still together now," Watson added.
The surroundings have changed, but what’s remained the same is the strength of the player-coach relationship, dating back to USC Upstate when Watson was leaving notes asking how she could improve her game.
“Just basically building our bond at Upstate and I would always leave little notes and knowing that she wanted to push me, that’s just something I put on the paper and she’s been doing it ever since I wrote it," Watson said.
Now as Watson helps the Bulls pursue a MAC Championships and an NCAA Tournament berth, Burke believes Buffalo is witnessing a historic career.
“My opinion might be a hot take, I think she’ll be the best player that ever put on a uniform here," Burke said. "We’re looking at the track and pace that she’s on right now, and I think that could potentially be a conversation that we’re having when she’s done here.”