The Associated Press has released its NCAA preseason All-America team, highlighting exceptional players in women’s college basketball. Standing out this season are USC’s JuJu Watkins and KiKi Iriafen, who are expected to bring a fresh dynamic to the team. Additionally, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, a top pick for the 2025 WNBA Draft, and Texas’s Madison Booker, along with Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, were named in the elite squad. Both Watkins and Bueckers earned unanimous selections, underscoring their anticipated influence on the upcoming season.
Last year, JuJu Watkins delivered a remarkable freshman season, averaging over 27 points per game and setting a national freshman scoring record with 920 points. Her performance didn’t go unnoticed, as she was also voted the 2024/25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Alongside Watkins, KiKi Iriafen, a top transfer from Stanford following the Pac-12’s dissolution and Tara VanDerveer’s retirement, joins USC. Averaging 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game last season, Iriafen is set to elevate the Trojans after their Elite Eight run last March, a milestone in the program’s recent history.
USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb emphasized the partnership between Watkins and Iriafen, highlighting their mutual recruitment drive that brought Iriafen to USC. This collaboration is anticipated to be a game-changer, promising an exciting season for the Trojans.
The NCAA preseason All-America recognition also extends to a wave of talented underclassmen such as Texas’s Madison Booker and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. This season, young talents are making a significant impact even before the games have begun. Last year, Booker capitalized on her opportunity as a starter at Texas, excelling in the absence of sidelined star Rori Harmon, which led her team to a Big 12 Tournament victory. Meanwhile, Hidalgo led Notre Dame to an ACC Tournament championship with her standout 22.6-point average.
Intriguingly, this preseason roster does not include any athletes from the undefeated South Carolina team, last season’s NCAA champions. With the Gamecocks securing the top spot in AP’s preseason rankings, Head Coach Dawn Staley acknowledged the added pressure but focused on rigorous daily training regimes aimed at sustaining their competitive edge. As the season approaches, these selections set the stage for an exciting year in women’s college basketball, spotlighting new and returning talent ready to shape the future of the sport.
