By Field Level Media
Oct 22 (Field Level Media) – Reigning Player of the Year Sarah Strong of UConn and former Player of the Year JuJu Watkins from Southern California are among the stars who are part of the preseason Associated Press All-American women’s college team.
Strong received 30 votes from the 31-member media panel. Joining Strong and Watkins on the team are Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes, Texas forward Madison Booker and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo.
Booker and Hidalgo received 28 votes, Blakes earned 27 and Watkins got 26.
Strong, a forward, averaged 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds and shot 58.2% from the floor last season. She led the Huskies to the Final Four before they fell to South Carolina.
“She was national player of the year, you know, and it’s pretty hard to get that much better,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told the AP. “But it’s not that hard to get better at some things that she wants to get better at. And I think what we’ll see is a much more aggressive Sarah, much more intentional, much more understanding.”
Watkins, a guard, tore the ACL in her right knee during the 2025 NCAA Tournament and missed all of last season. She averaged 23.9 points in 2024-25 to earn top player honors.
“We are obviously excited for JuJu to be back on the court,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb told the AP. “She has worked so hard both on and off the court, and the joy and talent she brings to college basketball is a great thing not only for our team, but for anyone who is a fan of the game.”
Blakes led the nation with a 27.0 scoring average last season, Booker averaged 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists and Hidalgo averaged 25.3 points and a national-leading 5.6 steals per game.
Strong, Blakes and Booker were first-team All-Americans last season while Hidalgo was a second-team pick. Lauren Betts of national champion UCLA and UConn’s Azzi Fudd were the other first-team All-Americans.
(–Field Level Media)
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