Photo by: John McGillen
USC’s Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins Earn Women’s Basketball All-America Honors From AP, USBWA
March 19, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Watkins is also named Sporting News National Player of the Year.
USC women's basketball has made another haul of national accolades with today's Associated Press, USBWA and Sporting News awards announcement. Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins have both landed All-America nods from the AP and USBWA, while Watkins also weighs in as the Sporting News National Player of the Year.
A unanimous selection to the 2025 All-Big Ten First Team and freshly minted with a spot on the AP and USBWA All-America Third Teams, Iriafen has shined brightly in her first season as a Trojan. She has notched 11 double-doubles this season and is averaging 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Also effective from the stripe, Iriafen ranks No. 44 in the nation with 132 free throws made. She also ranks nationally at No. 14 with her 4.2 offensive rebounds per game and top-50 in points per game and field goals made.
In helping USC to its highest AP ranking since 1984 at No. 2 in the nation and on to the program's first regular-season conference title since 1994 in claiming the Big Ten title, Iriafen has produced team-high scoring in USC wins over ranked Maryland, Ohio State and Illinois teams during conference play. Against top-10 opponents this season, Iriafen has shot a hot 90.3 percent from the free-throw line and upped her rebounding and assists efforts, averaging 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in helping her Trojans post a 5-2 record against top-10 teams.
In addition to her All-Big Ten First Team honors, Iriafen's 2024-25 awards list also includes AP Preseason All-America status along with spots on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List and Wooden Award Watch List as well as two selections to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll and a selection as a USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Week. She also is again a finalist for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year award, looking to become a back-to-back winner of that prestigious honor. Iriafen earned AP All-America Honorable Mention last season while at Stanford.
The Sporting News National Player of the Year and an All-America First Team pick by the AP, USBWA and Sporting News this week, Watkins has gone big in USC's seven games against AP top-10 opponents in particular. Watkins posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. After earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, Watkins is averaging 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also impressive season averages of 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in USC's push to a 28-3 overall record.
Also this season, Watkins became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game with her work for the Women of Troy their win over then-No. 1 UCLA at Galen Center. Last week, Watkins was named The Athletic's National Player of the Year and the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year.
Watkins has also earned a nod as a 2025 Sullivan Award semifinalist and is on the Wooden Award Top 15 Ballot and Wade Watch List as well as picked as The Athletic National Player of the Year. Additionally this week, she was named a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career, ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 10 all-time in career scoring with 1,684 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four short of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.
Earlier this season, Watkins collected AP Preseason All-America status along with spots on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List and Wooden Award Watch List, as well as numerous USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week selections. This is Watkins' second season on the AP, USBWA and Sporting News All-America First Teams.
A unanimous selection to the 2025 All-Big Ten First Team and freshly minted with a spot on the AP and USBWA All-America Third Teams, Iriafen has shined brightly in her first season as a Trojan. She has notched 11 double-doubles this season and is averaging 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Also effective from the stripe, Iriafen ranks No. 44 in the nation with 132 free throws made. She also ranks nationally at No. 14 with her 4.2 offensive rebounds per game and top-50 in points per game and field goals made.
In helping USC to its highest AP ranking since 1984 at No. 2 in the nation and on to the program's first regular-season conference title since 1994 in claiming the Big Ten title, Iriafen has produced team-high scoring in USC wins over ranked Maryland, Ohio State and Illinois teams during conference play. Against top-10 opponents this season, Iriafen has shot a hot 90.3 percent from the free-throw line and upped her rebounding and assists efforts, averaging 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in helping her Trojans post a 5-2 record against top-10 teams.
In addition to her All-Big Ten First Team honors, Iriafen's 2024-25 awards list also includes AP Preseason All-America status along with spots on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List and Wooden Award Watch List as well as two selections to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll and a selection as a USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Week. She also is again a finalist for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year award, looking to become a back-to-back winner of that prestigious honor. Iriafen earned AP All-America Honorable Mention last season while at Stanford.
The Sporting News National Player of the Year and an All-America First Team pick by the AP, USBWA and Sporting News this week, Watkins has gone big in USC's seven games against AP top-10 opponents in particular. Watkins posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. After earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, Watkins is averaging 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also impressive season averages of 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in USC's push to a 28-3 overall record.
Also this season, Watkins became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game with her work for the Women of Troy their win over then-No. 1 UCLA at Galen Center. Last week, Watkins was named The Athletic's National Player of the Year and the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year.
Watkins has also earned a nod as a 2025 Sullivan Award semifinalist and is on the Wooden Award Top 15 Ballot and Wade Watch List as well as picked as The Athletic National Player of the Year. Additionally this week, she was named a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career, ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 10 all-time in career scoring with 1,684 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four short of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.
Earlier this season, Watkins collected AP Preseason All-America status along with spots on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List and Wooden Award Watch List, as well as numerous USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week selections. This is Watkins' second season on the AP, USBWA and Sporting News All-America First Teams.
Players Mentioned
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