Fresh off this year’s Team USA roster announcements, we’ve taken another look at the top recruits in the class of 2023.

We pored over game film, social media and local and national news to compile the next edition of our JWS women’s basketball recruiting rankings.

Our mission is to keep you abreast of all the movement and trends as we move through the 2022-23 NCAA recruiting calendar. We hope you’ll follow along.

Click here to see our previous rankings.

The @usabjnt U17s 🇺🇸 core of Mikaylah Williams @mkwill12_ Jada Williams @mrsmac0606 Jadyn Donovan @DonovanJadyn & Juju Watkins @Jujubballin talking about reppin’ the @usabasketball USA 🇺🇸 at the @FIBA 🏀 World🏆 in Hungary. @BlueStarMedia1 @BlueStar30s @FIBA @HoopsWeiss @clawlor pic.twitter.com/xNN1mJkFIU

— Mike Flynn (@MikeFlynn826) June 2, 2022

1. Mikaylah Williams, 6-1 guard, Parkway (La.)

Recently named to USA Basketball’s U17 national team, Williams is choosing between five schools — Baylor, Duke, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

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

The LA Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year will once again play for Team USA this summer before serving as the anchor of an electric Sierra Canyon squad. Watkins’ presence, on any team she plays for, is game-changing.

3. Jadyn Donovan, 6-foot guard, Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.)

A guard who can do absolutely everything? That’s the type of player every college team needs. Donovan has yet to choose a school, but she’ll surely generate even more interest this summer on Team USA.

4. Breya Cunningham, 6-4 forward, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.)

Difficult to guard and always stepping up, Cunningham earned a spot on the Team USA U17 roster alongside Jada Williams. They make up one of two pairs of high school teammates to represent the U.S. this summer.

5. Aalyah Del Rosario, 6-5 post, Trenton Catholic (N.J.)

Team USA’s U18 Women’s team has a lot of star power, but coach Joni Taylor has one of the most intriguing members of the Class of 2023 in Del Rosario.

6. Malaysia Fulwylie, 5-6 point guard, W.J. Keenan (S.C.)

7. Ciera Toomey, 6-3 post, Dunmore (Pa.) — UNC commit

8. Courtney Ogden, 5-11 wing, Westminster School (Ga.) — Stanford commit

Ogden was named to Team USA.

9. KK Arnold, 5-10 point guard, Germantown (Wisc.) — UConn commit

10. Hannah Hidalgo, 5-6 point guard, Paul VI (N.J.)

Hidalgo was named to Team USA.

God is Good! 🙏🏼🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/qTWXguvVRG

— Hannah Hidalgo (@HannahHidalgo) April 27, 2021

11. Ashlynn Shade, 5-10 guard, Noblesville (Ind.)

12. Chloe Kitts, 6-2 forward, DME Academy (Fla.)

Kitts was named to Team USA.

13. Madison Booker, 6-1 wing, Germantown (Miss.)

Booker was named to Team USA.

14. Cassandre Prosper, 6-2 forward, Cairine Wilson Secondary School (Ontario)

15. Jada Williams, 5-6 point guard, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) — UCLA commit

Williams was named to Team USA.

16. Reniya Kelly, 5-5 point guard, Hoover (Ala.) — UNC commit

17. Delaney Thomas, 6-2 forward, St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)

18. Montaya Dew, 6-2 forward, Centennial (N.V.) — Arizona commit

19. Taliah Scott, 5-9 guard, Saint John’s Country Day (Fla.) — Arkansas commit

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

Nichols was named to Team USA.

21. Essence Cody, 6-3 post, Valdosta (Ga.) — Alabama commit

22. Kymora Johnson, 5-7 guard, Saint Annes-Belfield (Va.)

23. Sammie Wagner, 6-1 wing, Ronald Reagan (Texas) — Texas commit

24. Amiyah Reynolds, 6-foot guard, South Bend Washington (Ind.) — Maryland commit

25. Riley Nelson, 6-foot wing, Clarksburg (Ark.) — Maryland commit

Caroline Makauskas is a contributing writer at 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.

