Women’s NCAA conference awards: USC’s JuJu Watkins, Texas’ Madison Booker earn Player of the Year honors​on March 4, 2025 at 11:01 pm

The regular season has come to a close for the top conferences in women’s college basketball, which means it’s time for awards. The Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 announced their end-of-season honors Tuesday, and the ACC and Big East will follow over the coming days. 

As the action on the court shifts to conference tournaments, here’s a look at which players were rewarded for their stellar play during the regular season. 

Big Ten

• Player of the Year: JuJu Watkins, USC

No surprise here, as Watkins might win Naismith Player of the Year later this spring. The star sophomore led the Trojans to the Big Ten regular-season title in their first season in the conference, and averaged 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and two blocks along the way. 

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Isabel Gonzalez

• Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Betts, UCLA

Again, this one was a lock. The 6-foot-7 Betts was a dominant force in the paint for UCLA, whose only conference losses came to USC. Betts averaged a career-high 2.8 blocks per game, which led the Big Ten and was good for fifth in the country. 

• Co-freshman of the Year: Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Olivia Olson, Michigan
• Sixth Player of the Year: Janiah Barker, UCLA
• Coach of the Year: Lindsey Gottlieb, USC

SEC

• Player of the Year: Madison Booker, Texas

Booker was named Freshman of the Year in the Big 12 last season, and has now earned Player of the Year honors upon Texas’ move to the SEC. The do-it-all sophomore averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 41.7% from 3-point range for the Longhorns, who are ranked No. 1 in the country.  

• Defensive Player of the Year: Clara Strack, Kentucky

Strack followed Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks from Virginia Tech and made an immediat impact for the Wildcats. A 6-foot-5 center, Strack averaged an SEC-leading 2.5 blocks per game, as well as 6.9 defensive rebounds, which helped Kentucky finish fourth in a loaded SEC. 

• Freshman of the Year: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
• Sixth Player of the year: MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
• Coach of the Year: Vic Schaefer, Texas

Big 12

• Player of the Year: Hailey Van Lith, TCU

Van Lith transferred to TCU for her fifth and final college season and looked rejuvenated in North Texas. The veteran guard averaged 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.4 assists to lead the Horned Frogs to their first-ever Big 12 regular-season title. 

• Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Quinerly, West Virginia

West Virginia is known for their disruptive defense, which is led by Quinerly, who was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Though just 5-foot-9, Quinerly is a menace on the perimeter and averaged a career-high 3.1 steals. 

• Freshman of the Year: Delaney Gibb, BYU
• Sixth Player of the Year: Yaya Felder, Baylor
• Coach of the Year: Mark Campbell, TCU