Award season is right here and it’s time to settle a couple of issues relating to the 2024-25 ladies’s faculty basketball season.
Who has been the very best participant? Who has been the very best coach? Who was probably the most impactful switch? Which freshman stood out amongst the remaining? Which crew has been the largest shock, and which squad was the largest disappointment?
Caitlin Clark was far and away the very best participant within the sport final season, nevertheless it has felt like an actual debate this season. Likewise, the title of high rookie appears to be a two-player race. And Coach of the Yr appears to be extensive open.
Let’s break it down.
For the All-American groups, the Related Press asks its voting physique to submit three playable five-person groups. That doesn’t imply that every crew wants two guards, two forwards and a middle, however only a group of 5 gamers that would moderately take the ground collectively.
Participant of the Yr: JuJu Watkins, USC
Watkins was second within the nation in scoring with 24.6 factors per sport this season and was sixth nationally in win shares with 6.5. As she led the Trojans to the common season title and an look within the convention event championship sport within the Large Ten, she improved her discipline purpose share, skill to make 3-pointers, assists and blocks from a season in the past. She’s a extra environment friendly participant on offense and an general higher defender. Watkins additionally had a knack for taking part in properly in massive video games, just like the Trojans’ pair of normal season wins over UCLA, and a December non-conference win at UConn. Watkins’ play down the stretch of the season helped USC seize its first convention title since 1994 and is prone to make the Trojans a No. 1 seed in March Insanity for a second consecutive 12 months – the primary time that’s occurred since Cheryl Miller was taking part in for USC.
Coach of the Yr: Kenny Brooks, Kentucky
Kentucky gained a complete of six SEC video games within the earlier two seasons. Brooks got here in from Virginia Tech, introduced a gifted guard and a promising middle with him in Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack, and utterly revamped the roster and tradition round ladies’s basketball in Lexington. In Yr One in all Brooks’ tenure on the sideline at Kentucky, the Wildcats went 11-5 in SEC play – their greatest document for the reason that 2018-19 season. The Wildcats earned a No. 4 seed into the SEC Tournament and can possible host opening weekend March Insanity video games in Lexington. And Brooks’ gamers continued to get higher: Amoore, in her fifth season, posted career-bests in factors, discipline purpose share, assists and steals. With beginning roles, Strack and North Carolina switch Teonni Key had breakout seasons too. Brooks turning round a signature program like Kentucky in only one season is extremely spectacular and worthy of recognition.
Freshman of the Yr: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
That is going to look like a controversial choose to some as a result of Sarah Robust is completely worthy of this award too. However let’s contemplate for a second the conditions that every participant finds themselves in: Robust performs for arguably probably the most iconic program within the sport alongside fellow No. 1 ranked recruits in Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, and different high 15 recruits and McDonald’s All-People in KK Arnold, Ice Brady and Ashlynn Shade. Robust has additionally performed within the Large East – which is a two-bid league this season for the NCAA Match – the place UConn gained each sport by no less than 18 factors.
Now, let’s contemplate Blakes. She performs for a crew that’s been to the NCAA Match as soon as since 2014 and she or he’s a giant motive why the Commodores are going dancing this season together with her 23.2 factors per sport, which is sixth nationally. She performs within the SEC, which can possible have 10 groups within the NCAA Match and 6 of them internet hosting among the many high 16 seeds. Since 2009, Blakes is the one freshman to attain greater than 50 factors in a single sport twice in the identical season and she or he’s the one participant this century to have 55 factors and 5 assists in a single sport.
With out Robust, UConn continues to be successful the Large East comfortably. With out Blakes, Vanderbilt would discover itself on the skin of the NCAA Match bubble. Merely put, Blakes was extra vital to her crew’s success in a a lot deeper convention and put up her mightily spectacular numbers towards a lot harder competitors.
