Contact: Jack Watford, WBCA Director of Communications, 770-279-8027 ext. 112
2024 WBCA Coaches’ All-Americans Madison Booker, Paige Bueckers, Hannah Hidalgo, JuJu Watkins headline 2024-25 ‘Wade Watch’ list
SEC leads all conferences with 6 players on15-person list
ATLANTA (Nov. 12, 2024) — 2024 WBCA Coaches’ All-Americans Madison Booker of Texas, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, and JuJu Watkins of Southern California headline the “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2025 Wade Trophy which is presented to the best player in college women’s basketball, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
Bueckers is a two-time Coaches’ All-American, first receiving the honor in 2021 when she also was named WBCA Co-Freshman of the Year with Caitlin Clark. Watkins was WBCA Freshman of the Year in 2024.
LSU, Texas and USC each have two players on the watch list. The SEC leads all conferences with six players on the 15-person list, followed by the Big Ten with three.
Here is the complete 2024-25 Wade Watch list:
| Name | Institution | Position | Height | Current Year |
| Georgia Amoore | Kentucky | G | 5-6 | Grad |
| Raegan Beers | Oklahoma | C | 6-4 | Junior |
| Lauren Betts | UCLA | C | 6-7 | Junior |
| Madison Booker | Texas | F | 6-1 | Sophomore |
| Paige Bueckers | Connecticut | G | 6-0 | RS-Senior |
| Audi Crooks | Iowa State | C | 6-3 | Sophomore |
| Yvonne Ejim | Gonzaga | F | 6-1 | Grad |
| Rori Harmon | Texas | G | 5-6 | Senior |
| Hannah Hidalgo | Notre Dame | G | 5-6 | Sophomore |
| Kiki Iriafen | USC | F | 6-3 | Grad |
| Flau’Jae Johnson | LSU | G | 5-10 | Junior |
| Ta’Niya Latson | Florida State | G | 5-8 | Junior |
| Ayoka Lee | Kansas State | C | 6-6 | Grad |
| Aneesah Morrow | LSU | G | 6-1 | Senior |
| JuJu Watkins | USC | G | 6-2 | Sophomore |
The Wade Trophy — now in its 48th year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I Player of the Year since 2001.
The Wade Watch list of candidates for the Wade Trophy is composed of players selected by the WBCA NCAA Division I Awards Committee. The committee will review the list midseason to determine if additional players will be added based on their play during the first half of the 2024-25 season. The winner of the award will be announced in April during the 2025 WBCA Convention in Tampa — site of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.
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