Hoopsfix awards: Who impressed most in the 2024-25 SLBW season?

It’s that time again. The regular season is finished, the playoffs loom, and awards season is around the corner.

The first season of the SLB era saw a new force emerge in the women’s game as Oaklands Wolves reached two finals, won their first-ever piece of silverware and then backed it up by taking the regular season title.

Caledonia Gladiators also made club history with their first trophy, whilst embarking on another European season, while London Lions went from perfection to failing to win a single game.

All-First Team

Jada Guinn – the guard has added an extra dimension to the Eagles this season, and with 20.3 points per game helped the team to their highest-ever league finish. Guinn shared backcourt duties with Lauren Saiki and provided the scoring punch with six games of 25+ points – including a best of 34 points against Nottingham in January.

20.3 PPG – 5.2 RPG – 5.4 APG – 2.2 SPG

Danni Williams – dominance all season long. A stretch of 15 consecutive games with at least a double-double – also posting a triple-double of 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists – to close out the regular season. Williams averaged 35+ minutes of playing time, but made the most of her time on the court to positively impact Manchester – finishing with a 30-point, 18-rebound performance in the final game. More threes than any other player with 61.

22.6 PPG – 11.3 RPG – 3.9 APG – 2.3 SPG

Sam Ashby – one of the underrated players from last season’s efforts with Leicester Riders, Ashby has continued an upward trend in performances to play a key role in Oaklands’ title-winning roster. The Cup final MVP was deadly from three-point range – making 49 of 115 attempts at an impressive 42.6% accuracy – and enjoyed a particularly hot stretch in March.

15.0 PPG – 4.2 RPG – 3.1 APG – 42.6% 3PT

Danni McCray – a second Wolves player in the lineup to reflect their season dominance. McCray has been a consistent performer for the Wolves on both ends of the floor, whilst shooting 50% from the floor. The overall numbers don’t jump off the page, but that’s more symbolic of Oaklands’ team-orientated style of basketball. Besides, winning should be rewarded.

12.5 PPG – 6.7 RPG – 2.6 APG – 2.4 SPG

Tierra Hodges – after making such an impact last season, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Hodges snapped up overseas – as has been the case in recent years. But it was a statement of intent from the Eagles to hold onto the forward, and there were more impressive displays in a first full season with double-digit scoring in each of her 17 league appearances.

19.1 PPG – 8.9 RPG – 2.1 SPG

Last season: Griffith-Wallace – O’Brien – Tudor – Hodges – Fagbenle
Official TOTY: O’Brien – Tudor – Samuelson – Fagbenle – Gustafson

Now what could a hypothetical All-Second Team look like?
Davida Dale | Georgia Gayle | Taylor O’Brien | Connie Clarke | Tyia Singleton

Davida Dale will long be etched into the SLB record books. QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE. A stunning 12-13-14-10 statline came in 28 minutes for Manchester against Durham, and the American almost repeated the feat in March when putting up 18-10-12-9.

Arguably the strongest contender to be in the Team of the Year; Georgia Gayle had another stellar year leading the Sheffield Hatters to a final and second place in the league. The sharpshooting guard continues to do more for the team – adding more assists on top of being a go-to scorer. Tyia Singleton was one of those benefactors; finishing just behind Gayle in scoring with 16.3 points along with 7.9 rebounds per game.

We already knew all about Taylor O’Brien, and it was no surprise to see the American continue to be a prolific scorer despite making a summer switch from Leicester to Essex. An average of 19.3 points per game included two games of 30+ points, whilst being held to single figures just once in 20 league appearances.

Connie Clarke (16.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG) only played 11 games for the Archers, but you have to think that an earlier arrival would have resulted in a trip to the post-season. It was an immediate impact from Clarke, and one that also brought the best out of Kiara Stewart as Cardiff enjoyed a late burst to finish with a 6-14 record.

Such is the quality around the league, and not just at the top clubs like has been the case previously, we’ve mentioned 10 players without including the league’s leading scorer in Claire Jacobs, one of the league’s greatest ever point guards in Lauren Saiki, and the most successful player in league history, Shanice Beckford-Norton.

Also, no Caledonia Gladiators player averaged more than 23 minutes per game – the minutes were well spread throughout their deep roster, and why their numbers don’t particularly stand out.

Most Valuable Player

Now then, this is where it gets really tricky. If you’ve read past editions of the end-of-season Hoopsfix awards, you’ll know that the strong preference is for the MVP to be from the league-winning team.

So, based on the above: this would come down to Sam Ashby or Danni McCray. Ashby has taken another leap forward in her game this season, and is becoming a vital piece of the national team ahead of an important summer, while McCray has been consistently good throughout the campaign.

Oaklands’ strength in depth has been a major factor to their success this season, they don’t really have (or need) a 20+ point scorer carrying them each night, but they have a plethora of strong options on both sides of the ball

Could it be a case of split votes potentially harming an Oaklands player taking the award when it comes to official voting? Or is it simply too much to look beyond the incredible season that Danni Williams has had for Manchester.

Only once has the MVP award gone to a player that was not from the team that won the regular season title. That was Sheffield’s Sarah Toeaina in the 2018-19 season, with averages of 20.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Williams has just put up 22.2 points (2nd) and 11.3 rebounds (1st) along with 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per outing – ending the season with 16 double-doubles and a triple-double from 20 league appearances. And, Manchester finished with a 13-7 record which included beating the champions. Maybe that is the MVP?

Young Player of the Year

You can be forgiven for being surprised that Katie Januszewska is still only 20 years of age, given that her league debut came back in 2020. KJ took on a significant role for a Riders side that struggled with injuries and form, with the GB guard averaging 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Also, shoutout to Bo Guttormsdottir Frost – not 17 until the summer and already been part of the GB Senior squad. The forward joined up with the Wolves in the new year and made the most of her opportunities with an average of 6.7 points in 15.3 minutes per game in 13 league appearances.

Last season, the WBBL introduced three new individual awards: Defensive Player, Most Improved and Sixth Player of the Year.