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USA TODAY Network preseason All-Big Ten women’s basketball team, coach, player of the year

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USA TODAY Network preseason All-Big Ten women’s basketball team, coach, player of the year

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Just a few short months after bidding farewell to transcendent star Caitlin Clark, the new Big Ten has another potentially groundbreaking women’s basketball player entering the fold.

USC star JuJu Watkins was going to shine brightly no matter which conference her Trojans landed in. But the fact the Big Ten has her to headline the conference’s transition only increases the excitement for this Big Ten women’s basketball season ahead.

A poll of six writers who cover the league for the USA TODAY Sports Network has unanimously voted Watkins as the Big Ten preseason player of the year. The Trojans also have the preseason selections for coach and newcomer of the year. New Big Ten squad UCLA has a pair of all-conference selections as well.

Here are the preseason All-Big Ten teams and individual awards as chosen by the USA TODAY Sports Network’s Big Ten women’s basketball coverage team:

First team

  • G Juju Watkins, USC
  • G Lucy Olsen, Iowa
  • F Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
  • F Kiki Iriafen, USC
  • C Lauren Betts, UCLA

Second team

  • G Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
  • G Kiki Rice, UCLA
  • F Serah Williams, Wisconsin
  • F Hannah Stuelke, Iowa
  • C Alexis Markowski, Nebraska

Preseason Coach of the Year

Lindsay Gottlieb, USC

Preseason Player of the Year 

JuJu Watkins, USC

Preseason Newcomer of the Year

Kiki Iriafen, USC

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

Serah Williams, Wisconsin

The USA TODAY Sports panel of voters includes Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star, Brianna Mac Kay of the Columbus Dispatch, Alec Dietz of the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard, Ethan Hanson of the Lafayette (Ind.) Courier and Journal, Brian Calloway of the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal, and Dargan Southard of the Des Moines Register.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

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