Prime-Time Takeaways: Sonia Citron's Defensive Versatility Against USC

In one of the prime time matchups of the early 2024-25 NCAA season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ousted the USC Trojans 74-61 in a meeting between two top teams. The star studded backcourt of Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo combined for 44 points and 8 steals. Notre Dame’s defensive execution was stellar, holding USC to 33 points in the final two frames.

Across the board, the Irish’s defensive gameplan was driven home, routinely making life difficult for one of the very best on-ball creators in the sport in JuJu Watkins. Notre Dame forced 21 turnovers, but also held the Trojans to just 36% shooting from the floor.

Simply reading the box score tonight does not do justice to the impact of Sonia Citron (It’s worth noting that Citron dealt with a minor foot injury just prior to the start to the season, something to keep in mind with her offensive start to the year. Small things like that can throw off rhythm and timing on a shot/finishing) as she finished with 9 points and 3 rebounds. However, her defensive energy, consistency, positioning, and versatility was standout.

As Watkins’ primary defender for much of the game, she set the tone and was vital as the first line of defense for the Irish. Defense is defined by team success, but spurred on by the strong play of individuals working together cohesively.

Citron may not be flashy, but that’s part of what makes her game so marvelous. So many of the things she contributes to the game don’t show up directly in the stat sheet, but as you watch and rewatch, her ability to impact the court is undeniable.

As the WNBA transitions more and more into this shift of spread offenses, shot quality, and versatility, a player the mold of Citron only becomes increasing valuable and necessary.

I try not to let my vision and thinking be impacted or skewed by outside noise, but I just found it baffling that Citron was hardly mentioned during the game as a WNBA prospect in a game that included a multitude for this year and year’s in the future. We are missing something essential if we can sit through that performance and not say “Sonia Citron is going to make an impact at the next level.”

I view Soni as a clear cut lottery pick. Her upside is oft under-discussed, because again, her game isn’t flashy. I also feel there’s a lack of understanding for how wings can develop in the W and in general. Citron isn’t a lead guard or even a combo; she brings value by being able to play the 3, the 2, sometimes the 4, and knowing how to execute at every position while being able to defend across the board. That kind of thing matters in college, but it is crucial in the WNBA.

At a legit 6’2, JuJu Watkins is an incredibly tough player to guard, with a dynamic first step and one of the best handles we’ve seen from a player her size.

Watkins loves to reject ball screens, blending those facets together to make it remarkably difficult to guard her: go under the screen and she’s popping a deadly pull-up, get caught on the screen and she’s headed downhill. It’s a lot of damned if you do damned if you don’t.

Here, Citron does a good job darting underneath and weaving back up to hug the other side of the hand-off. Akunwafo flips right after handing the ball off, Citron takes a first step, and JuJu is off to the races.

This recovery to get back in front and contain as help comes baseline is about as good a job as you can do. There is no outright “stopping” creators of JuJu’s caliber.

Offense in the W (good offense) is built upon having options, being efficient, and keeping the ball alive. That makes defending multiple actions and soaking up the clock all the more imperative on defense. It’s extremely hard to succeed in the WNBA if you do just one thing on either end, but particularly on defense.

Can you defend multiple actions, give multiple efforts, and do your job multiple times during a possession? And oh hey, do that consistently for a full game. It’s hard! Defense is hard! It’s not just effort and there’s a ton of skill and focus required to be successful as an individual and a team.

Overall, I loved Notre Dame’s gameplan and they had the length and athleticism to make it work, always keeping bodies in front of JuJu. They also made it a focal point to double every time Kiki Iriafen pivot towards the middle of the court, and Notre Dame’s wings/guards timed these doubles expertly, a large reason Iriafen struggled to get loose tonight.

When JuJu didn’t have the ball, hard deny, make her work, kill the clock, and force USC deeper into possessions.

To really make denial work, you have to play the ball and who you’re defending, which is easier said than done.

Olivia Miles deserves credit for that stunt to make JuJu hesitate, and Citron fights like hell to get back and make a play on the ball in rear contest, something she’s excellent at. It’s really difficult to fully get her out of a play.

Here’s another prime example of multiple plays and that rear pursuit, somewhat like a strong safety.

That’s excellent recognition and control to stop the ball after the play breaks. She doesn’t get beat by JuJu, JuJu is free because of that breakdown, but Soni is problem-solving and putting out fires.

It seems like such a small thing, but being able to react that quickly and make multiple plays is a skill in and of itself. Awareness is absolutely an athletic trait, something we see play out most often in off-ball defense, and Citron has IT.

Bringing that ability to guard on the ball, not get caught off of it, dart around screens, and play with strength and fluidity simultaneously…. again, I can’t underscore how rare that is. Put that in tandem with the fact that she has potential to score efficiently at all three levels, and that elevates her to even starker air of rarity.

Niele Ivey has often compared Citron to former Notre Dame guard Jackie Young, different in skill set, but similar in mindset, approach, and versatility. I think similarly to Jackie, Soni can come in with a baseline of skill to secure immediate playing time, and continue to build out and refine her offensive repertoire while already impacting winning.

Talent is important: Earning the trust of a coach with bankable skills is of equal importance at the next level, and essential to realizing talent as a pro.

Sonia Citron is going to impact winning to a high degree in the WNBA. If she falls outside the lottery, it would be a mistake and a misunderstanding of what’s important in building success in the league. You might just now be getting to realizing this, but she’s been doing it. She’s been putting together top notch games against elite competition, and we can anticipate her showing up to do the same throughout the course of her Senior season.

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