Sports
The Athletic’s women’s college basketball All-America team
(Correction: An earlier version of this article included an incorrect order on our All-America teams. Paige Bueckers is a member of The Athletic’s All-America first team, and Ta’Niya Latson is a second-team All-America selection.)
With the regular season in the rearview, The Athletic’s team of dedicated writers and contributors got together to take stock of everything they’ve witnessed since November and made some tough decisions about the best of the best in an impressive year of hoops. Some of their preseason predictions came true as four preseason All-America members were also on the season-end first-team.
But two big surprises they didn’t see coming? Two freshmen who have been steadying forces on their respective teams and played their way onto the second team in a very deep year in women’s college hoops.
The committee — Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant, Ben Pickman, Zena Keita and Mark Schindler — each ranked their top 10 players, and totals were tallied to determine this season’s year-end accolades.
(Stats as of March 2)
First team
JuJu Watkins, USC
Sophomore wing
Stats: 24.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.1 spg, 2.0 bpg
The fact that the race for national player of the year was undecided until the penultimate day of the season, and that finally — on the last day — the choice became unanimously Watkins, says a lot about the sophomore’s ability to rise to the biggest moments of the year. Her 30 points, five assists, two steals and three blocks in the Big Ten regular season championship game against UCLA ultimately gave her the final edge over Lauren Betts.
Watkins showed what we’ve seen from her all season. A scorer’s mentality. A defensive playmaker. An acute awareness of how much her team needs her on the floor (after picking up her third foul in the early parts of the second quarter, she didn’t foul again through the rest of the game). Last season, as a freshman, Watkins proved herself as the best first-year player in America. This season, you can remove any qualifier. She was the best player. Full stop.
Cheryl Miller 🤝 JuJu Watkins
Miller HYPED with JuJu’s big night 🙌
(via @CBBonFOX)
pic.twitter.com/RzyT8XKIeM— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 2, 2025
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Junior center
Stats: 19.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.8 bpg
Only four power conference players in the past decade have averaged 19-plus points, nine-plus rebounds and 2.5-plus assists through a full season: Napheesa Collier, Aerial Powers, Nia Coffey … and now Betts. It’s not bad company to keep. In her second year with UCLA, Betts was the main reason the Bruins maintained the No. 1 ranking the majority of the season, and her dominance in the paint is also the Bruins’ best shot at a national title. An elite rim protector, defensive magnet who creates greater space and freedom for her teammates and one of the nation’s top offensive rebounders — Betts proved her value daily for UCLA.
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Sophomore guard
Stats: 24.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 spg
Few players, if any, can stat-stuff like Hidalgo. She’s an improved 3-point shooter and for the second consecutive year, she lights up opponents on offense and disrupts them on defense. She is first nationally in defensive win shares and leads the ACC in win shares for the second time in two seasons. Her production is integral to everything the Irish achieve, and a big reason Notre Dame will certainly be a top-two seed for the second consecutive year. Hidalgo may have another All-American playing alongside her in Olivia Miles as well as another likely 2025 first-round WNBA draft pick (Sonia Citron), but Hidalgo is also a force unto herself. She is smart enough to bring out the best in her teammates, yet skilled enough to take over games when the situation warrants.
Paige Bueckers, UConn
Fifth-year senior guard
Stats: 18.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2 spg
After her (in all likelihood) final regular-season game in Gampel Pavilion, Bueckers was inducted into the Huskies’ Ring of Honor and added to UConn’s impressive list of national players of the year (honoring her freshman season), marking the near end of a remarkable college career. She adds yet another All-America honor to her resume. Bueckers’ hallmark — her clutch scoring gene — was on display this season as she ranked among the top 20 players nationally in points per play (1.17), but she was also the only player in the country in major hoops to average better than a 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
Madison Booker, Texas
Sophomore wing
Stats: 16.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.6 spg
One of the best freshman classes in recent memory has only gotten better as sophomores, with Watkins and Hidalgo reprising their 2024 All-America campaigns and Booker joining them on this year’s first team. Now in her natural position on the wing with the return of point guard Rori Harmon, Booker has been a more efficient scorer and impactful defender in her second season. She is the No. 1 option for the SEC champs, on track to capture her second conference player of the year award. Booker has also been emboldened to attack the offensive glass without as many playmaking responsibilities, and it follows that the Longhorns are second in the country in second-chance points.
