Eight Players Recognized for Their Outstanding Achievements This Season
ATLANTA (March 25, 2025) – The best women’s and men’s college basketball players comprise this year’s list of finalists vying to earn the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, annually identifying the nation’s top player.
Each player has led their teams to be among the best in the country and into the NCAA Tournament, and they have consistently proven throughout this season that they have earned the title of Naismith Trophy Finalist in 2025. Many have been named finalists previously in their college or high school careers.
“The brilliance of these athletes and their unrelenting passion for college basketball are evident in their outstanding accomplishments,” said Eric Oberman, president of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Their efforts have been instrumental in their teams’ successes this season. Recognizing any of these extraordinary student-athletes with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy would be a fitting tribute to their excellence.”
Two of the four women’s finalists are no strangers to a Naismith Trophy finalist list. UConn senior Paige Bueckers and USC sophomore JuJu Watkins were finalists last year.
Bueckers won this award in 2021, following her 2020 honor as the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Trophy winner. Watkins is looking for a second Naismith Trophy, as she won the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Trophy in 2023.
Bueckers is one of seven UConn players to be honored, following Brenna Stewart (2014-16), Maya Moore (2009, 2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2003, 2004), Sue Bird (2002) and Rebecca Lobo (1995). Previous winners from USC include Lisa Leslie (1994) and Cheryl Miller (1981-83).
Other finalists for the women’s Player of the Year title include Notre Dame sophomore Hannah Hildalgo and UCLA junior Lauren Betts. Notre Dame has had one previous Naismith Trophy winner – Ruth Riley in 2001.
Last year’s Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year – Duke’s Cooper Flagg – is one of the finalists for this year’s collegiate award. The Blue Devils eight previous winners are the most of any school in the history of the award and include Zion Williamson (2019), J.J. Redick (2006), Jay Williams (2002), Shane Battier (2001), Elton Brand (1999), Christian Laettner (1992), Danny Ferry (1989) and Johnny Dawkins (1986).
No men’s player has ever won the collegiate Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy after winning it the previous year at the high school level. Bueckers is the only women’s player to accomplish this in 2020 and 2021.
Eight other women’s players have won a Naismith Trophy at both levels, including A’ja Wilson (South Carolina), Breanna Stewart (UConn), Candace Parker (Tennessee), Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee), Diana Taurasi (UConn), Lisa Leslie (USC), Maya Moore (UConn) and Tamika Catchings (Tennessee). Duke’s Shane Battier is the only men’s player in the award’s history to win both.
The other three men’s finalists include Auburn senior center Johni Broome, Florida senior guard Walter Clayton, Jr. and Braden Smith, a junior guard from Purdue.
Smith has the chance to help Purdue become one of three schools in the 56-year history of the Naismith Trophy to have a winner in three consecutive years. However, this would be the first time at least two players would share the award, as Purdue’s Zach Edney won the Naismith Trophy the last two years. The others who accomplished this were Virginia’s Ralph Sampson (1981-83) and Bill Walton from UCLA (1972-74).
Broome and Clayton, Jr. are looking to become the first players from their schools to win the award.
About the 2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Finalists:
Lauren Betts, UCLA
- The Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and was named first team all-conference.
- Finished the regular season second in the Big Ten in scoring (19.6 PPG). Currently shooting 64.3% from the field which is sixth in the nation, while shooting .643 from the field (7th – NCAA, 2nd – Big 10).
- She has 90 blocks this season, which is a school record and is fifth in the nation with 2.9 bpg.
- Set a UCLA record with nine blocked shots against Baylor in January.
- Finalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Presented by MOLECULE.
Paige Bueckers, UConn
- 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year for the third time after winning in 2021 and 2024.
- She is the fourth player in league history to be named Player of the Year three times.
- She became the first player in BIG EAST history to be named the conference tournament Most Outstanding Player three times.
- She became the fastest player in program history to score 2,000 career points, reaching the milestone in her 102nd career game.
- She is one of three players in program history to reach 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
- Career-high tying 34 points in the second round of the NCAA Tournament win against South Dakota State.
- Averaging 19.1 points and 4.8 assists per game.
Hannah Hildalgo, Notre Dame
- The ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25.
- She is the third player in ACC history to win Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, joining Duke’s Lindsay Harding in 2007 and Virginia’s Monica Wright in 2010.
- She scored her 1,000th career point on Dec. 8, becoming the fastest player in Notre Dame history to reach the mark (44 games).
- Fourth in the nation in scoring (24.1 ppg) and steals (3.7 spg).
