Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, JuJu Watkins headline The Athletic women's basketball All-America teams (2024)

The regular season has come and gone, and while the NCAA selection committee might need more time to select the truly best 68 teams in the country, here at The Athletic, we feel confident that we’ve seen enough to select the best players in the country for our annual All-America teams.

Some of our predictions from our preseason teams came into focus — Caitlin Clark remained unstoppable. Angel Reese was LSU’s anchor on both ends of the floor by season end. Paige Bueckers carried UConn (probably quite a bit more than she anticipated would be required from her). Stanford’s Cameron Brink and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso were the dominant paint players we knew we’d see.

But then, there were some surprises. Two freshmen made our first team — USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo — after dazzling in nonconference and conference play. If there needed to be any kind of an indicator that the future of women’s college hoops is in great hands, look no further than this terrific freshman class. Elsewhere, post players out of Utah, Kansas State and Oregon State played their teams into the top 10 and played themselves onto our All-America team.

First team

Caitlin Clark, Iowa, guard

Stats: 32.3 ppg, 8.7 apg, 7.3 rpg, 39.3 3-pt%

What hasn’t Clark done in her senior year? The Athletic’s unanimous Player of the Year is leading the country in points and assists, powering Iowa to the best offensive rating in the country. She has dazzled on the big stage, whether it was the game-winning buzzer-beater against Michigan State or the 49-point explosion on the night she broke Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s basketball scoring record. Clark has had a target on her back the entire season, and she’s methodically solved every defense while leading the Hawkeyes to a top-five ranking. The biggest star in college basketball is also its best player.

Cameron Brink, Stanford, forward/center

Stats: 17.9 ppg, 12.0 rg, 3.6 bpg, 53.8 fg%

Brink has been the country’s best big this season, consistently using her size and length to her advantage on both ends of the floor. Her counting stats are impressive enough, but are even more noteworthy considering the Stanford star averages only 25 minutes per game. Brink is the country’s top defensive rebounder, by rebounding percentage and shot-blocker (averaging 3.6 per game), all while shooting nearly 72 percent from around the rim and just under 90 percent from the free-throw line. She continues to show improvement throughout her senior season, ending the regular season No. 1 in win-shares per 40 minutes, according to Her Hoop Stats,

Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, center

Stats: 22.8 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 55.6 FG%, 2.1 bpg

The two-time reigning ACC player of the year got even better in her fifth season, posting career-bests in points and rebounds while retaining her efficiency. At 6-foot-6, Kitley dominates the interior. No one in the country has made more 2-pointers than the Hokies center. She’s also sixth nationally in rebounds per game and fifth in total win shares. Everything Virginia Tech does centers on Kitley. The offense relies on her drawing defenders in the middle of the floor, which opens perimeter players for 3-pointers, and the Hokies subsequently made the ninth-most 3s in the country. Defensively, the system works because Kitley drops back and deters shots at the rim. It’s no accident that Virginia Tech won its first ACC title behind Kitley’s tour de force. Whether she recovers from a recent knee injury will play a large role in whether the Hokies can make it back to the Final Four.

JuJu Watkins, USC, guard

Stats: 27.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.6 bpg, 2.6 spg, 42% fg%

The nation’s best freshman earned a spot on the first team after an incredible season in which she led the Trojans in scoring and steals and was second in rebounds and blocks. The 6-2 guard found a way to be a threat on both ends of the floor. she was the only player in the country to average at least 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game this season while being the second-leading scorer in the nation. As a scorer, she hurts teams everywhere on the floor as a three-level scorer, an opponent’s nightmare in transition and one of the country’s more reliable high-volume free-throw shooter.

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame, guard

Stats: 23.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.4 apg, 4.9 spg

From the opening tip of Notre Dame’s season-opener against still-undefeated South Carolina, Hidalgo showed why she would be one of the nation’s top players. That night, she scored 31 points, crossing the 30-point plateau for the first of five times this season. Her relentless attacking of the basket is impressive as is her ability to create opportunities for her teammates. But Hidalgo’s impact may be even more significant on defense, where she led the nation in defensive win-shares. Perhaps only Brink and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso altered opposing plans as much as Hidalgo. She hounded opposing guards, recording seven or more steals in a game six times. If she even just maintains her steals average through the remainder of her college career, she’ll finish top-five all-time, and that doesn’t even account for how she’ll continue to improve over her time with the Fighting Irish.

𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 🌟
𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 🌟

Ladies and gentlemen, HANNAH HIDALGO!#AccomplishGreatness | @ndwbb

🏀 https://t.co/M2fei2PLvY pic.twitter.com/hMaRC1i6Y8

— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb) March 5, 2024

Second team

Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina, center

Stats: 14.1 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.7 bpg, 2.2 apg

Cardoso’s overall stats are slightly lower than others simply because South Carolina’s depth only requires her to play about 25 minutes a game. But make no mistake: In those minutes, she is the heart and soul of the Gameco*cks’ defense. She averages 2.7 blocks a game as an elite rim protector and adjusts opponents’ shots without getting into foul trouble (she averages fewer than two per game). Offensively, Cardoso leads South Carolina in scoring while finishing 60 percent of her shots at the rim, and this season, she became one of the country’s best passing bigs, using her height and court vision to get her teammates open looks.

Paige Bueckers, UConn, guard

Stats: 20.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 54.0 fg%

After missing all of last year with a torn ACL, Bueckers already has played a career single-season high of 31 games and reminded spectators of her on-court greatness. Though her per game averages are similar to her freshman totals — a season in which she took home National Player of the Year honors — Bueckers was a more efficient player on a per minute basis, averaging 27.5 points per 40 minutes. As UConn took home yet another conference title, Bueckers placed second nationally in overall win-shares and was a steadying force on a Huskies team littered with injuries.

Alissa Pili, Utah, forward

Stats: 21.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 55.0 FG%, 81.9 ft%

Pili burst onto the national radar with a 37-point masterpiece (albeit in a losing effort) against South Carolina in December, but the most creative post in the country has been fooling defenders all season. The Utah forward arguably has the deepest bag in college basketball with an ability to score from anywhere on the court at high efficiency. Injuries to the Utes guards have diminished the team’s overall record, but Pili remains as productive and difficult to defend as ever.

Angel Reese, LSU, forward

Stats: 19.1 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 1.8 spg

Reese has excelled since the calendar turned to SEC play, averaging 18.8 points and 14.3 rebounds per game against conference opponents. LSU was 42.3 points per 100 possessions better when Reese was on the court in SEC games, owning the glass and forcing turnovers on 20.5 percent of opposing possessions. An uneven start in nonconference play keeps Reese off the first-team, but she’s a deserving second-team selection.

2024 #SECWBB Player of the Year@Reese10Angel • @LSUwbkb

🔗 https://t.co/4OwFnWkTq8 pic.twitter.com/XPBlGCVlpB

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 5, 2024

Raegan Beers, Oregon State, forward

Stats: 17.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 66.8 fg%

Beers has anchored the Beavers as they’ve climbed from No. 11 in the Pac-12 last season to a top-four team this year. She is among the country’s best players around the basket, shooting 73.5 percent at the rim on 8.6 attempts per contest. She’s played a key role defensively, too, as Oregon State held Pac-12 opponents to 60 or fewer points in seven games in which Beers played. The Beavers are nearly 30 points better with her on the court than with her off it, a difference putting Beers’ split in the 99th percentile nationally, according to CBB Analytics. After winning conference Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year honors in 2022-23 and continuing to ascend this season, Beers is well-positioned to be among the country’s top players for the duration of her college career.

Ayoka Lee, Kansas State, center

Stats: 19.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.8 bpg

Despite missing a month of play in the middle of the season to recover from ankle surgery, Lee more than earned an All-America spot. Offensively, few players in the country are more efficient than Lee. The 6-6 center scored 1.18 points per play this season, and she shot 65 percent at the rim while pushing the Wildcats to their best AP ranking in program history. Defensively, she was a pest. One in eight opponent possessions this season ended with a block or steal by Lee, and she did it without fouling, averaging just 2.2 per game. We’d also be remiss not to mention Lee’s perfection from beyond the arc as she shot 100 percent on 3-pointers this season. (Lee was 1 of 1 from 3, hitting a top-of-the-key triple against Southern.)

(Photos of JuJu Watkins, Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink: Ethan Miller / Getty Images, Matthew Holst / Getty Images, Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)