AP Preseason All American Team 2025-26 | The Boneyard
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AP Preseason All American Team 2025-26

Wish the voters’ ballots were public, like their weekly top 25 votes. Would love to know who voted Jazzy Davidson a 1st-Team AP All-American. That is a bold prediction.
 
Azzi wasn’t alone. Johnson and Miles also missed.

And I do think Azzi individually has a lot to prove this season. She wouldn’t have gone on the wall if she had gone pro after last season.
 
WBBZen said:
Azzi was close behind Latson, 14 votes to 11. A lot of press are waiting for Azzi to show a full, healthy season of work imo
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She had that last year. Point I was making is she may want to reflect on what kept her off this list. Not totally surprised because these lists tend to have a majority of ball dominant players.
 
2 seniors, 2 juniors, and 1 sophomore. It's interesting that no one is unanimous this year.
 
LuvBball said:
Because those 3 were AAs last season
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This was based on the voting from this season and Strong was 28 to 23 up on Booker. It’s a small thing but I think it’s pretty clear that Strong should have been in the “headliner” mention. I will rise above it though. Why? Because Sarah Strong is a Husky! That’s enough for me.
 
LwrcasefaN said:
She had that last year. Point I was making is she may want to reflect on what kept her off this list. Not totally surprised because these lists tend to have a majority of ball dominant players.
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Nah. She shouldn't waste a second reflecting about any pre-season All-Whatever list from any corner of the media. And neither should Sarah Strong or the rest of the team for that matter. All of Azzi's reflection and focus should be about the present (just like she articulated during Big East Media Day) taking one practice and one game at a time.

She already had a talk with Geno at the end of last year about the goals she has for herself and what she wants to accomplish personally and as a leader of this team.

What kept her off the First Team list was the impressions and thoughts of 31 media types, some with agendas, all with their own personal bias. All of that has zero bearing on what lies ahead.

Leave thoughts and reflections about lists like this to players (and those in their orbit) who value personal accolades above the team. Those players would be better served playing for another program.
 
LwrcasefaN said:
She had that last year. Point I was making is she may want to reflect on what kept her off this list. Not totally surprised because these lists tend to have a majority of ball dominant players.
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Had what?? A healthy season? No she didn’t. She wasn’t 100% healthy during summer workouts, missed the beginning of the season and then was out a few games again once she came back. Also coming off the acl injury, she was still working her way back. Now… Azzi has had her first healthy summer and starting the season healthy. She has even said this is the healthiest she’s been since coming to UConn
 
No Azzi didn’t have a healthy season last year. She was healthy when it mattered most, but she missed the beginning of the season and then returned slowly the first few games. I even wondered if she was going to be first team all big east! (Until I did a deep dive and realized she had basically played in all of the conference games.)
 
What made Azzi healthy and focused goes back to the elevator screen in the Elite Eight in the 4th quarter when it mattered. Geno drawing up a play for her WHILE PB was in the game did amazing things for her confidence. Confidence covers a lot of the lingering injuries and "memories" of injuries.

I believe her confidence is still off the charts in the positive direction.

Go Huskies!!!
 
Centerstream said:
I can't find the second team yet
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There apparently is no AP second team officially named as such, but you can tell who would be on it from the "others receiving votes" that have been published in various media:

2025-26 AP preseason All-America team​

PlayerTeamVotes
Lauren BettsUCLA29
Hannah HidalgoNotre Dame29
Sarah StrongUConn28
Madison BookerTexas23
Ta'Niya LatsonSouth Carolina14

Others receiving votes: Azzi Fudd, UConn (11); Olivia Miles, TCU (10); Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU (4); Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt (3); Raegan Beers, Oklahoma (2); Jazzy Davidson, USC (1); Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor (1)

I agree that Betts, Hidalgo and Booker were inserted into the AP headline because they were 2024-25 AP first team All-Americans. Booker is a very good player, but anyone who thinks she's better than Sarah Strong needs a head exam not a headline.
 
Azzi wasn't fully healthy until about mid season or a bit later and wasn't mentally fully healthy until much later than that. It was the healthiest that she had been in a UConn jersey though. This year she will enter the season healthy and confident in herself and we will see the best of Azzi. Including on defense. She has excellent hands and feet as well when she is healthy. I'm looking forward to this year.
 
