The race for college basketball’s AP Player of the Year award on the women’s side wasn’t really a race at all. USC sophomore JuJu Watkins took home the honors Thursday in a nearly unanimous vote. The youth movement carried over to the men’s side, when Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was announced as the AP Player of the Year on Friday.
Neither selection comes as a major surprise. Despite being a freshman, the 18-year-old Flagg was the story of the college basketball season on the men’s side. He averaged 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in the regular season, and has Duke on the verge of playing in yet another national championship. He’s a major reason Duke was ranked No. 1 overall on the AP’s final Top-25 poll in March.
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With the award, Flagg becomes only the fourth freshman to receive the honor. Flagg is in excellent company, as Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant are the three other freshman to win the award. The Duke star and Auburn forward Johni Broome were the only two players to receive votes for the AP Player of the Year award on the men’s side.
Flagg’s excellence at the collegiate level might be short-lived. Flagg is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft should he choose to declare for it. Flagg is expected to make the leap to the NBA after just one season in college. Even Duke coach Jon Scheyer hinted at as much after the team’s Sweet 16 win, saying, “Cooper is about to move on with something incredibly special with the next step he’s going to go after this.”
JuJu Watkins takes home AP Player of the Year award
Watkins ran away with the award on the women’s side, receiving 29 of the 31 votes from the Associated Press’ panel. Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo received the other two votes.
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After a tremendous freshman season, Watkins turned in an equally strong sophomore year. She averaged 23.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21 games for the Trojans. Watkins had USC in a good position to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, but tore her ACL in the team’s second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State. USC advanced to the Elite Eight without Watkins, where the team was eliminated by UConn.
Similar to Flagg, Watkins is the fourth sophomore to take home the award. Watkins is also in good company as Courtney Paris, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart all won the AP Player of the Year award as sophomores.
While Watkins is a top WNBA Draft prospect, she’s not eligible to enter the draft in 2025. Watkins, 19, has to either graduate or turn 22 before she can enter the WNBA Draft. She’ll return to USC when she’s recovered from the ACL injury and continue to build her draft stock. When Watkins is ready to make the leap, she’ll likely be one of the top picks — if not the top pick — available.
Bruce Pearl will share the AP men’s coach of the year award with Rick Pitino. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
(Alex Slitz via Getty Images)
Bruce Pearl, Rick Pitino split AP coaching vote
Two coaches were recognized by the Associated Press for their excellent seasons. Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and St. John’s Rick Pitino both took home the AP men’s college basketball coach of the year award. It was the first time in the 58-year history of the award that the voting ended in a tie.
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It’s tough to argue with either choice. Pearl led Auburn to a 32-5 record. The team ranked No. 4 in the AP’s final Top-25 poll. The team’s regular-season success carried over into March Madness. Pearl has Auburn on the verge of reaching the national championship game for the first time in school history. They’ll have to get past Florida to keep their championship hopes alive.
Pitino led St. John’s to a 31-5 record this season. It was a major step up after the team finished 20-13 last year. St. John’s ranked No. 5 — just behind Auburn — in the AP’s final Top-25 poll. The team’s regular-season success did not carry over into the NCAA tournament. St. John’s was upset by Arkansas in the second round of the event.
Pearl and Pitino were not the only coaches to receive votes, per the AP. Louisville’s Pat Kelsey, Duke’s Jon Scheyer, Missouri’s Dennis Gates, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Drake’s Ben McCollum and UC San Diego’s Eric Olen all got at least one vote for the award.
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