Nala Williams from Cal State Dominguez Hills has been named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Player of the Year.
 
As a junior, Williams led CSUDH to a NCAA West Region Championship with a 34-1 record. She was named the CCAA Player of the Year and the D2 CCA West Region Player of the Year after pacing the CCAA with 17.1 points per game. The Long Beach native averaged 4.3 assists and ranked 21st in the country with a nearly 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She shot .453 percent from the field as a guard and posted 14 games with 20 or more points.
 
Williams' reputation extends to the other end of the court, where she is known for her tenacious defense. She led the nation in steals, setting a new conference record with 144. She was named the CCAA Defensive Player of the Year as she helped the Toros rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense (17th, 55.3 ppg) and scoring margin (3rd, 23.0 ppg).
 
"The WBCA is pleased to name Nala Williams as the 2025 WBCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle M. Donehew. “She is most deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Nala for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game during the 2024-25 season.”
 
Williams is the first CCAA women's basketball student-athlete to receive WBCA Div. II Player of the Year honors in 20 years. The last was Candice Allen from Cal Poly Pomona in 2004-05. She is the seventh national player of the year in the conference's history.
 
The WBCA presents the Player of the Year award annually to the top player in five of the six WBCA membership divisions (NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA, two-year college and high school). The Wade Trophy is presented to the best player in NCAA Division I.
 
Williams' Player of the Year selection headlined the 10-person All-America team. Below is a list of the 2024-25 WBCA All-Americans and honorable mentions.
 
With their NCAA West Regional Championship win, the Toros advanced to the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh. They earned the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 Coker on Monday, Mar. 24, at 9 a.m. PST.
 
The WBCA NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Coaches’ All-America team are selected by the WBCA NCAA Division II Awards Committee from coaches and student-athletes who are nominated by WBCA member coaches.
 
About the WBCA 
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
 

2025 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ All-Americans
Rylie Bisballe	Grand Valley State University
Katie DeGarmo	Fort Hays State University
Grace Foster	Lubbock Christian University
Ashley Ingram	Texas Woman's University
Alisha Little	Colorado State University Pueblo
Caroline Martin	University of North Georgia
Bri Stoltzman	Southwest Minnesota State University
Emilee Weakley	Frostburg State University
Maggie Whitmore	Bentley University
Nala Williams	California State University, Dominguez Hills
WBCA All-America honorable mentions
Dyauni Boyce	Montana State University Billings
Natalie Bremer	Minnesota State University, Mankato
Chance Bucher	Eckerd College
Marina Callahan	Assumption University
Emily Chmiel	East Stroudsburg University
Caitlynn Daniels	Drury University
Destiny Garrett	Georgia Southwestern State University
Morgan Gentile	Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro
Taylor Gugliuzza	Lewis University
Delaney Haines	Southern Connecticut State University
Mallory Hampton	Lee University
Kelly Heimburger	Azusa Pacific University
Taylor Hinkle	Holy Family University
Tori Hollingshead	University of Alaska Anchorage
Melanie Hoyt	Saint Anselm College
Sunny Huerta	Central Washington University
Leslie Huffman	Fairmont State University
Madyson Jean-Louis	Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (FL)
Erin Kaufman	Malone University
Michelle Kozicki	West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Olivia Lee	Union University
Maci Maddox	Lubbock Christian University
Diamond McDowell	Anderson University
Zamiya Passmore	Anderson University
Zoe Piller	University of Tampa
Grace Pyle	Pittsburg State University
Olivia Reed Thyne	Colorado Mesa University
Reese Schaaf	University of Central Missouri
Hayley Smith	Ashland University
Emily Trushel	University of North Georgia