Southern California sophomore guard JuJu Watkins and UConn senior guard Paige Bueckers head the checklist of finalists for the 2025 John Picket Award that goes to girls’s faculty basketball’s most excellent participant, the Los Angeles Athletic Membership introduced Tuesday evening.
UCLA junior middle Lauren Betts, Texas sophomore ahead Madison Booker and Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo even have been named Picket Award finalists. The quintet additionally has earned spots on the 10-person Picket All-America crew.
Watkins, who already has earned the Related Press Participant of the Yr award, averaged 23.9 factors, 6.8 rebounds and three.4 assists earlier than tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her proper knee throughout the NCAA Match’s second spherical.
Bueckers, who gained the 2021 Picket Award as a freshman, gives 20.1 factors, 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds for a UConn squad that performs UCLA on Friday within the second Ultimate 4 semifinal in Tampa, Fla.
Betts has led UCLA to its first Ultimate 4 with 20.0 factors, 9.6 rebounds and three.0 blocks per sport. Booker paces Ultimate 4-bound Texas with 16.5 factors, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals.
Hidalgo averaged 23.8 factors, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 steals and three.6 assists per sport for the Preventing Irish.
Becoming a member of the 5 finalists on the Picket All-America crew are Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore, Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles, LSU’s Aneesah Morrow and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith.
Latson led the nation with 25.2 factors per sport whereas Morrow paced all rebounders with 13.5 per sport.
–Area Degree Media