000 Honorable Mentions 1:43 S'Mya Nichols 2:52 KK Arnold 4:21 Mikaylah Williams 5:22 Kymora Johnson 6:35 Addy Brown 7:45 Audi Crooks 9:00 Malaysia Fulwiley 10:35 Madison Booker 12:05 Hannah Hidalgo 13:35 Juju Watkins
Hildago the only player averaging 20/5/5/4 in the country, and only freshman ever to win ACC DPOY, tournament MVP, and only freshmen to be nominated for Naismith DPOY. Also ACC ROTY and 1st team All American. Imagine reading this resume then realizing you don’t see Naismith Freshman of the Year. That just shows how ridiculous this freshman class was this past season.
I loved watching how Hidalgo adapted her game over the season. She came out of the gate with a statement 30 piece against SC but I agree with you that wasn’t even one of her top 3 best games. She got so much better at facilitating for her teammates as the season went on. early in the season even though she was playing super well, I thought the only thing that could improve was her decision making on offense, like she would sometimes force shots and miss a wide open teammate. understandable freshman mistakes, but as time went on you could see her using her high basketball IQ to uplift her team in new and different ways. In fact, over Notre Dame’s last 11 games, Hidalgo was not the team’s leading scorer over that stretch. This also happened to be when the team was playing their best ball - I picked the last 11 specifically because that was the start of their win streak (until the Oregon state game) Basically I think Hidalgo really came into her own as a point guard not just a scorer, which made her bad day vs Oregon state even more shocking. but she will bounce back. Her defense is unbelievable and her motor is endless and she’s got that dawg in her. Sky’s the limit. The way she led that injury-riddled team is incredible.
Hannah is definitely #1. Her intensity on BOTH ends of the floor is superior. She is a pest that has offensive players looking over their shoulders. She owns the whole floor every second. Juju isn't as consistent offensively AS YOU STATED by referring to what she still does defensively on ineffective offensive nights. Hannah doesn't have those ineffective offensive nights! Not until Sweet 16 anyway. Neither of these young ladies are on my favorite team since 1991. But we beat Juju & Hannah torched us. Go UCONN
Have not watched the video yet. Wanted to give a Top 10 based on players I've watched. Not an analytics breakdown necessarily. 1. Hannah Hidalgo (More on her...) 2. Juju Watkins (Ditto) 3. Madison Booker 4. Audi Crooks 5. Mikayla Williams 6. Malaysia Fulwiley 7. Addy Brown 8. S'Mya Nichols 9. KK Arnold 10. Ashlynn Shade Hannah Hidalgo is #1 because if you swap her with Juju, USC would've been a more balanced team and won just as much. Possibly a Final Four berth. Watching Juju in person (12 times this season) is breathtaking and frustrating at the same time. Her shot selection is risky at best to awful at worst. Mostly awful. She shot 36% and 29% from 3 in Pac-12 play....with a talented roster. Not only did she have TWO draft picks on the team, but Rayah Marshall and Kayla Padilla, who was a lights out shooter. Forbes, Davis, Marshall, and Padilla should've combined for 50+ ppg, instead of 40. On the other hand, Hidalgo willed her team to victory, despite A TON of key injuries early on. Then she took a step back late in the season to allow her supporting cast (A term that was DESPISED by media, when Michael Jordan first said it in the '91 NBA Finals) to flourish. Without that phenomenon, they don't even sniff the Sweet 16. Lastly, Juju's best performance was against Stanford. Not the 51 points, but in the Conference Tournament when she DIDN'T SHOOT in the first quarter, but played decoy. These stakes were super high, with a #1 Seed on the line. Despite her injury, Stanford loaded up on her every possession. Her gimpy leg forced her to play good basketball 🏀 Stanford fell into a 22-12 hole and USC never looked back. I believe Juju will be a much better player next season, with a scoring average in the low 20's, but higher efficiency and more sustained energy on defense. Right now, Hannah Hidalgo is the better player.
I think this is a good and accurate list. I don’t think Madison Booker has received the notice she deserves for her freshman year. JuJu, Hidalgo, Fulwiely and Crooks seems to get all the talk so thanks for noticing her amazing year that included Big 12 POY, Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Big 12 Tournament MOP, and Cheryl Miller award winner for Best Small Forward in the country!!
Shade can & has to improve defensively. She is strong but not quick. Now that she has more experience and confidence, I expect more from her. She & KK have to make the new kids work VERY hard for playing time. Azzi too.
I would have her in the top 10. Some of the players I mentioned in the top 5 will have more opportunities than Strong. I am buying the rumors that Strong wants to play some small forward. That will cut into her minutes if true.
Well, she does have good range on her jumper... But to play small forward, her footwork needs to be a little better.. with enough work, she could possibly accomplish that
