UConn’s Sarah Strong and USC’s JuJu Watkins headline preseason AP All-America women’s team

UConn’s Sarah Strong and USC’s JuJu Watkins, who have won The Associated Press Player of the Year award the last two years headline the preseason AP All-America women’s college basketball team released Thursday.

They were joined by Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes, Texas forward Madison Booker and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo.

Strong earned 30 votes from the 31-member national media panel that chooses the AP Top 25 each week. Hidalgo and Booker each received 28 votes. Blakes had 27 and Watkins 26. It’s the third consecutive year that Hidalgo and Booker were 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 forward to help the Huskies reach the Final Four a year after they won their 12th national championship.

“She was national player of the year, you know, and it’s pretty hard to get that much better,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “But it’s not that hard to get better at some things that she wants to get better at. And I think what we’ll see is a much more aggressive Sarah, much more intentional, much more understanding.”

Watkins is coming back after missing last year while recovering from an ACL tear in her right knee that she suffered in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The talented guard earned AP Player of the Year honors that season as a sophomore. Watkins is healthy and ready to go.

“We are obviously excited for JuJu to be back on the court,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “She has worked so hard both on and off the court, and the joy and talent she brings to college basketball is a great thing not only for our team, but for anyone who is a fan of the game.”

Hidalgo has been a fixture on the All-America team and is coming off another fantastic season. The Notre Dame senior guard averaged 25.3 points — third best in the country — and 5.6 steals last season.

“I don’t focus on the numbers ever,” Hidalgo said. “All the numbers I put up last year was never about me saying, ‘OK, I’m going to get this amount of points and this amount of steals.’ I go out every single game and play every game like it’s my last, and the numbers just come with how I play.”

Blakes led the nation in scoring with 27 points per game and was even better in Southeastern Conference play (30.5). She knows the more confidence she helps her teammates build keeps her from being the focal point.

“My role is going to change,” Blakes said. “We have a lot of good scorers this year and really a lot of good players. So I feel like doing whatever the team needs me to do and continue to read defenses really well.”

Booker averaged 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists last season to help the Longhorns reach the Final Four for a second straight season.

“In my mind, Madison Booker is the best player in the country,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “Every night when we take the floor, I feel pretty good about that.”

Strong, Blakes and Booker were all first-team All-Americans last spring while Hidalgo was on the second team. The AP began releasing a preseason All-America team before the 1994-95 season.

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