Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, Lauren Betts of UCLA and Madison Booker of Texas headline The Related Press All-America ladies’s faculty basketball group launched Tuesday.
The trio have been first-team All-Individuals final spring after having stellar seasons. They have been joined on the preseason group this 12 months by UConn’s Sarah Robust and South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson. Latson transferred to the Gamecocks this 12 months after spending the primary three years of her profession at Florida State.
Hidalgo and Betts every earned 29 votes from from the 31-member nationwide media panel that chooses the AP High 25 every week. Robust garnered 28 votes whereas Booker had 23 and Latson 14.
Hidalgo is coming off a season that noticed the proficient guard turn into simply the fourth sophomore to earn All-America honors in her first two years. USC’s JuJu Watkins additionally achieved that feat final season, however is out for this 12 months whereas she’s recovering from a torn ACL she suffered within the NCAA event. Courtney Paris and Maya Moore have been additionally All-Individuals their first two seasons.
Hidalgo averaged 23.8 factors, 5.0 rebounds and three.6 assists for the Combating Irish final season. She is going to tackle a much bigger function this season with the lack of the opposite 4 starters to both the WNBA or the switch portal.
“I do know the burden of that’s heavy, the crown is tremendous heavy,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey stated. “However I really feel like she has completed an important job of surrounding herself with the proper community, the Notre Dame community, but additionally her household. She may be very grounded along with her household and her religion.”
Betts, a senior, helped UCLA attain No. 1 within the AP High 25 for the primary time at school historical past final season. The 6-foot-7 middle averaged 20.2 factors and 9.5 rebounds to get the Bruins to their first Remaining 4 earlier than they misplaced to Robust and UConn.
Robust had a sensational freshman season for the Huskies, serving to them win the college’s twelfth nationwide championship. She averaged 16.4 factors and eight.9 rebounds, and coach Geno Auriemma has stated she is even higher this 12 months. UConn is No. 1 within the preseason High 25.
“On daily basis, there isn’t a day that goes by that one of many coaches and I don’t take a look at one another and go, ‘Man, there’s simply one thing about her proper now,'” Auriemma stated. “I can’t wait. I stay up for going to follow simply to see what would possibly occur subsequent, some issues she would possibly pull off.”
Latson led the nation in scoring at Florida State final season, averaging 25.2 factors a recreation. With one 12 months left of eligibility, it’s not nearly attempting to win a nationwide championship however getting ready for the WNBA. Coach Daybreak Staley has had a variety of success producing execs, together with four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
Latson must face Booker not less than as soon as this season within the SEC. The Longhorns’ junior wing averaged 16.0 factors, 6.6 rebounds and a couple of.6 assists final season. Booker helped Texas attain the Remaining 4 final season earlier than the Longhorns misplaced to South Carolina.
Betts, Hidalgo and Booker have been all first-team All-Individuals final spring whereas Latson and Robust have been on the second group. The AP started releasing a preseason All-America group earlier than the 1994-95 season.