Yet another summer of AAU basketball has come to a close.

As the players in the Class of 2023 prepare to enter their final seasons of high school basketball, Just Women’s Sports is here to provide updated recruiting rankings that indicate where the top 25 players stack up against one another. (You can check out the previous rankings here.)

1 | Mikaylah Williams, Parkway (La.)
6-foot-1 guard
Committed to LSU

Williams remains at the top of the mountain, and for good reason. Since committing to LSU at the end of June, she’s picked up two more gold medals — one with Team USA’s U17 squad and another at the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup. But what sets her apart? Her stifling defense.

2 | Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
6-2 guard
Uncommitted

To label Juju Watkins “elite” would be an understatement. She’s the total package — she’s confident and competitive, and she can generate success beneath the rim and beyond the arc, regardless of who has possession of the ball. Over the summer, Watkins was named the Most Valuable Player at the U17 World Cup.

3 | Jadyn Donovan, Sidwell Friends School (District of Columbia)
6-foot guard
Committed to Duke

The Kara Lawson era of Duke women’s basketball got a whole lot more exciting when Donovan verbally committed at the end of August. The elite guard is the highest-ranked Blue Devils recruit since Lawson took over the program.

2023 5 ⭐️ Jadyn Donovan (@DonovanJadyn) committed to Duke! pic.twitter.com/BQPLeilUBO

— Blue Devils (@BlueDevils) August 23, 2022

4 | Aalyah Del Rosario, Trenton Catholic (N.J.)
6-6 post
Uncommitted

Del Rosario combines towering height and impressive body control, possessing a skill set not often seen at the college level, let alone high school. She’s declared a final four of potential college destinations — LSU, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

5 | Hannah Hidalgo, Paul VI (N.J.)
5-7 point guard
Uncommitted

Hidalgo is perhaps the most exceptional guard in a deeply competitive New Jersey basketball scene. Her guard skills and elite speed position her as one of the most exciting prospects in this class.

6 | Breya Cunningham, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.)
6-4 forward
Committed to Arizona

One of the most sought-after players in her class, Cunningham committed to Adia Barnes’ program at the end of June. She’ll fit in nicely with an Arizona squad that seems poised to make another run at a national title in the coming years.

7 | Ciera Toomey, Dunmore (Pa.)
6-4 post
Committed to North Carolina

There’s a reason so many of the country’s top programs offered this dynamic post player — she can transform an offense. Toomey surpassed 1,000 career points by the end of her junior season by being a dynamic shot creator.

8 | KK Arnold, Germantown (Wis.)
5-10 point guard
Committed to UConn

Another midwestern, five-star point guard for UConn, Arnold picked up her second gold medal at the end of August as a member of USA’s 3×3 U18 World Cup squad. In 2021, she claimed gold on the U16 national team.

9 | Ashlynn Shade, La Lumiere (Ind.)
5-10 guard
Committed to UConn

After a dominant year with Class 4A state champion Noblesville, Shade will complete her high school career at La Lumiere Prep. There’s little doubt that her eye-popping stat lines will carry through her senior season.

10 | Courtney Ogden, Westminster School (Ga.)
5-11 wing
Committed to Stanford

This is exactly the type of player Tara VanDerveer can count on to thrive at Stanford. Wherever she takes the court, Ogden continues to demonstrate that she’s one of the fiercest competitors in her class. Ogden possesses a true winner’s mentality and an elite on-court IQ to back it up.

11 | Chloe Kitts, Faith Christian Academy (Fla.)
6-2 forward
Uncommitted

In July, Kitts narrowed down her list to five schools — Arizona, Duke, NC State, Oklahoma and South Carolina. She’s a tough defender with strong footwork and would be a major addition to whichever program she picks due to her versatility.

12 | Cassandre Prosper, Cairine Wilson Secondary School (Ontario, Canada)
6-2 forward
Uncommitted

Prosper did not participate in this summer’s U17 World Cup, but she will be suiting up for Canada’s senior national team during training camp alongside WNBA players Natalie Achonwa (Minnesota Lynx), Bridget Carleton (Lynx) and Kia Nurse (Phoenix Mercury). Prosper is part of the future of Canadian basketball.

