LSU's Flauβjae Johnson Reportedly Forgoes 2025 WNBA Draft, Will Return to WCBB
LSU guard Flauβjae Johnson is returning for her senior season, according to The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant.
Merchant reported Johnson didn't enter her name into the 2025 WNBA draft pool by Tuesday's deadline.
Under the WNBA's draft eligibility rules, most college players have to stick around for four seasons before they can make the jump to the pros.
Johnson was an exception because she turns 22 later this year.A fter LSU lost to UCLA in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, the first-team All-SEC honoree was noncommittal about her future.
She now has an opportunity to return to LSU or enter the transfer portal and finish her college career at a different school.
Johnson's inclusion would've shaken up the 2025 draft, especially on the heels of Notre Dame's Olivia Miles exhausting her college eligibility rather than going to the WNBA.
As a junior, the Georgia native averaged 18.6 points on 46.8 percent shooting, including 38.3 percent on threes. She dropped 28 points in the season-ending defeat to the Bruins.
If she had been on the board, Johnson might've been a lottery pick. Instead, she's positioning herself to challenge UCLA center Lauren Betts for the No. 1 spot in the 2026 class. With Aneesah Morrow, the Tigers' leading scorer, moving on to the WNBA, she could have an even larger role to showcase her skills at LSU next season.
In the case of both Miles and Johnson, staying in college was driven in part by financial factors.
Under the WNBA's current rookie wage scale, players drafted within the first four picks this spring will earn $78,831 as rookies. Their contracts max out at $100,510 in 2028.
With WNBA players exercising their opt-out in the collective bargaining agreement, the 2026 season promises a new CBA that reflects the significant increase in the league's media rights. More basketball-related income should translate to higher salaries across the board.
Especially when Johnson can continue to pursue her music career simultaneously as she plays college basketball, the incentives of staying in college were too obvious to ignore.
Angel Reese Says LSU Beating Caitlin Clark, Iowa in 2023 Title Game 'Changed My Life'
LSU legend Angel Reese reflected on the two-year anniversary of helping to deliver the Tigers' first national championship in women's basketball.
"Damn i won a natty 2 years ago today & it changed my life forever," Reese posted Thursday on X:
Reese put up a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds) in LSU's 102-85 victory over Iowa in the title game, securing Most Outstanding Player for the 2023 tournament in the process.
The 6'3" forward is also responsible for creating a defining image in the sport's history. Her taunting of Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark in the waning moments was an incredible piece of theater.
The days of discourse about that moment in the aftermath illustrated how women's basketball broke through into the mainstream. The sport also suddenly had a dynamic rivalry that only brought more attention.
Reese averaged 20.9 points, 14.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in her two years at LSU. In an alternate reality where Iowa bested the Tigers for the championship, her basketball journey is probably the same. She'd be plying her trade with the Chicago Sky or another WNBA team right now.
But the way in which Reese rose to the occasion and savored the spotlight in the Big Dance catapulted her into a new level of stardom.
UCLA HC Says Bruins Are 'Most Non-Talked About No. 1 Team' Ever Ahead of UConn Game
UCLA head coach Cori Close doesn't believe her team is getting the attention befitting its on-court success this season.
"We've spent more time as No. 1 in the country all year long, and we were the most non-talked-about No. 1 team in history," she told reporters Thursday ahead of the Final Four. "But I can't complain about that because I think it allowed our team to stay focused on the right things."
The 34-2 Bruins are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and they've spent 14 combined weeks as the top-ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
UCLA is nonetheless a 7.5-point underdog to UConn at DraftKings Sportsbook.
"This is this year's UConn's team, not the last 10 or 20 years of UConn teams, and this is our UCLA team," Close said. "And I have a lot of confidence, both mentally and physically and tactically, in this UCLA team. I think it's going to be a great battle."
Implied in the coach's assessment is that the Huskies aren't the dominant force they once were. The Huskies boast a great trio with guards Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd and forward Sarah Strong, but their fallibility was made clear in their losses to Notre Dame, USC and Tennessee.
UCLA, meanwhile, went 13-2 in Quad 1 games, and it avenged those two defeats to USC by beating the Trojans in the Big Ten title game. In junior center Lauren Betts, the Bruins might have a big who can nullify Strong's presence inside.
