The awards season is here and it's time to settle some things about the 2024-25 Women's College basketball season.
Who was the best player? Who was the best coach? Who was the most impactful transfer? Which freshmen stood out from the rest? Which teams were the biggest surprises and which teams were the biggest disappointment?
Caitlyn Clark was the best player in the sport last season, but this season felt like a real debate. Similarly, the title of the top rookie appears to be a two-player race. And it seems that this year's coaches are open to the public.
Let's break it down.
The Associated Press is asking the voting agency to submit three playable five-person teams for national teams. That doesn't mean that each team needs two security guards, two forwards and centers, only a group of five players can reasonably bring the floor together.
Player of the Year: Juju Watkins, USC
Watkins was second in the nation with 24.6 points per game this season, scoring and sixth in the nation with a 6.5 win. When she led the Trojan to a regular season title and appeared in the conference tournament championship game in the Big Ten, she improved her field goal percentage, ability to make three-pointers, assists and blocks. She is an efficient player on offense and an excellent defender overall. Watkins also had the knack for playing well in big games, such as a Trojan regular season victory pair against UCLA and a non-conference victory in December uconn. Watkins' seasonal stretch downs will help USC win its first conference title since 1994, potentially bringing the Trojan to No. 1 in March's Madness for the second year in a row.
This year's coach: Kenny Brooks, Kentucky
Kentucky has won a total of six seconds of games in the last two seasons. Brooks has arrived Virginia Techbrought talented security guards and promising centers with him at Georgia Amoor and Claras Track, completely revamping the roster and culture around women's basketball in Lexington. In Brooks' first year of tenure in Kentucky's side job, the Wildcats went 11-5 in SEC play. The Wildcats will be number four seeded in the SEC tournament and could host a weekend March Madness game in Lexington. And Brooks' players continued to get better. In his fifth season, Amoor posted his career best in points, field goal percentage, assists and steals. In the start role, Teonni Key, a Struck and North Carolina transfer, also had a breakout season. Brooks looks back on a Kentucky-like signature program in just one season, and is very impressive and recognisable.
Freshman of the Year: Mikaira Blakes, Vanderbilt
Sarah Strong also deserves this award, so this would seem like a controversial and chosen person. But let's consider a moment of the situation where each player finds himself. Perhaps they can play the sport's most iconic program with recruits ranked No. 1 among the fellow Paige Booker and Aji Fad, as well as other top 15 recruits and McDonald's nationals. Strong also played in the NCAA Tournament's two-bid league this season, Big East. Here, UConn won all the games with at least 18 points.
Now, let's think about breaks. She has played for a team that has been to one NCAA tournament since 2014, and is a big reason why Commodore has been dancing at 23.2 points per game this season. This is the sixth in the country. She plays for the SEC. This could potentially host 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament, six of which teams among the top 16 seeds. Since 2009, Blakes is the only freshman to score more than 50 points in two games in the same season, and the only player this century to score 55 points and five assists in one game.
Without being strong, UConn is still comfortably acquiring Big East. Without Break, Vanderbilt will find himself outside the NCAA Tournament bubble. Simply put, Blakes has posted her very impressive numbers against far more intense competition, with her team's success, which is more important in far deeper meetings.
Most shocking forward: Haley Van Lis, TCU
Her pride is damaged, LSU The coaching staff of last year's Elite 8 Games – the Tigers apparently refused to place another player on Kate Linklark. Haley Vanlis has found a new home TCU And I began to rebuild myself. She recorded a career-high field goal percentage and career-high average in assists per game, averaging 17.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Van Lis then became the emotional leader and floor general of the horned frog team, which became the highest record in program history of 31-3, winning the big 12 titles for the first time. TCU has never been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but with Vanlis at the point guard they could run through a deep March madness.
The biggest surprise: Tennessee
I don't know how many people thought Kim Caldwell would succeed so quickly in Knoxville. The regular season and conference tournament slate ended with a little sound from the Ladyborgs – they lost three of their last four games – Caldwell's team embraced her preferred fast-paced style of play, recording the best win rate in four seasons. She's gone .500 on SEC play, but her signature victory over UConn in February looks like a proof of concept from Knoxville's Caldwell era. Entering March's madness, Lady Vols is No. 11 in her hoop statistical rating, second in offensive rebounds and second in points per game.
The biggest disappointment: Stanford
Cardinal continued to move in the 2024-25 season, with many people who believed that despite losing it, they would continue to play like one of the best programs in the sport WNBA A future WNBA draft topic to Kiki Iriafen's transfer portal, Cameron Brink's draft topic will retire Hall of Fame coaches and change the Pac-12 to ACC meeting. Cardinal rival Cal had one of the best years while playing half of the conference game on the other side of the country, but Stanford retreated. Cardinal was selected to finish seventh in the ACC in a preseason poll under first-year head coach Kate Pay, and even received the first place vote. However, the Cardinal went 16-14, the worst record since 1987. Stanford lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Clemson, missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since the Reagan administration.
All-Americans
First Team
G -Juju Watkins, USC
G-Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
G-Paige Bueckers, UConn
F-Lauren Betts, UCLA
F-Anesa Morrow, LSU
Second Team
G – Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
G -Ta'niya Latson, Florida
G-Olivia Miles, Notre Dame
F-Sala Strong, UConn
F-Madison Booker, Texas
Third Team
G – Katie Dinnebier, Drake
G -Aziaha James, North Carolina
G-Hermonner, Harvard
F-Audi con man, Iowa
F-Chloe Kitts, South Carolina
It's close, but Moreau deserves a first-team nod against Booker. Morrow leads the country in rebounds, 7th in the winning share, and no player has more double doubles than her.
Blakes and Strong were not only the best freshmen in the country, but also among the 10 best women's college basketball players. They were joined the second team by Booker – the Texas team bus drivers will be the first-place seed in the NCAA tournament.
In the third team, Dinnebier leads the nation in assists and is eighth in scoring, and will be pre-ordered viewing if Drake creates an NCAA tournament. The same applies to Harmoni Turner's fellow star. Harmoni Turner ranks 13th in national scoring, 17th in stealing and 6th in Pan. NC State has earned a share of the ACC regular season title and has played in the conference championship this season, and James' play over the past month is a big reason. Crooks led the nation in field goals and finished in PER 11th. Within the absences of Kamilla Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins, Kitz was undoubtedly the most consistent frontcourt player for South Carolina's best team. To verify that point is her recent SEC Tournament MVP Award.