Most Impactful Switch: Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Together with her satisfaction broken by getting frolicked to dry by the LSU teaching employees within the Elite Eight sport final 12 months – the Tigers seemingly refused to place a special participant on Caitlin Clark – Hailey Van Lith discovered a brand new house at TCU and commenced to rebuild herself. She posted a career-best discipline purpose share, a career-high common in assists per sport, and likewise averaged 17.9 factors and 4.4 rebounds per sport. Van Lith then grew to become the emotional chief and flooring common for a Horned Frogs crew that went 31-3 – its greatest document in program historical past – and gained the Large 12 title for the primary time ever. TCU has by no means been to the second weekend of the NCAA Match, however with Van Lith at level guard, they’ve a very good likelihood of a deep March Insanity run.
Greatest Shock: Tennessee
I’m undecided what number of of us thought that Kim Caldwell could be this profitable this quick in Knoxville with beforehand only one season of Division I teaching beneath her belt. Whereas the common season and convention event slate ended with a little bit of a thud for the Girl Vols – they’ve misplaced three of their final 4 video games – Caldwell’s crew embraced her most well-liked fast-paced model of play and posted their greatest successful share in 4 seasons. Whereas she went .500 in SEC play, a signature victory over UConn in February seems like proof of idea for the Caldwell period in Knoxville. Getting into March Insanity, the Girl Vols are eleventh in Her Hoop Stats Score, second nationally in offensive rebounding, and second in factors per sport.
Greatest disappointment: Stanford
There have been quite a lot of of us who believed that the Cardinal would carry on rolling within the 2024-25 season and proceed to play like among the best applications within the sport regardless of dropping a WNBA Draft choose in Cameron Brink, a future WNBA Draft choose to the switch portal in Kiki Iriafen, dropping their Corridor of Fame coach to retirement, and altering conferences from the Pac-12 to the ACC. Whereas the Cardinal’s rival, Cal, had certainly one of its greatest years whereas taking part in half of its convention video games on the opposite facet of the nation, Stanford regressed. The Cardinal, beneath first-year head coach Kate Paye, had been picked to complete seventh within the ACC within the preseason ballot and even obtained a first-place vote. However the Cardinal went 16-14, their worst document since 1987. Stanford misplaced within the first round of the ACC Tournament to Clemson and can miss the NCAA Match for the first time since the Reagan Administration.
FIRST TEAM
G – JuJu Watkins, USC
G – Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
G – Paige Bueckers, UConn
F – Lauren Betts, UCLA
F – Aneesah Morrow, LSU
SECOND TEAM
G – Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
G – Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State
G – Olivia Miles, Notre Dame
F – Sarah Robust, UConn
F – Madison Booker, Texas
THIRD TEAM
G – Katie Dinnebier, Drake
G – Aziaha James, N.C. State
G – Harmoni Turner, Harvard
F – Audi Crooks, Iowa State
F – Chloe Kitts, South Carolina
It’s shut, however Morrow deserves the primary crew nod over Booker. Morrow leads the nation in rebounding, is seventh in win shares, and no participant has extra double-doubles than she does.
Blakes and Robust weren’t solely the 2 greatest freshmen within the nation, however among the many 10 greatest gamers in all of girls’s faculty basketball. They’re joined on the second crew by Booker – the bus driver for a Texas crew that may possible get a No. 1 seed within the NCAA Match – the nation’s main scorer in Latson, and maybe the sport’s greatest true level guard in Olivia Miles, who had a bounce-back season after a knee harm sidelined her final 12 months.
On the third crew, Dinnebier leads the nation in assists and is eighth in scoring, and shall be appointment viewing if Drake makes the NCAA Match. The identical is true for a fellow mid-major star in Harmoni Turner, who’s thirteenth nationally in scoring, seventeenth in steals and sixth in PER whereas powering the Crimson to a possible at-large bid. N.C. State gained a share of the ACC common season title and performed within the convention championship this season and James’ play over the previous month is a large motive why. Crooks led the nation in discipline objectives made and was eleventh in PER. Within the absences of Kamilla Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins, Kitts has arguably been probably the most constant front-court participant for the very best crew within the nation, South Carolina. Validating that time is her current SEC Match MVP award.
