ATLANTA (Nov. 5, 2025) — Returning WBCA Coaches’ All-Americans Lauren Betts of UCLA, Madison Booker of Texas, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, and Sarah Strong of Connecticut headline the “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2026 Wade Trophy which is presented to the best player in college women’s basketball, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
Booker and Hidalgo are two-time Coaches’ All-Americans, both receiving the honor in 2024 and 2025. Both also were finalists for the 2025 Wade Trophy which ultimately was presented to Paige Bueckers of Connecticut. Betts was named WBCA Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. Strong was the 2025 WBCA Freshman of the Year.
Connecticut has three players on the watch list. LSU and South Carolina have two each. The SEC leads all conferences with seven players on the 15-person list.
Here is the complete 2025-26 Wade Watch list:
| Name | Institution | Position | Height | Current Year |
| Raegan Beers | Oklahoma | Center | 6-4 | Senior |
| Lauren Betts | UCLA | Center | 6-7 | Senior |
| Mikayla Blakes | Vanderbilt | Guard | 5-8 | Sophomore |
| Madison Booker | Texas | Forward | 6-1 | Junior |
| Audi Crooks | Iowa State | Center | 6-3 | Junior |
| Joyce Edwards | South Carolina | Forward | 6-3 | Sophomore |
| Azzi Fudd | Connecticut | Guard | 5-11 | Grad |
| Hannah Hidalgo | Notre Dame | Guard | 5-6 | Junior |
| Flau’Jae Johnson | LSU | Guard | 5-10 | Senior |
| Ta’Niya Latson | South Carolina | Guard | 5-8 | Senior |
| Olivia Miles | TCU | Guard | 5-10 | Grad |
| Khamil Pierre | NC State | Forward | 6-2 | Junior |
| Sarah Strong | Connecticut | Forward | 6-2 | Sophomore |
| Serah Williams | Connecticut | Forward | 6-4 | Senior |
| Mikaylah Williams | LSU | Guard | 6-0 | Junior |
The Wade Trophy — now in its 49th 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 2025-26 season. The winner of the award will be announced in April during the 2025 WBCA Convention in Phoenix — site of the 2026 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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