USWNT star Naomi Girma will reportedly become the first women's soccer player to garner a transfer fee of over $1 million, as the decorated young center back narrows her overseas suitors down to WSL side Chelsea FC.

The 24-year-old defender is currently under contract with the San Diego Wave until 2026, and reported to the NWSL club's first day of preseason training as expected on Tuesday.

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While Girma's contract is still in negotiations, San Diego and the UK titans have agreed upon the deal's $1.1 million terms — by far the highest sum in the history of pro women's football. The previous record is held by Rachael Kundananji, for whom Bay FC shelled out $860,000 to Spain's Madrid CFF to roster the Zambian forward in February 2024.

Chelsea, who currently stands unbeaten in the WSL halfway through the league's 2024/25 season, is keen to bolster their back line after losing star Canadian center back Kadeisha Buchanan to an ACL injury last November.

France's Olympique Lyonnais also threw their hat in the the million-dollar ring for Girma, only to fall out of contention alongside Chelsea rival Arsenal.

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San Diego's Wave of roster turnovers

Assuming the transfer goes through, Girma will be one of several high-profile players exiting the 2023 NWSL Shield-winning San Diego club ahead of the 2025 season. Girma joins the NC Courage-bound attacker Jaedyn Shaw in making a SoCal departure.

In response, the Wave has been actively filling roster spots, signing 17-year-old defender Trinity Armstrong off of her 2024 College Cup-winning freshman season with UNC last week before adding seasoned goalkeeper and free agent Didi Haračić as well as Nigerian midfielder Favour Emmanuel on Monday. 

Inking Armstrong to a three-year deal seems particularly strategic in the wake of Girma's likely departure. It signals that the Wave are again looking to young defensive talent to replace the 2022 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick.

Ultimately, a transfer fee of this magnitude solidifies Girma's reputation as one of the world's top defenders. While still accounting for less than 1% of spending in the men's game, her historic fee is further proof that the global women's market is growing at breakneck speeds.

The NWSL released its full 2025 schedule on Wednesday morning, locking in 190 league contests across all competitions.

The 2025 Challenge Cup will set the stage on Friday, March 7th with a 2024 NWSL Championship rematch between the title-winning Orlando Pride and runners-up Washington Spirit.

One week later, the official 2025 NWSL Kickoff weekend will see all 14 teams in action as the 182-game regular season gets underway. Each club will play a total of 26 regular-season matches, split equally between home and away contests, before the league's eight top teams will battle through seven playoff games in November.

A mid-summer break begins in late June with a CBA-mandated week-off. The pause extends one month through July to allow for international play. That's when certain national team players will compete for their countries in confederation tournaments while clubs will be free to schedule friendlies. No additional NWSL tournaments will occur during that window.

In one minor adjustment from the league's earlier calendar announcement, the 2025 regular season will be played over 26 weeks (rather than 25) to mitigate the need for midweek games.

The shift also accommodates for the return of Decision Day, which is making a comeback for the first time since 2023. In the popular format, all teams will compete simultaneously to close out the regular season on Sunday, November 2nd.

Moves up season excitement

With playoff positioning often coming down to the wire, capping the regular season with a Decision Day can dramatically up the stakes and increase excitement for the impending playoffs.

In another move to capitalize on fandom enthusiasm, the NWSL has added a dedicated rivalry weekend to its 2025 calendar. From August 8th through 10th, old feuds like the Portland Thorns and Seattle Reign's Cascadia Clash will share the spotlight with newer grudges like Angel City and San Diego's SoCal Classic.

How to watch the 2025 NWSL season

Entering the second year of the league's blockbuster broadcast deal, 160 total games will air across Prime Video, ION, ESPN, and CBS platforms this season, with the remaining 30 matches streaming on NWSL+. International distribution is still in negotiations.

Starting the NWSL's 2025 action is the Challenge Cup between Orlando and Washington, which begins at 8 PM ET on Friday, March 7th, streaming live on Prime Video.

Two concurrent matches will kick off the 2025 regular season at 8 PM ET on Friday, March 14th: Houston will face Washington on NWSL+, while Orlando takes on the newly branded Chicago Stars FC on Prime Video.

