Madison Booker has been the leader of the Texas women's basketball team all season, despite being just a sophomore. Now, the star forward has earned yet another All-American honor
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named Booker to its All-American roster for the second year in a row, making her the only Longhorn on the list. However, just a few days earlier, Booker was snubbed from being the Naismith Trophy winner when USC's JuJu Watkins won the award.
our all-american 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/bhRxkyHhHL
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) April 3, 2025
This article is in no way to say the Watkins doesn't deserve any of the honors she receives, the star of the USC Trojans is an incredible player. However, when she tragically suffered an ACL tear during the NCAA Tournament, her season was cut short, not to mention her team eventually lost without her.
Meanwhile, Booker led the Horns to a 33-3 finish in the regular season and a runner-up finish in the SEC Tournament. Now, the forward and Texas are in the Final Four – the first time Texas has made it this far since 2003.
Madison Booker 2024-25 stats
- 16.5 points per game
- 6.8 rebounds per game
- 2.8 assists per game
- 1.6 steals per game
- Texas record: 35-3 (Final Four bound)
JuJu Watkins 2024-25 stats
- 23.9 points per game
- 6.8 rebounds per game
- 3.4 assists per game
- 2.2 steals per game
- 1.8 blocks per game
- USC record: 31-4 (Eliminated in Elite Eight
Yes, on the books, Watkins has the better stats for the most part. However, Booker's impact on her team is more impressive as she led Texas through the toughest conference in the nation and helped them win the regular season title during their first year in the SEC.
Alongside Watkins, UCLA's Lauren Betts won the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year and UCLA head coach Cori Close win the Women's College Coach of the Year award, completley snubbing anyone from the Horns' program, despite Texas having the stingiest defense and being ranked No. 1 for the longest stretch this season.
Texas will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four on Friday, April 4, at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+.