Award season is right here and it’s time to settle a number of issues concerning the 2024-25 ladies’s school basketball season.
Who has been the most effective participant? Who has been the most effective coach? Who was essentially the most impactful switch? Which freshman stood out amongst the remainder? Which workforce has been the largest shock, and which squad was the largest disappointment?
Caitlin Clark was far and away the most effective participant within the sport final season, however it has felt like an actual debate this season. Likewise, the title of prime rookie appears to be a two-player race. And Coach of the 12 months 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 workforce wants two guards, two forwards and a middle, however only a group of 5 gamers that might moderately take the ground collectively.
Participant of the 12 months: 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 Massive Ten, she improved her discipline aim share, capability to make 3-pointers, assists and blocks from a season in the past. She’s a extra environment friendly participant on offense and an total higher defender. Watkins additionally had a knack for taking part in properly in huge 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 more likely 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 enjoying for USC.
Coach of the 12 months: Kenny Brooks, Kentucky
Kentucky received a complete of six SEC video games within the earlier two seasons. Brooks got here in from Virginia Tech, introduced a proficient guard and a promising middle with him in Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack, and fully revamped the roster and tradition round ladies’s basketball in Lexington. In 12 months 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 Event 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 aim 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 12 months: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
That is going to look like a controversial decide to some as a result of Sarah Robust is completely worthy of this award too. However let’s take into account for a second the conditions that every participant finds themselves in: Robust performs for arguably essentially the most iconic program within the sport alongside fellow No. 1 ranked recruits in Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, and different prime 15 recruits and McDonald’s All-Individuals in KK Arnold, Ice Brady and Ashlynn Shade. Robust has additionally performed within the Massive East – which is a two-bid league this season for the NCAA Event – the place UConn received each sport by a minimum of 18 factors.
Now, let’s take into account Blakes. She performs for a workforce that’s been to the NCAA Event as soon as since 2014 and he or she’s a giant purpose why the Commodores are going dancing this season along 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 Event and 6 of them internet hosting among the many prime 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 he or she’s the one participant this century to have 55 factors and 5 assists in a single sport.
With out Robust, UConn continues to be profitable the Massive East comfortably. With out Blakes, Vanderbilt would discover itself on the skin of the NCAA Event bubble. Merely put, Blakes was extra essential to her workforce’s success in a a lot deeper convention and put up her mightily spectacular numbers in opposition to a lot more durable competitors.
Most Impactful Switch: Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Together with her delight broken by getting frolicked to dry by the LSU teaching workers within the Elite Eight sport final 12 months – the Tigers seemingly refused to place a distinct participant on Caitlin Clark – Hailey Van Lith discovered a brand new residence at TCU and commenced to rebuild herself. She posted a career-best discipline aim 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 normal for a Horned Frogs workforce that went 31-3 – its greatest document in program historical past – and received the Massive 12 title for the primary time ever. TCU has by no means been to the second weekend of the NCAA Event, however with Van Lith at level guard, they’ve a superb 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 below 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 workforce embraced her most popular fast-paced type of play and posted their greatest profitable 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. Coming 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 loads of of us who believed that the Cardinal would carry on rolling within the 2024-25 season and proceed to play like among the finest applications within the sport regardless of dropping a WNBA Draft decide in Cameron Brink, a future WNBA Draft decide 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 considered one of its greatest years whereas enjoying half of its convention video games on the opposite facet of the nation, Stanford regressed. The Cardinal, below 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 spherical of the ACC Event to Clemson and can miss the NCAA Event for the primary time for the reason that Reagan Administration.
All-Individuals
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 workforce 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 ladies’s school basketball. They’re joined on the second workforce by Booker – the bus driver for a Texas workforce that can possible get a No. 1 seed within the NCAA Event – 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 workforce, Dinnebier leads the nation in assists and is eighth in scoring, and might be appointment viewing if Drake makes the NCAA Event. 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 received a share of the ACC common season title and performed within the convention championship this season and James’ play over the previous month is an enormous purpose 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 essentially the most constant front-court participant for the most effective workforce within the nation, South Carolina. Validating that time is her latest SEC Event MVP award.