South Carolina boss Dawn Staley became the highest-paid coach in women's college basketball history on Friday, when the three-time national champion inked a contract extension worth over $25 million to remain with the Gamecocks.

At an annual salary of $4 million — plus a $500,000 signing bonus and a yearly $250,000 escalator — the deal locks in Staley through the 2029/30 season.

A significant bump from her previous $3.2 million annual payday, the new contract sees Staley leapfrog over UConn legend Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey to top the league in compensation.

Calling her "a once-in-a-generation coach," athletic director Jeremiah Donati noted that Staley "has elevated the sport of women's basketball on the national level and here on campus, and I am excited that she will be representing our University for many years to come."

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Locking in a South Carolina legend

Since taking the helm in 2008, Staley has led South Carolina to 630 wins, 16 SEC titles, and 12 straight NCAA tournament appearances including five Final Fours and three national championships.

After taking South Carolina to an 128-4 record since her previous contract extension in 2021, this new agreement all but squashes any rumors about the coach's departure.

Despite a clause releasing Staley from an early departure penalties should she exit for a WNBA or NBA job, the legendary college leader has no intentions to leave Columbia.

"I will never leave here to go take another college job," Staley told reporters after the No. 2 Gamecocks' Sunday win over then-No. 13 Oklahoma. "[And] I don't have a passion for the next level. I don't. I would've been gone."

As the Hall of Famer continues setting the on-court NCAA standard in her 17th season with South Carolina, Staley's record-breaking contract both reflects the sport's overall rising stock and pushes for even more investment in the game.

Pledging to prove the impact of supporting both her and the game itself, Staley committed "to continuing to be an example of how an investment in women’s basketball is one that will pay off for everyone."

World No. 3 Coco Gauff exited the 2025 Australian Open on Monday night, falling 7-5, 6-4 to Spain's No. 11 Paula Badosa in the Grand Slam's quarterfinal round.

Gauff's recent improvements seemed to fade in her first loss of the year, which saw the 2025 United Cup champ record 41 unforced errors, including 28 missed forehands and six double-faults.

As a result, Badosa advances to her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal, a marked comeback after a 2023 injury nearly ended her career.

"I would never think that, a year after, I would be here," Badosa said post-match. "I've been through a lot."

Sabalenka looms after quarterfinal victory

Badosa moves on to face back-to-back defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, as the world No. 1 sets her sights on becoming the first three-peat Australian Open women's champ this century.

Sabalenka advanced past No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in an early Tuesday morning quarterfinal to reach her 10th major semifinal in her last 11 Grand Slams.

The 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory didn't come easily, though, as Pavlyuchenkova managed to snap the 26-year-old's 25-set Australian Open winning streak which dates back to her 2023 final win.

"I’m really glad that at some point I was able to put myself back together," said Sabalenka about the tough match. "I was able to keep fighting, keep trying, and I was able to turn around this match. It was a really difficult one."

US players to close out Australian Open quarterfinals

The Melbourne Slam's remaining two quarterfinals each place a US tennis star in the spotlight on Tuesday.

Fresh off ousting No. 10 Danielle Collins and No. 6 Elena Rybakina in the third and fourth rounds, No. 19 Madison Keys will square off against No. 28 Elina Svitolina for a shot at the semis. This will be Keys's first match against the Ukrainian since taking a two-set victory over Svitolina in Adelaide in January 2022.

The nightcap pits three-set specialist No. 8 Emma Navarro against perennial contender No. 2 Iga Świątek, marking the second-ever meeting — and first since 2018 — between the 23-year-olds.

The Polish phenom has yet to drop a set all tournament, and has seemed near-unbeatable after losing just four games across her last three matches. That said, Navarro has proved she just won't quit, leading the WTA in three-set contests over the last year — and gritting out a 24-9 record in the same span. Consequently, the longer Tuesday's match runs, the more it will likely favor the US star.

How to watch the 2025 Australian Open this week

No. 19 Madison Keys will clash with No. 28 Elina Svitolina starting at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with No. 8 Emma Navarro's bout against No. 2 Iga Świątek beginning at 9 PM ET.

Both Tuesday quarterfinals will be broadcast live across ESPN’s platforms.