Fifteen athletes attending 🇨🇦 Senior Women’s National Team training camp ahead of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022.

Canada returns to @CityofEdmonton this week to train ahead of the World Cup.

More details: https://t.co/KJ06mKXVGi#madlove🇨🇦 | #FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/uonKu5vSCM

— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) August 24, 2022

13 | Jada Williams, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.)
5-8 point guard
Committed to Arizona

Originally committed to UCLA, Williams flipped to Arizona at the beginning of August. Williams is a perfect fit for Adia Barnes’ roster and, as of right now, the only verbal PG commit in the Wildcats’ Class of 2023. Earlier this month, she was featured in Whistle Sports’ “No Days Off” series.

14 | Madison Booker, Germantown (Miss.)
6-1 wing
Uncommitted

Booker started all seven games during the U17 national team’s journey to gold at this summer’s U17 World Cup. She’s reliable all over the floor, including from the free-throw line, where she led the decorated roster with a 91.7 percent free-throw percentage.

15 | Milaysia Fulwiley, W.J. Keenan (S.C.)
5-7 point guard
Uncommitted

It’s no surprise that Fulwiley, the highest-ranked prospect in the state of South Carolina, included the reigning national champion Gamecocks in her final five. What may come as a surprise is that she’s held an offer from the program since she was in seventh grade. The human highlight-reel has amassed more than 2,000 career points at Keenan and is also considering Florida, Louisville, Miami and Ole Miss.

16 | Reniya Kelly, Hoover (Ala.)
5-5 point guard
Committed to North Carolina

Kelly managed to shine on a supremely talented FBC United roster this summer at the Girls Under Armour Association Championships. She isn’t a player opponents want to leave open because she’ll take advantage of the situation every time.

17 | Montaya Dew, Centennial (N.V.)
6-2 forward
Committed to Arizona

Looking for an underrated prospect in this bunch? Look no further than Dew, the first domino in what is shaping up to be an impressive recruiting class for Arizona. Dew thrives in high-pressure situations and is an assist machine.

18 | Kymora Johnson, Saint Annes-Belfield (Va.)
5-7 guard
Uncommitted

The textbook definition of a “floor general,” Johnson made a tremendous difference in the West Virginia Thunder’s GUAA U17 championship run in July. Her leadership is noticeable no matter where she is on the floor, as is her toughness.

19 | Taliah Scott, Saint John’s Country Day (Fla.)
5-9 guard
Committed to Arkansas

Committed to Arkansas since last September, Scott is sure to make an instant impact when she takes the floor as a freshman. Recently, she claimed the 3-point shooting crowns at this summer’s Curry Camp, UA Elite 24 and SLAM Summer Classic, Vol. 4.

20 | Essence Cody, Valdosta (Ga.)
6-3 post
Committed to Alabama

Cody, named the MVP of the UA Elite 24 game, has a high ceiling. Her ability to dominate inside the paint and control the pace of play can change the momentum of any matchup.

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21 | Delaney Thomas, St. John’s (D.C.)
6-2 forward
Uncommitted

Because St. John’s remains a powerhouse in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region, Thomas is familiar with going up against high-level competition. Her experience and creativity will serve her well at the next level.

22 | S’mya Nichols, Shawnee Mission West (Kan.)
6-foot wing
Uncommitted

While unfortunately unable to take the floor for Team USA at this year’s U18 World Cup due to COVID-19, Nichols has intangibles that allow her to shine regardless of who she plays alongside. She possesses the rare combination of efficiency and effectiveness.

23 | Amiyah Reynolds, South Bend Washington (Ind.)
6-foot guard
Committed to Maryland

Reynolds is a team player with a real shot at winning Indiana Miss Basketball as a high school senior. Brenda Frese knew exactly what she was doing when she recruited Reynolds to a Maryland program in need of a fresh start.

24 | Chloe Clardy, Conway (Ark.)
5-9 guard
Committed to Stanford

There’s really nothing like a dynamic combo guard, especially one like Clardy, a three-level scorer who’s been named all-state each year of her high school career.

