UConn’s Sarah Strong and USC’s JuJu Watkins, winners of the last two Associated Press Player of the Year awards, headline the preseason AP All-America women’s college basketball team announced Thursday.
Sarah Strong (Credits: AP)
Preseason AP All-America Team Announced
Strong earned 30 votes from the 31-member national media panel. She was joined by Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (28 votes), Texas forward Madison Booker (28 votes), Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (27 votes) and Watkins (26 votes). It is the third consecutive year that Hidalgo and Booker have been honored as preseason picks.
Strong, the reigning AP Player of the Year, averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and shot 58.2% from the field as a sophomore, helping the Huskies reach the Final Four a year after winning their 12th national championship.
Watkins Back After ACL Tear
Watkins returns after missing all of last season while recovering from an ACL tear in her right knee suffered in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She earned AP Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, averaging 24.6 points per game, and is healthy and ready to go, per USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb.
Watkins was also named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, and the No. 3 Women of Troy open their season on October 25 against Cal.
Hidalgo, meanwhile, is coming off another fantastic season, averaging 25.3 points — third best in the country — and 5.6 steals last season.
Also Read: College Basketball News · UConn News
Source: Associated Press — read the full story there.