- Has scored in double figures in every game of her career – 66 games.
- Finalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Presented by MOLECULE.
JuJu Watkins, Southern California
- Named the Big 10 Player of the Year, becoming the first USC player to be honored as a conference POY since Cherie Nelson in 1988.
- Named to the conference’s All-Defensive team.
- Finalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Presented by MOLECULE.
- Averaging 23.9 points per game, which is sixth in the nation.
- Has 1,709 career points, ranking ninth in all-time in scoring at USC.
About the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Finalists:
Johni Broome, Auburn
- Named the SEC Player of the Year, joining Charles Barkley (1984) and Chris Porter (1999) as the only Tigers to earn this award.
- He is the only player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to record 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks in his career.
- Averaging 18.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game on the season and has registered a school-record 19 double-doubles.
- First among active D1 players with 414 blocks and is among the Top 20 in the nation this season, averaging over two per game.
Walter Clayton, Jr., Florida
- He was named the MVP of the SEC Tournament as he averaged 20.7 points and 4.7 assists per game to lead the Gators to the championship for the first time since 2014.
- First team All-SEC selection.
- His 625 points this season are sixth on Florida’s single-season scoring list.
- He has made 106 3-pointers in 2024-25, the fifth-most in school history.
- One of only two players in Florida history to register 600 or more points in consecutive seasons (Neal Walk, 1968 and 1969).
- He has 2,029 career points and is one of five four-year players in college basketball this season who amassed 2,000 points for their careers. Clayton, who’s tallied 1,235 as a Gator (the rest in his two seasons at Iona), is joined on that list by Erik Reynolds II (Saint Joseph’s), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State/Kansas), Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M) and Kam Jones (Marquette).
Cooper Flagg, Duke
- The ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
- He is the fourth player in ACC history to capture the league’s Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, joining former Duke standouts Zion Williamson (2019), Marvin Bagley III (2018) and Jahlil Okafor (2015).
- Named to the ACC’s All-Defensive team.
- Flagg broke the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring records with 42 points versus Notre Dame, becoming the youngest player in NCAA history to have a 40-point game (18 years old).
- He is the only player to rank among the ACC’s top-10 in all five major statistical categories – scoring (3rd), rebounding (9th), assists (8th), blocked shots (8th) and steals (10th).
Braden Smith, Purdue
- The Big 10 Player of the Year joined Zach Edey as the Boilermakers’ third consecutive conference Player of the Year. Edey won the last two Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophies.
- He is the first player in NCAA history to have scored at least 1,300 points, dished out 700 assists and grabbed 500 rebounds by the end of his junior campaign.
- His 298 assists are a Purdue single-season record, surpassing his old record of 292 set last year.
- He has 78 steals in 2024-25, which ties for the second-highest single-season mark in school history.
- He is the fourth player in NCAA history to have at least 500 points, 270 assists, 140 rebounds and 70 steals in a season, joining BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth, California’s Jason Kidd, and Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson.
“Jersey Mike’s is honored to congratulate these exceptional basketball players on being named finalists for the prestigious Naismith Trophy,” said Jeff Hemschoot, Vice President of Marketing at Jersey Mike’s. “Their impressive skill and unrelenting dedication have enthralled and motivated us throughout the season. We are proud to acknowledge and celebrate their outstanding accomplishments.”
The 2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy award will be presented on Wednesday, April 2, presented on Wednesday, April 2, at a press conference at the Embarc Collective in Tampa during the Women’s Final Four. The 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year announcement will occur on Sunday, April 6, at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Final Four in San Antonio. The Tobin Center in San Antonio will host the event. SiriusXM will simulcast the live announcement on SiriusXM College Sports Radio (Channel 84).
This year, fans will have a say in determining the winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s. Starting today (March 25), fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on X (@naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for one of these four finalists for the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on April 1, and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.
The four finalists for each category were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, composed of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom base their selections on outstanding coaching performances during the 2024-25 college basketball season. The vote was tabulated and verified by the Forensic Accounting team of iDiscovery Solutions, Inc., a consultative experts firm.
The winner will be awarded the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, produced and provided by Herff Jones, a leading provider of graduation and educational products and services designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. Herff Jones will donate a replica trophy to the player’s university.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Mallory Hadaway, Atlanta Tipoff Club
mallory.hadaway@naismithtrophy.com
(256) 682-0599
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include AXIA Time, Jersey Mike’s, MOLECULE, Sharpie and Werner Ladder. For more information, visit www.naismithtrophy.com.
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