Second team
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Senior forward
Stats: 17.8 ppg, 14.1 rpg, 2.6 spg
The double-double queen has had at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in 26 of her 30 games this season and is leading the country in offensive rebounds and total boards. Despite being undersized as a power forward, Morrow has held up as a four in the SEC and even played a significant amount of center for the Tigers thanks to her motor and quickness. She is 19th nationally in total steals, fueling a top-10 LSU defense and jump-starting the Tigers in transition.
Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State
Junior guard
Stats: 26.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 4.6 rpg
Latson is one of the nation’s most prolific offensive players. She led the NCAA in scoring, becoming one of just two players to have multiple performances against opponents of at least 20 points and seven assists. Despite being 5-foot-8, Latson is fearless in attacking the basket. She draws 6.4 fouls per game, which leads the nation. Latson is the engine in Florida State’s high-scoring attack, and her greatness has been on display throughout the season. Just last week against Notre Dame, Latson played the best of any All-American in the game, finishing with 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the Seminoles’ upset road win. Her game winner against North Carolina in late January is one of the highlights of the season.
Olivia Miles, Notre Dame
Senior guard
Stats: 16.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.0 apg, 41.3 3-pt FG%
Miles was arguably the country’s best passer before tearing her ACL, capable of manipulating the defense in the half court and in transition with brute force and flair. She added an elite jump shot to her offensive arsenal this season, hitting 41.3 percent of her 3s while still connecting on 70 percent of her attempts in the restricted area. She might be the most complete offensive guard in Division I with her combo of passing and scoring, and she helms one of the most devastating offenses heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Sarah Strong, UConn
Freshman forward
Stats: 16.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.5 bpg
Since 2009, the only player to ever have a 15-point, eight-rebound, three-assist season as a freshman is Strong. She was one of two players to start every game for the Huskies this season, and her ability to impact every facet of the game made her a critical part of UConn’s success this year. The 6-2 forward was remarkably poised in big moments, and proved versatile as a consistent scorer, averaging 9.4 points a game in the paint while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Freshman guard
Stats: 23.1 ppg, 3.1 apg, 45.7 FG%
It didn’t even take a full season for Blakes to arrive in Nashville and change the Commodores’ trajectory. From her first game in college, she proved to be a difference-maker by scoring 23 points in only 25 minutes. From there, Blakes routinely has proven to be one of the nation’s most dynamic players. The high point of Blakes’ season (so far) was a 55-point outing against Auburn in which she set the NCAA all-time freshman single-game scoring record. The performance was also her second 50-piece of the season, as she had scored 53 against Florida on Jan. 30. Blakes became the first NCAA freshman and the fourth NCAA Division I player since 1999-2000 to record multiple 50-point games in the same season. She led the SEC in offensive win shares, an especially impressive feat considering the conference’s depth.
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Sports
Sherrone Moore’s alleged mistress rips sentence that kept former Michigan coach out of jail
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The former Michigan staffer with whom Sherrone Moore allegedly had an inappropriate relationship that led to his firing and subsequent arrest is not thrilled that Moore seemingly got off easy.
Moore was fired for his relationship with Paige Shiver on Dec. 10. Soon after the firing, he was jailed after allegedly breaking into her house and threatening to kill himself.
Moore was sentenced to 18 months probation and ordered to pay just over $1,000 in fines, which was not enough for Shiver.
Sherrone Moore of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium Nov. 22, 2025, in College Park, Md. (Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images)
“December 10th was the most terrifying day of my life,” Shiver said in a statement after Moore’s sentencing Tuesday, via the New York Post.
