On Tuesday, March 5th, the Pac-12 released their end of season awards as chosen by the 12 head coaches in the conference. As expected, Stanford had a strong showing following a season in which they went 26-4 overall and 15-3 in the Pac-12 to win the conference title. Below is a breakdown of what awards Stanford got.
Starting with head coach Tara VanDerveer, she was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Given that she became the winningest coach in NCAA history, it should be no surprise she won this award. Stanford was the top team in the conference all season long and the incredible coaching of VanDerveer is a major reason why.
Stanford senior forward Cameron Brink was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and also Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Brink has had a phenomenal season for the Cardinal, averaging 17.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game. She’s been the leader of the team all season long and has been such a force on both ends of the floor. It’s little surprise she won both of these awards, but especially defensive player of the year. She is without a doubt the top defender in the conference. She’s a game-changer on that end.
Stanford junior forward Kiki Iriafen was named Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year. She is averaging 18.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game after averaging 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists last season. That’s a ridiculous jump. She has become the leading scorer for the Cardinal and a dominant force in her own right. On some nights, she’s been the one to carry the Cardinal. She’s played so well that it’s really more accurate to say Brink is 1A and Iriafen is 1B. When you look at the improvement she has made, she’s really a slam dunk choice for this award. It’s not even close.
On top of that, Brink and Iriafen both were named to the All-Pac-12 Team while Brink was also named to the All-Defensive Team. Given the awards they got, it’s no surprise they picked up these honors as well.
Some other Stanford players also received honorable mention for receiving at least one vote. Fifth-year guard Hannah Jump and sophomore guard Talana Lepolo were both honorable mention for All-Pac-12 while guard Courtney Ogden and forward Nunu Agara were honorable mention for All-Freshman.
Touching quickly on the media awards, Brink and Iriafen got the exact same honors. They both made the All-Pac-12 team, Brink was named player and defensive player of the year while Iriafen was named most improved player. Brink also was named to the All-Defensive Team. The only difference for Stanford is VanDerveer was not chosen Coach of the Year by the media. That honor went to Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. Rueck is a fantastic coach and has done an amazing job with the Beavers this season, so he's well deserving of the award. VanDerveer and Rueck both getting Coach of the Year honors is something that I think is very appropriate. Both have done fantastic jobs coaching their teams.
All-around, Stanford really cleaned up in the end of season Pac-12 awards and when you look at the season they’ve had, they deserve it. After falling to USC in the Pac-12 tournament championship game, Stanford now awaits their NCAA tournament fate. They are hoping to get a number one seed, but a number two seed is also possible. The Selection Sunday Show will air on Sunday, March 17th at 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET on ESPN.
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