Still, the trouble with calling your squad "the most non-talked-about No. 1 team in history" is that you better back it up. Otherwise, a loss for UCLA will mean the perceived disrespect was somewhat justified.
USC's JuJu Watkins Named 2025 AP Women's College Basketball Player of the Year
The Associated Press named USC star JuJu Watkins its Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.
The sophomore received 29 of the 31 first-place votes, with Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo getting the other two.
Watkins' year came to a bitterly disappointing end as she suffered a torn ACL in USC's second-round win over Mississippi State in the NCAA tournament. The injury didn't erase what she did to that stage, though.
The Trojans standout averaged 23.9 points on 42.6 percent shooting along with 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals. She even swatted 1.8 shots per contest, which were the fifth-highest in the Big Ten.
USC, meanwhile, went 28-3 in the regular season and advanced to the Big Ten title game. By advancing to the Elite Eight, the Trojans ran their win total to 31 and matched a program record.
Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb added two marquee transfers in the offseason, Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen. That eased a lot of pressure on Watkins, who had the highest usage rate (42.8 percent) in Division I as a freshman, per Her Hoop Stats. Her per-game production still didn't decline much as she adjusted to a less ball-dominant role.
"I think whatβs so significant about this award is that this was a year that didnβt have an absence of talent and stars, and JuJu found a way to elevate herself and her team," Gottlieb said to the AP's Doug Feinberg.
By winning AP Player of the Year, Watkins adds to her growing list of individual accolades from this season. She was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-Big Ten honoree while also being named the Naismith College Player of the Year and USBWA National Player of the Year.
USC's Kiki Iriafen Signs Skechers Basketball Shoe Contract Ahead of 2025 WNBA Draft
USC star Kiki Iriafen has signed an endorsement deal with Skechers Basketball ahead of the 2025 WNBA draft.
"This partnership is about more than just basketball," Iriafen said. "Skechers understands who I am on and off the court and what I need to be at my best. I love that the brand is based in my hometown of L.A., and has the global reach to help me inspire and impact more female athletes worldwide to pursue their dreams. Skechers does comfort better than any other brand I've experienced, which gives me confidence to have them as my teammate as I enter into this next chapter of my life."
The 6'3" forward joins 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid, Minnesota Timberwolves star Julius Randle and WNBA All-Rookie honoree Rickea Jackson among others on the Skechers Basketball roster.
"After two years on the court in the NBA and WNBA, it's a big moment for Skechers Basketball to sign Kiki, our first college player, and embark on the journey with her as she begins her professional career," Skechers president Michael Greenberg said.
"Kiki is a rising star with a bright future in the league. We look forward to supporting her from the draft through her first season and beyond. As the second woman on our basketball roster, she also furthers our mission to engage with female athletes around the world so that more players everywhere experience the signature Comfort That Performs of Skechers."
Iriafen broke out as a junior at Stanford in 2023-24, taking full advantage of the larger role she received following Haley Jones' departure. She built on that progress after transferring to USC for her final college season.
Across 35 games, the first-team All-Big Ten honoree averaged 18.0 points on 49.0 percent shooting along with 8.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks. She saved her best performance for the NCAA tournament, as she put up 36 points and nine boards in a 96-59 win over Mississippi State in the second round.
Iriafen is widely considered a potential lottery pick in the 2025 draft. Rachel Galligan projected her to go sixth overall to the Washington Mystics in Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft.
"The Mystics added much-needed depth to the backcourt with their first two picks, so this selection becomes more about best player available," Galligan wrote. "Kiki Iriafen would bring instant depth to the frontcourt and add a versatile piece with great length, as she can in an uptempo system. In addition, her athleticism and paint presence can impact the WNBA immediately.
"Her stock is back on the rise after she transferred to USC, gotten more comfortable, found her stride and elevated her play in February and March. I would not be surprised if she went much earlier than No. 6."
Jackson certainly looks to be a shrewd signing for Skechers Basketball after she was one of the stronger performers from the 2024 WNBA rookie class. Iriafen could prove to be an equally effective on-court representative for the brand.