25 | Riley Nelson, Clarksburg (Md.)
6-1 guard
Committed to Maryland

Nelson is extremely difficult to guard and will often score against even the most elite defenders. She was perhaps at her best during her final season of AAU ball with the Fairfax Stars this summer, helping lead the team to a third-place finish at Nike Nationals.

Caroline Makauskas is a contributing writer for Just Women’s Sports. She also writes about college basketball for Blue Ribbon Sports and covers a variety of sports on her TikTok @cmakauskas. Follow her on Twitter @cmakauskas.

Zimbabwean swimming legend Kirsty Coventry made history on Thursday, when she became both the first woman and first African ever elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

At 41-years-old, Coventry will also be the youngest president in the organization's 131-year history and the 10th individual to ever hold the office.

"As an nine-year-old girl, I never thought I would be standing up here one day getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours," the five-time Olympian said in her remarks.

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An extensive Olympic resume, in and out of the pool

The Auburn University grad and seven-time Olympic medal-winner — including back-to-back golds in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games — retired from competition after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At that time, Coventry was already three years into her IOC membership, after initially joining as part of the governing body's Athletes' Commission. She joined the Executive Committee in 2023.

"I will make all of you very, very proud and hopefully extremely confident in the decision you have taken," Coventry said to her fellow members in her acceptance speech. "Now we have got some work together."

That work that awaits Coventry in her eight-year mandate will include navigating the 2028 LA Games and selecting a host for the 2036 Summer Games.

Her first Olympic Games at the helm, however, will be the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, giving her less than a year to prepare before the Opening Ceremony kicks off.

Coventry to continue IOC efforts to promote gender equity

Coventry will have a few months to adjust before assuming her new office on June 23rd, when she will succeed her mentor, 71-year-old Thomas Bach.

Bach will have served the IOC's maximum 12-year tenure in the role when he steps down, having led the governing body to stage the first-ever Olympic Games with equal numbers of women and men competing — a mark captured at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

With gender equity as a driving force in his leadership, Bach also increased the number women serving as both IOC members and in the organization's leadership roles, with women comprising seven of the body's 15-person executive board.

Coventry is one of those seven women, and Bach specifically hand-picked her as his successor.

The legacy she inherits isn't lost on Coventry, both in the efforts of Bach and in the women who paved the way — perhaps none more directly than IOC member Anita DeFrantz, a 1976 Olympic bronze medal-winning rower for Team USA and the only other woman to ever run for IOC president.

Recognizing the election's historic significance, 72-year-old DeFrantz overcame significant health issues to travel to Greece in order to vote for Coventry — with her ballot securing the exact number of votes Coventry needed to win.

"I was really proud that I could make her proud," an emotional Coventry said.

The NCAA is leveling the playing field, with Women’s March Madness teams in line to receive their first-ever prize payouts based on tournament performance — a mechanism the men’s tournament has enjoyed since 1991.

Sparked by 2021's landmark NCAA gender equity review, the NCAA will distribute a total of approximately $15 million to individual conferences based on how many games their teams play, with each March Madness performance "unit" worth about $113,000.

This year's inaugural $15 million purse represents 26% of the competition's $65 million media rights valuation — putting it proportionally on par with the percentage allocated to the men's fund.

That overall prize pool will jump to $20 million in 2026 and $25 million in 2027, before switching to a successive 2.9% increase per year.

"We are all playing in the same March Madness," said UNC Greensboro head coach Trina Patterson, whose No. 16-seed Spartans will face No. 1-seed USC in the first round on Saturday. "The treatment for the men and women should be equal. We get a unit!"

March Madness teams get additional NCAA tournament perks

While the performance payouts are new this year, women's March Madness teams also receive perks like charter flights throughout the tournament, which can make all the difference for smaller programs eyeing an upset.

"Everyone is so excited about the experience. Going from the bus directly to the plane, everyone was so happy," March Madness debutante William & Mary head coach Erin Dickerson Davis told ESPN ahead of her No. 16-seed team’s First Four victory on Thursday.

Columbia junior Perri Page, whose No. 11-seed Lions defeated Washington in their own First Four matchup on Thursday, echoed Davis' sentiment, saying, "It was cool going to the charter, and we've been taking it all in."

"We've been enjoying the whole season," the forward added, noting "It's great we can make money for the school now."

