INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Many familiar faces are featured on the 2024-25 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Women's All-America Team, with 11 of 15 players on the three teams having earned previous All-America honors from the USBWA.
The USBWA has named a women's All-America Team since the 1987-88 season. Since the 2017-18 season, the USBWA has expanded the team to honor 15 players on three teams, regardless of position. The All-America Team is selected by the USBWA board after voting from the entire membership and the honor is based on performance during the regular season.
Now three-time first-team All-American Paige Bueckers of UConn and USC's super sophomore JuJu Watkins headline the first team. Bueckers, the 2021 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner as the USBWA National Player of the Year and now three-time Big East Player of the Year, averages 19.0 points per game. Watkins, who like Bueckers is a previous Tamika Catchings Award winner as the USBWA National Freshman Player of the Year, returns to the first team as the Big Ten Player of the Year as the nation's second-leading scoring at 24.6 points per game.
A pair of second-teamers from a year ago are on this season's first team, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and LSU's Aneesah Morrow. Hidalgo is the ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year with her 24.2 points and 3.7 steals per game (4th in the NCAA), while Morrow has earned her fourth All-America nod from the USBWA. The first-team All-SEC choice leads the nation with 13.6 rebounds and scores 18.5 points per game; she is also just the second player to record more than 100 career double-doubles, joining Oklahoma's Courtney Paris.
Rounding out the first team is UCLA center Lauren Betts, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player. Betts led the Bruins to a No. 1 ranking for much of the season and a program-best 30-2 record with 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
The second team boasts the nation's leading scorer and the ACC Player of the Year. Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson, the 2023 Catchings Award winner and a USBWA honorable mention All-American that season, scores 24.9 points per game. Madison Booker led Texas to a 15-1 conference record in the school's first season in the SEC with her 16.2 points per game. Olivia Miles of Notre Dame, after missing all of last season the year after being named a third-team All-American, earned All-ACC honors with 16.2 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the field. Georgia Amoore, in her first season at Kentucky, earned SEC Newcomer of the Year with 19.1 points and 6.9 assists per game, third-best in the country. And, one of two freshmen on the team, Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes earned the final second-team slot, with 23.2 points per game (7th in the NCAA) as the SEC Freshman of the Year.
TCU won its first Big 12 title led by third-team All-American Haley Van Lith, the conference's Player of the Year who averages 17.9 points and a career-best 5.3 assists per game. Joining her from the Big 12 is Iowa State center Audi Crooks, another first-team all-conference selection who scores 23.2 points per game while pulling down 7.6 rebounds. The three remaining third-teamers are all teammates of other All-Americans, UConn's Sarah Strong, LSU's Flau'Jae Johnson and USC's Kiki Iriafen. Strong is the Big East Freshman of the Year with 16.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, Johnson leads LSU in scoring with 18.9 points per game that earned a spot on the All-SEC first team, and Iriafen added 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Trojans.
Seven players earned honorable mention: Raegan Beers, Oklahoma; Katie Dinnebier, Drake; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Izzy Higginbottom, Arkansas; Aziaha James, NC State; Chloe Kitts, South Carolina; and Sedona Prince, TCU.
Overall, there are six schools with teammates recognized on the squad, including those earning honorable mentions.
Following is the complete 2024-25 USBWA Women's All-America Team:
| 2024-25 USBWA WOMEN'S ALL-AMERICA TEAM | ||||
| FIRST TEAM (5) | ||||
| Lauren Betts, UCLA | C | 6-7 | Jr. | Centennial, Colo. |
| Paige Bueckers, UConn | G | 6-0 | r-Sr. | Hopkins, Minn. |
| Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame | G | 5-6 | So. | Merchantville, N.J. |
| Aneesah Morrow, LSU | F | 6-1 | Sr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| JuJu Watkins, USC | G | 6-2 | So. | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| SECOND TEAM (5) | ||||
| Georgia Amoore, Kentucky | G | 5-6 | Gr. | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
| Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt | G | 5-8 | Fr. | Somerset, N.J. |
| Madison Booker, Texas | F | 6-1 | So. | Ridgeland, Miss. |
| Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State | G | 5-8 | Jr. | Miami, Fla. |
| Olivia Miles, Notre Dame | G | 5-10 | Jr. | Phillipsburg, N.J. |
| THIRD TEAM (5) | ||||
| Audi Crooks, Iowa State | C | 6-3 | So. | Algona, Iowa |
| Kiki Iriafen, USC | F | 6-3 | Gr. | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU | G | 5-10 | Jr. | Savannah, Ga. |
| Sarah Strong, UConn | F | 6-2 | Fr. | Durham, N.C. |
| Hailey Van Lith, TCU | G | 5-9 | Gr. | Wenatchee, Wash. |
| HONORABLE MENTION (7): Raegan Beers, Oklahoma (C, 6-4, Jr., Littleton, Colo.); Katie Dinnebier, Drake (G, 5-8, Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa); Joyce Edwards, South Carolina (F, 6-3, Fr., Camden, S.C.); Izzy Higginbottom, Arkansas (G, 5-7, Sr., Batesville, Ark.); Aziaha James, NC State (G, 5-10, Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.); Chloe Kitts, South Carolina (F, 6-2, Jr., Oviedo, Fla.); Sedona Prince, TCU (C, 6-7, Gr., Liberty Hill, Texas). | ||||
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.