Ask a casual women's basketball fan who the nation's leading scorer is and you'll likely hear a lot of JuJu Watkins guesses. Those aren't bad guesses, as Watkins is second on the list. Maybe a few people mention Hannah Hidalgo, who sits fifth on the leaderboard. But not enough people will give the right answer: Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson.
The third-year guard flies under the radar because Florida State doesn't get enough recognition, but she shouldn't. The Seminoles have won 20 or more games in all three of Latson's seasons and this season currently sit at 23-7.
So, who is Ta'Niya Latson? Let's look at her background and also talk about what makes her a special scorer.
Who is Ta'Niya Latson?
Florida State star Ta'Niya Latson arrived in Tallahassee with big expectations.
The top-ranked shooting guard in the 2022 class and 14th overall prospect on ESPN's HoopGurlz rankings, Latson averaged 27.2 points, 7.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 2.0 blocks per game in her final high school season.
From the moment she stepped on campus, Latson picked right up where she left off in high school, getting buckets immediately. Latson made her collegiate debut on Nov. 7, 2022 against Bethune-Cookman and put up 28 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. She followd that up with 34 points against Kent State, one of two 30-point efforts in her first four college games.
Latson went on to finish her freshman year with averages of 21.3 points. 4.5 rebounds, 2,9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. She was named the WBCA National Freshman of the Year and the ACC Rookie of the Year while making the All-ACC First Team.
As a sophomore, Latson continued to improve her game. Her scoring remained fairly level with her freshman numbers, up to 21.4 points, but she saw added responsbility as a ball handler, averaging 4.1 assists per game. She was named to the All-ACC First Team once again.
Latson's 2024-25 season
After two seasons sitting near the top of scoring leaders — 12th as a freshman and 16th as a sophomore — Latson has taken it to the next level as a junior, with her 25.4 points per game leading the nation.
A huge part of that is volume, as Latson takes the most field goals in the nation, averaging 19.6 per game. But taking a lot of shots doesn't necessarily mean you'll make a lot. Latson is shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, which ranks in the 78th percentile nationally. In fact, she's been in the 71st percentile or better in field goal percentage in all three of her seasons. Yes, she's a volume scorer, but she's a fairly efficient one.
Part of why she's so efficient is that she does a great job slashing to the basket and finishing when she gets there. 155 of her 509 field goal attempts this season have come at the rim, while another 179 have come on non-rim paint attempts. Latson works to get the ball to spots on the floor where she can collect relatively easy buckets. She's not a Caitlin Clark-type player who is knocking down a ton of 3s — Latson has only made more than three 3-pointers once this season, knocking down five of them on her way to 30 points against Miami back in January.
What's next for the Florida State star?
Will Latson be a top WNBA draft pick in April? We'll have to wait and see — Latson is draft eligible as a junior because of her birthdate, but there hasn't really been much rumbling that she would leave Florida State early. If she did, she'd be a first-round option, but it seems unlikely to happen. Instead, it looks like Latson will be in a very good 2026 class that will include Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Flau'Jae Johnson and Raegan Beers. Latson's scoring ability should have her in position to be taken early, though it will be tough to knock Betts out of the top spot.
As for the shorter term, Latson has the task of trying to lead a good Florida State team on a run in March. That starts on Friday, when the Seminoles are set to face the winner of Thursday's North Carolina/Boston College game in the quarterfinals. The Seminoles are the No. 4 seed in the ACC.
Right now, ESPN's Charlie Creme has FSU penciled in as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Part of that is while the team is 23-7, it's had some issues against better teams, going 3-6 against teams with a top 50 Her Hoop Stats rating.
But one of those wins was a huge one, an 86-81 victory over Notre Dame on Feb. 27 that proved this Seminoles team could kick into a higher gear and beat anyone. Latson had one of less efficient games in that contest as she shot 35.0 percent, but she still had a team-high 23 points while dishing out nine assists and recording two steals.
With Makayla Timpson playing very good basketball as well, this Seminoles team can be scary going forward. If you don't know Ta'Niya Latson's name and game yet, there's a good chance that a month from now you'll know all about her. Maybe this isn't a championship-caliber squad, but a Sweet Sixteen appearance is easily in reach for Latson and her Seminoles squad. Get on the hype train while there's still time.