"It should have always been that way. Women's basketball has been fighting for equality for a very long time," said Davis. "I've been in this business for many, many years. I played college basketball. It's a long time coming."

"You got to start somewhere, and I think we've been so far behind," added Columbia head coach Megan Griffith.

"This is more like the whipped cream. I think the cherry on top is going to keep coming — but it's really good so far."

Less than two months before the season tips off on May 16th, the WNBA dropped its full 2025 national broadcast slate on Thursday, rewarding last year’s most in-demand teams with a significant uptick in screen time.

Fueled by the fan fervor around 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever will see a league-record 41 of their 44 regular-season games aired nationally this season.

That tally includes all five Fever matchups against regional rival Chicago, after the pair's June 23rd game averaged 2.3 million viewers — becoming the most-watched game of the 2024 regular season.

Just behind Indiana in earning significant national broadcast coverage are two-time WNBA champs Las Vegas, who will see 33 of their games aired across the country. As for the reigning champions New York Liberty, they trail the Aces by just one game, with 32 of their 2025 season games garnering national attention.

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Record WNBA ratings spur big broadcast moves

Thanks to 2024’s monster ratings, big-name networks are increasingly recognizing the WNBA as a profitable summer product, with broadcasters expanding their coverage as the league prepares for its 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights contract to kick in next year.

With the 2025 WNBA season expanding from 40 to 44 games per team, ION is leading all broadcasters with 50 regular-season games, with ABC/ESPN, CBS Sports, NBA TV, and Amazon Prime all taking a piece of the pro women's basketball league's pie.

Broadcasters are also moving games off of their sports-specific networks and onto flagship cable channels, with a record 13 matchups — a full half of Disney Networks' 26 regular-season games — set to air on ABC, including the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

The league will also see its first-ever regular-season games earn primetime broadcast TV slots, with CBS Sports elevating two of its 20 games — the June 7th and August 9th battles between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever — to its flagship network, CBS.

As the WNBA shoots for an even more impactful 2025 season, broadcasters are helping to boost the charge, offering increased access to the league’s brightest stars and biggest games.

The NCAA tournament tips off in earnest with the bracket's 64-team first round on Friday, as eager March Madness fans look beyond the chalk to eye the competition's underdogs after a rollercoaster 2024/25 basketball season.

Early upsets aren’t exactly the norm in the women’s tournament. Only one lower seed won their first-round matchup in 2024, and no team below a No. 3 seed has ever gone the distance, but in a season of increased parity, a few lower-rated squads are rounding into underdog form.

Breaking down potential March Madness bracket-busters

For potential March Madness upset instigators, late-season momentum late season momentum is the name of the game — a dangerous factor in any single-elimination tournament.

Even without superstar grad Caitlin Clark, No. 6-seed Iowa capped their regular season on a high before narrowly losing to No. 4-seed Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament's quarterfinals. Should they advance past No. 11-seed Murray State in their first-round Saturday matchup, the Hawkeyes are poised to give No. 3-seed Oklahoma a run for their money in the second round on Monday.

Entering as a No. 10-seed, Ivy League tournament champs Harvard will have their hands full against No. 7-seed Michigan State on Saturday, but Crimson senior Harmoni Turner and her season-average 22.5 points per game could tilt the scales in Harvard's favor.

After edging out first-round opponent No. 11-seed Iowa State, No. 6-seed Michigan is playing like an upset contender. Now a potential second-round matchup against No. 3-seed Notre Dame — fresh off a recent losing skid — awaits the young squad. 

With the brackets locked and the teams loaded, the prospects of twists and turns make the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament especially exciting — even if this year’s frontrunners appear destined for Tampa.

How to watch Women's March Madness games this weekend

The Big Dance officially begins at 11:30 AM ET on Friday, when No. 11 Iowa State tips off against No. 6 Michigan on ESPN2.

Saturday's slate will complete the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's first round, with No. 6 Iowa beginning their Madness run against No. 11 Murray State at 12 PM ET on ESPN.

No. 10 Harvard will start dancing a few hours later, with the Crimson facing No. 7 Michigan State at 4:30 PM ET on ESPNews.

All games in the 2025 March Madness tournament will have live coverage across ESPN networks.