Cori Close Wins 2025 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award
For the first time in her stellar 14-year tenure at UCLA, Cori Close has been named the Naismith College Coach of the Year winner.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Close has been bestowed the honor for a superb 2024-25 season with the Bruins.
"I'm not at a loss for words often, but I am about the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award," Close said in a statement. "I'm humbled and grateful. It's most meaningful because it gives me a chance to thank each player, staff member, role model and mentor. May our work in the win and loss column always pale in comparison to the work we do to help teach, mentor and equip for life beyond the hardwood."
Close beat out fellow finalists Mark Campbell of TCU, Lindsay Gottlieb of USC and defending three-time winner Dawn Staley of South Carolina for the award.
Originally hired by the Bruins in April 2011, Close had the difficult task of replacing Nikki Fargas. At the time of Fargas' departure for LSU, she was coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 25 wins.
After a difficult first season that saw UCLA finish 14-16, Close found her groove and has been building the program into one of the best in the nation. This season has been her masterpiece with 34 wins and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
The Bruins won their first conference tournament title this season since 2005-06. They will play in the Final Four for the first time in program history when they take on Connecticut on Friday.
Close is just the second UCLA coach to win the Naismith College Coach of the Year award since it was introduced in 1987. Jim Harrick previously won it for the men's team during the 1994-95 season when the Bruins went on to win a national title.
JuJu Watkins Wins 2025 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year Award
USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was named the winner of the 2025 Naismith Women's College Basketball Player of the Year Award on Wednesday.
Watkins beat out a stacked group of finalists in UConn guard Paige Bueckers, UCLA center Lauren Betts and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo to take the honors.
The 19-year-old Watkins burst onto the scene as a freshman, averaging 27.1 points per game, which put her firmly on the radar as a College Player of the Year candidate entering her sophomore campaign.
Watkins didn't disappoint, as she averaged 23.9 points on 42.6 percent shooting from the field, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.8 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers per game on 32.5 percent shooting from deep.
Her scoring average is the fourth-highest in Division I women's college basketball this season, and tops among all Player of the Year finalists.
With Watkins leading the way, the Trojans posted a 28-3 record through the conference tournaments, earning two wins over Betts' UCLA and one win over Bueckers' UConn along the way.
USC earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament as a result, and it appeared the Trojans were poised to go on a deep run.
While USC did make it to the Elite Eight, it fell to UConn without the help of Watkins, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the second round of the tourney.
The one-sided, 78-64 loss to UConn further illustrated Watkins' importance to the team, as things likely would have been far more competitive with her in the fold.
Although Watkins' season ended under less-than-ideal circumstances, she was recognized for her contributions Wednesday, becoming the first USC player to win the Women's College Player of the Year Award since the legendary Lisa Leslie in 1994.
Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins Headline 2025 Wooden Award Finalists as Women's CBB POY
The Wooden Award named its five women's college basketball finalists on Tuesday, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews, with UConn's Paige Bueckers, USC's JuJu Watkins, UCLA's Lauren Betts, Texas' Madison Booker and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo making the cut.
Bueckers, Betts and Booker have all led their respective teams to this year's Final Four, while all five Wooden Award finalists also made the Wooden All-American team alongside Kentucky's Georgia Amoore, Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson, Notre Dame's Olivia Miles, LSU's Aneesah Morrow and TCU's Hailey Van Lith.
Bueckers, a senior, already won the award once as a freshman. She's had another excellent season in 2024-25, averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 43.2 percent from three.
She has the chance to become the seventh woman to win the award twice, joining Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore, Candace Parker and Seimone Augustus.
Watkins, a sophomore, was the favorite for the award for much of the year after averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. She tore her ACL in the second round of the NCAA tournament, however, and without her USC eventually bowed out to UConn in the Elite Eight.
Betts, a junior, is one of the elite interior players in the country, averaging 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and three blocks per game. She has helped lead the UCLA women to their first Final Four in program history.
Booker, a sophomore, averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Longhorns, shooting 41 percent from three.
Finally, Hidalgo posted 23.8 points, five rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.7 steals per game as a sophomore, shooting 40 percent from three.