Gael said:
There apparently is no AP second team officially named as such, but you can tell who would be on it from the "others receiving votes" that have been published in various media:

2025-26 AP preseason All-America team​

PlayerTeamVotes
Lauren BettsUCLA29
Hannah HidalgoNotre Dame29
Sarah StrongUConn28
Madison BookerTexas23
Ta'Niya LatsonSouth Carolina14

Others receiving votes: Azzi Fudd, UConn (11); Olivia Miles, TCU (10); Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU (4); Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt (3); Raegan Beers, Oklahoma (2); Jazzy Davidson, USC (1); Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor (1)

I agree that Betts, Hidalgo and Booker were inserted into the AP headline because they were 2024-25 AP first team All-Americans. Booker is a very good player, but anyone who thinks she's better than Sarah Strong needs a head exam not a headline.
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Looking at this, what popped into my head was how much better Strong and Fudd are than anyone else’s top two. I guess the next best would be Betts/Rice, then either Booker/Harmon or Lartson/Edwards? Maybe Bettsx2 by the end of the year? In any case the gap is huge, particularly when you consider Geno’s comments about Sarah being significantly better!! Imo she was already at least a notch better than Betts or Hidalgo. Cannot wait for Nov. 4!!
 
Suebird10fan said:
Looking at this, what popped into my head was how much better Strong and Fudd are than anyone else’s top two. I guess the next best would be Betts/Rice, then either Booker/Harmon or Lartson/Edwards? Maybe Bettsx2 by the end of the year? In any case the gap is huge, particularly when you consider Geno’s comments about Sarah being significantly better!! Imo she was already at least a notch better than Betts or Hidalgo. Cannot wait for Nov. 4!!
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Suebird, I agree the UConn Dynamic Duo are the best tandem. IMO, if past performance is an indicator, the second best duo will be LSU's Flau'jae Johnson and Makayla Williams. That said, the potential for UCLA's Lauren Betts and Gianna Kneepkens to gel and compliment each other is similar to South Carolina's Ta'Naya Latson and Joyce Edwards. Both of these combos could take over the #2 slot.
 
Gael said:
There apparently is no AP second team officially named as such, but you can tell who would be on it from the "others receiving votes" that have been published in various media:

2025-26 AP preseason All-America team​

PlayerTeamVotes
Lauren BettsUCLA29
Hannah HidalgoNotre Dame29
Sarah StrongUConn28
Madison BookerTexas23
Ta'Niya LatsonSouth Carolina14

Others receiving votes: Azzi Fudd, UConn (11); Olivia Miles, TCU (10); Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU (4); Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt (3); Raegan Beers, Oklahoma (2); Jazzy Davidson, USC (1); Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor (1)

I agree that Betts, Hidalgo and Booker were inserted into the AP headline because they were 2024-25 AP first team All-Americans. Booker is a very good player, but anyone who thinks she's better than Sarah Strong needs a head exam not a headline.
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Welcome, to the group. No warmups, no break-in period. Just jump right in and let-r zing. You will be just fine.
 
Suebird10fan said:
Looking at this, what popped into my head was how much better Strong and Fudd are than anyone else’s top two. I guess the next best would be Betts/Rice, then either Booker/Harmon or Lartson/Edwards? Maybe Bettsx2 by the end of the year? In any case the gap is huge, particularly when you consider Geno’s comments about Sarah being significantly better!! Imo she was already at least a notch better than Betts or Hidalgo. Cannot wait for Nov. 4!!
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I think Geno's comment about Sarah Strong was: "really, really, really, really good, really good, really good!"

"Nuf said!" - Tyrus

Go Huskies!!!
 
YKCornelius said:
Suebird, I agree the UConn Dynamic Duo are the best tandem. IMO, if past performance is an indicator, the second best duo will be LSU's Flau'jae Johnson and Makayla Williams. That said, the potential for UCLA's Lauren Betts and Gianna Kneepkens to gel and compliment each other is similar to South Carolina's Ta'Naya Latson and Joyce Edwards. Both of these combos could take over the #2 slot.
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Just looking at players with votes, no other university has two players with votes. Ta'Niya Latson was in the ACC with 22nd ranked FSU, and only 4 other Top 25 teams (Duke was #7) in the conference (7 with losing records overall & nine losing records in the conference) last year. Whereas, the SEC had eight top 25 teams (USC was #2) and only 5 teams with losing records overall (7 in the conference). The tougher competition may or may not effect her (Latson's) effectiveness, but we will not know until Late Feb, early March as the conference schedule gets tough for USCarolina.

Either way, Go Huskies!!!
 
LwrcasefaN said:
If I’m the tourney MOP my absence would get my attention.
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Right there with you. I would be thinking of 6 points a quarter. 2 steals a quarter. 2-3 rebounds & assists quarter. All while keeping the team as the focus but making it personal as heck.
 
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