“The criminal acts he committed were extremely frightening and violent. He broke into my apartment, crying, yelling, enraged and came at me with knives. I was threatened, and I feared for my life.
“Today’s sentence does not reflect the harm done to me or the objective evidence in this case.”
An Action Injury Law Group statement obtained by Fox News Channel last month claimed Shiver endured “years of manipulation, harassment and exploitation by a man who held enormous power over her professional life as the head football coach of one of the nation’s most prominent college football programs.”
Shiver’s attorneys questioned Michigan’s entire athletic program after the incident, adding their client believes “she may not be the only person who experienced inappropriate, coercive or predatory behavior from this individual.”
Former University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore is sworn in with his attorney, Ellen Michaels, before he takes a plea in front of Judge J. Cedric Simpson at the 14A-1 District Court in Ann Arbor March 6, 2026. (Mandi Wright/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
MICHIGAN PLAYERS FEEL ‘VERY BETRAYED’ BY SHERRONE MOORE SCANDAL, INTERIM COACH REVEALS
Moore and the alleged victim had an “intimate relationship for a number of years,” a prosecutor said during an initial hearing shortly after his arrest.
In an Ann Arbor courtroom, Moore thanked his wife, Kelli, for her support while saying he took the process “very seriously.” The judge in the case told Moore that he “take[s] her for granted.”
Prosecutors accused Moore of contacting the staffer via phone calls and texts after the breakup, prompting the woman to contact the University of Michigan and cooperate in its investigation. Moore was subsequently fired from his position as head football coach, which prosecutors said prompted him to show up at her home.
Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of kitchen scissors and began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “My blood is on your hands” and “You ruined my life.”
Moore pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors to resolve the felony criminal case.
Moore went 16-8 as Michigan’s head coach — 8-5 in his first season and 7-3 last season. He missed a pair of games due to a suspension from a sign-stealing investigation.
Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore listens to attorney Ellen K. Michaels during an appearance in front of Judge J. Cedric Simpson at a probable cause hearing at 14A-1 District Court in Ann Arbor Jan. 22, 2026 (Eric Seals/USA Today Network)
Moore replaced Jim Harbaugh after the team completed a 15-0 season en route to a national championship. Moore was the offensive coordinator of that squad.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson, Paulina Dedaj, and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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Sports
Deandre Ayton knows the Lakers need him to be his best in the playoffs
The last time Deandre Ayton appeared in the playoffs was in 2023, when he was a member of the Phoenix Suns and viewed in NBA circles as having the potential to be a force as a center in the league.
A lot has changed since then.
He’s on his second team since those days in Phoenix, playing two years for the Portland Trail Blazers and now the Lakers. He has been viewed by many as an inconsistent player who hasn’t reached his full potential.
Ayton has a chance to prove his worth, to show his critics he has the ability to be elite in the postseason when the Lakers open the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs Saturday against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena.
“I love playing this game and I take great passion of playing on both ends of the floor,,” Ayton said after practice Wednesday. “I still believe just being a two-way player in this league, that’s truly my second nature, and that’s how I want to be noted as in this league. It’s just being an all-around, two-way superstar. Just taking passion on both ends of the floor.
“I can play hard on offense. I can play hard on defense. So, that’s just really my goal — running the floor always and closing out possessions with rebounds and protecting the rim. So, just trying to enhance everything I can coming into the playoffs.”
Ayton averaged career lows in points (12.5), rebounds (8.0) and minutes (27.2) this season. But he did play a career-high 72 games and shot a career-best 67.1% from the field.
In the three seasons Ayton reached the playoffs with the Suns, he was a double-double machine, averaging 15.9 points and 10.5 rebounds in 45 postseason games.
The Lakers will need that version of Ayton, especially with star guards Luka Doncic (hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (oblique strain) out indefinitely.
“I’ve shown it,” Ayton said. “So, it’s just me accepting the role I’m in and playing hard as hell in that role. That’s about it. Every night.”
