Duke’s Cooper Flagg and USC’s JuJu Watkins headline college basketball’s best, while Pearl and Pitino make coaching history with shared honor
The AP released its college basketball honors this week, and two of the game’s brightest stars and two of its most legendary coaches are taking home the hardware for the 2025 college basketball season. Bruce Pearl, the head man at Auburn, and Rick Pitino, the head coach at St. John’s, finished in a historic tie for the AP Coach of the Year award. Cooper Flagg of Duke won the Men’s AP Player of the Year award, while JuJu Watkins of USC took home the Women’s AP Player of the Year award.
Flagg Claims the Crown
It was the season of Cooper Flagg. Duke’s electric freshman sensation captivated the college basketball world from the moment he stepped on the floor, and now he’s been rewarded with the Associated Press Men’s Player of the Year award, becoming just the fourth freshman in history to earn the honor.
Flagg averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to the Final Four and a No. 1 ranking in the final AP Top-25 poll. His play, poise, and presence were undeniable — and so was the vote. Flagg won decisively over Auburn’s Johni Broome, the only other player to receive votes.
Squad came thru for the AP POTY‼️
👏 @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/0zi44Lf1k1
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 4, 2025
“Cooper is about to move on with something incredibly special with the next step he’s going to go after this,” said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, all but confirming Flagg’s one-and-done trajectory.
Flagg now joins elite company, with Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant the only other freshmen to win the award. He is widely projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Watkins Makes Her Mark
On the women’s side, USC sophomore JuJu Watkins earned AP Player of the Year in a near-unanimous decision. She received 29 of 31 votes after a dominant season that saw her average 23.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Watkins, 19, became just the fourth sophomore to win the award, joining legendary names like Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, and Courtney Paris. Her excellence lifted USC to the Elite Eight for the first time in decades, though her season was cut short by a torn ACL during a second-round NCAA Tournament win over Mississippi State.
JuJu Watkins accepts her AP women’s college basketball Player of the Year award. pic.twitter.com/fagMRC6FeA
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 3, 2025
Despite the injury, Watkins’ performance stood tall above the rest. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo received the only other two votes.
Watkins isn’t eligible for the WNBA Draft until 2026, meaning she’ll return to USC next season — once healthy — to continue building her legacy.
Historic Coaching Tie: Pearl and Pitino Split Honors
For the first time in the 58-year history of the AP Men’s Coach of the Year award, the vote ended in a tie. Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and St. John’s Rick Pitino each received 20 votes from the national media panel.
Pearl led Auburn to a 32-5 record and a Final Four appearance as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Under his guidance, the Tigers soared to a No. 4 national ranking, their highest in years.
Congratulations to Bruce Pearl and Rick Pitino on earning AP Co-Coach of the Year honors 👏 pic.twitter.com/O5Xjdd96mp
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2025
Pitino, meanwhile, transformed St. John’s in just his second season. The Red Storm went 31-5 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Though they were upset by Arkansas in the second round, the turnaround was undeniable.
“I don’t think there’s a wrong choice,” said one AP voter. “Both guys took their programs to new heights this year.”
While Flagg and Watkins represent the bright future of the game, Pearl and Pitino showed there’s still something to be said for experience and leadership on the sidelines. Together, these four honorees shaped one of the most compelling college basketball seasons in recent memory — one that was fueled by brilliance, resilience, and the pursuit of greatness.
And if the numbers — and their performances — are any indication, the best may still be yet to come.