In seven seasons before he arrived in Los Angeles, Ayton averaged a double-double. When the Lakers signed him to a two-year, $16-million deal with a player option, they hoped to get that Ayton.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton deflects a shot by Nets guard Nolan Traore last month at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“The whole season for him has been about finding consistency,” coach JJ Redick said. “When he’s at his best, we’re an elite basketball team. That’s just the reality. He raises our ceiling so much — and it’s on both sides of the ball. It’s not him being able to score 24 points, although when he scores and shoots, we typically win. … He’s just a really good basketball player and we’re very happy with where he’s at.”
Ayton was asked to evaluate his season.
“I was challenged a lot this season and I feel like I embraced everything that was thrown at me,” he said. “It took some time, but I eventually got control of everything. And I think I got a hang of it and I like it. I got the guys on the team that helped me embrace everything that’s going on.
“And just things we have going, with the dilemmas and the injuries, I feel like we’ve been through this the whole year. Just guys going out and guys having big games. And we’re the team where you don’t know who’s gonna have the 30 points, or this or that. We’re just going to play hard and just play together.”
Ayton will have his hands full with Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun, who averages 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds.
“It’s the postseason, you know?” Ayton said. “It’s called mano y mano and it’s not always Xs, and O’s. You got to stop the man and guard your yard.”
When the Suns reached the 2021 Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, there were times when Ayton was considered the second-best player on his team. Over six games he averaged 14.7 points and 12 rebounds and shot 53.1% from the field.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series for the Lakers is on the horizon, and Ayton is excited to show what he has to offer now that he’s back in the playoffs.
“Almost speechless, especially being on this side of town now, you know, playing in L.A. when I was on the other side,” he said. “This place can get pretty loud. And I’m still trying to just go home and embrace everything. I know we haven’t ramped up yet, but coming out of these practices, JJ gives you so much. And you have to dissect it sometimes, and you’re thinking about the environment, you think about the fans, thinking about the first game as a Laker in the playoffs.
“So, I just try to find some time to catch myself and gather and just just relax. I’ve been here before, but I am truly excited. I want to do backflips. I’m in the purple and gold, and I just want to really just play hard as hell to contribute to wins.”
Sports
FIFA to implement tailgating ban at several major US World Cup venues: reports
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In just over two months, soccer fans will descend on stadiums across North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But those thousands of fans won’t get to take part in a long-running pregame tradition — at least at the venues located in the U.S.
FIFA is set to ban pregame tailgating at U.S. stadiums during the tournament, according to multiple reports Tuesday. NFL venues such as Arrowhead Stadium, Gillette Stadium and Lincoln Financial Field, among others, were listed as host sites where fans will not be allowed to tailgate this summer.
It was not immediately clear what led to the decision or why it is being introduced.
A general view shows the empty parking lot at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 14, 2020, as no fans were allowed at the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
The governing body and tournament organizer may be aiming to prevent crowd-control issues similar to those that surfaced when Copa América was held in Miami. Large gatherings outside stadium entry gates fueled logistical hurdles.
Tailgating has long been synonymous with American sports culture, giving fans a budget-friendly way to enjoy the game-day atmosphere.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PRICES HIT ABSURD LEVELS FOR WORLD CUP GAMES: REPORT
But with that option gone, fans may encounter a very different pregame scene this summer. While FIFA will oversee venues during the tournament, the atmosphere outside them could ultimately prove more challenging to manage.
Real Madrid fans tailgate outside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semi-final match against Paris Saint-Germain on July 9, 2025. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
The move to outlaw tailgating comes as several host cities adjust transportation plans to ease traffic flow around World Cup venues. Fans attending matches at MetLife Stadium in the New York area will not be able to park in the stadium’s usual gameday lots.
Fans of Real Madrid tailgate in a parking lot outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group H match against FC Red Bull Salzburg on June 26, 2025. (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images)
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Public transportation is expected to be the primary alternative, though travelers may face higher fares to cross state lines. New Jersey Transit could charge more than $100 for round-trip service to MetLife Stadium during games, The Athletic reported.
On a typical day, the 18-mile commute commands a fare of less than $13.
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