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2016-17 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball honors

Feb 28, 2017

2016-17 PAC-12 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HONORS
WASHINGTON'S PLUM NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
OREGON STATE's HANSON NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
OREGON'S IONESCU NAMED PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
OREGON STATE'S RUECK VOTED JOHN R. WOODEN PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR

SAN FRANCISCO In a vote of the league’s 12 women’s basketball head coaches, WASHINGTON's Kelsey Plum was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Year, OREGON's Sabrina Ionescu was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and OREGON STATE’s Gabriella Hanson was tabbed the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Conference office announced on Tuesday. Additionally, OREGON STATE head coach Scott Rueck was voted the John R. Wooden Coach of the Year by his colleagues for the second time in three years..

The Conference Coach of the Year honor was renamed in honor of the late John R. Wooden, former legendary UCLA coach, during the 2010-11 campaign.

The Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament takes place this week, March 2-5, in Seattle at KeyArena. Tickets are available for purchase at pac-12.com/tickets.

The complete list of honors is listed below:

ALL-PAC-12 (15 members)

Name School Position Year Hometown
Kristine Anigwe ** California F So. Phoenix, Ariz.
Monique Billings UCLA F Jr. Corona, Calif.
Sophie Brunner *** Arizona State F Sr. Freeport, Ill.
Jordin Canada ** UCLA G Jr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Ruthy Hebard Oregon F Fr. Fairbanks, Alaska
Marie Gulich Oregon State F/C Jr. Cologne, Germany
Sabrina Ionescu Oregon G Fr. Walnut Creek, Calif.
Kennedy Leonard Colorado G So. Southlake, Texas
Erica McCall ** Stanford F Sr. Bakersfield, Calif.
Brittany McPhee Stanford G Jr. Normandy Park, Wash.
Chantel Osahor Washington F/C Sr. Phoenix, Ariz.
Kelsey Plum **** Washington G Sr. Poway, Calif.
Karlie Samuelson Stanford G Sr. Huntington Beach, Calif.
Kristen Simon USC F Jr. Gardena, Calif.
Sydney Wiese **** Oregon State G Sr. Phoenix, Ariz.

HONORABLE MENTION (receiving at least one point): Lexi Bando, ORE (G, Jr.); Kennedy Burke, UCLA (G, So.); Mikayla Cowling, CAL (F, Jr.); Quinn Dornstauder, ASU (C, Sr.); Gabriella Hanson, OSU (G, Sr.); Courtney Jaco, USC (G, Sr.); LaBrittney Jones, ARIZ (F, Sr.); Emily Potter, UTAH (F, Jr.); Haley Smith, COLO (G/F, Sr.); Alexis Robinson, COLO (G, So.).

Name School Position Hometown
Ruthy Hebard Oregon F Fairbanks, Alaska
Sabrina Ionescu Oregon G Walnut Creek, Calif.
Aarion McDonald Washington G Tracy, Calif.
Minyon Moore USC G Rodeo, Calif.
Mikayla Pivec Oregon State G Lynwood, Wash.  

HONORABLE MENTION (receiving at least one point): Jaelyn Brown, CAL (F, Fr.); Mi'Cole Cayton, CAL (G, Fr.); Nadia Fingall, STAN (F, Fr.); Chanelle Molina, WSU (G, Fr.); Reili Richardson, ASU (G, Fr.).

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Name School Position Year Hometown
Kristine Anigwe California F So. Phoenix, Ariz.
Monique Billings UCLA F Jr. Corona, Calif.
Jordin Canada** UCLA G Jr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Gabriella Hanson Oregon State G Sr. Anaheim, Calif.
Emily Potter Utah F Jr. Winnipeg, Manitoba
Briana Roberson Stanford G Sr. Fullerton, Calif. 

** two-time All-Defensive team honoree

HONORABLE MENTION (receiving at least one point): Breanna Brown, OSU (F/C, Jr.); Mikayla Cowling, CAL (F, Jr.); Quinn Dornstauder, ASU (C, Sr.); Caila Hailey, WSU (G, Jr.); Courtney Jaco, USC (G, Sr.); LaBrittney Jones, ARIZ (F, Sr.); Chantel Osahor, WASH (F/C, Sr.); Haley Smith, COLO (G/F, Sr.).

PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
KELSEY PLUM, SR., G, WASHINGTON

Senior Kelsey Plum (Poway, Calif.) has put together a historic season, leading to a Pac-12 Player of the Year nod, and joining Giuliana Mendiola (2003) as the second Husky all-time to earn the honor. Plum has captured the nation in her pursuit of the NCAA all-time scoring record which she broke on Saturday, Feb. 25. That record had stood for 16 years. On Saturday, Plum also broke the Pac-12 record for most points scored in a season, as well as breaking the Conference’s single-game mark, netting 57 points in the game. She is just the 12th player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points, and the only player in Pac-12 men’s and women’s basketball history to reach the milestone. A national player of the year candidate, she is on the watch lists for the Wade Trophy, Naismith Award and John Wooden Award. She has been named the national player of the week twice. Plum is averaging a nation’s leading 31.6 points per game, which is on pace to break the Pac-12 single-season record. On the season, she is shooting 53 percent from the field, 44 percent from three-point distance and 89 percent from the free throw line, where she also holds the career record for most made and attempted, while approaching the NCAA record for most free throws made. Plum has led the No. 11 Huskies to a tie for second in the Pac-12 and a No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, the team’s best finish since 2002.

PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
GABRIELLA HANSON, SR., G, OREGON STATE

Senior guard Gabriella Hanson (Anaheim, Calif.) is the third-straight OSU Beaver to win the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award after former teammate Ruth Hamblin claimed the honor the previous two years. Hanson ranks 13th in the Pac-12 in steals per game, averaging 1.40 thefts per game. With her leadership, the Beavs have one of the best defenses in the nation, ranking seventh in the country in in field goal percentage defense (34.4) and 11th in scoring defense (54.5 ppg). Oregon State also ranks fourth in the country in rebounding margin (+11.2 rpg), contributing 4.2 rpg. Hanson has started in all 30 games this season, averaging 6.5 ppg. She helped sixth-ranked Oregon State win its third-consecutive Pac-12 regular-season crown and third-straight No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.

PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
SABRINA IONESCU, G, OREGON

A guard from Walnut Creek, Calif., Sabrina Ionescu is the first Oregon Duck to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year since 1999 (Shaquala Williams) and is the second Duck to earn the honor all-time. Ionescu has recorded four triple-doubles this season, which is one shy of the Pac-12 record and two less than the NCAA record. She is averaging 13.9 points per game which ranks 12th in the Conference and 10th in rebounding (6.8 rebounds per game), while also averaging 5.65 assists per game, the third-best average in the league. She has been named Pac-12 Freshman of Week four times this season and was named USBWA National Player of the Week on Feb. 14. Along with her teammate Ruthy Hebard, they are the only two freshman to be named to the All-Pac-12 team this year. 

JOHN R. WOODEN PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR
SCOTT RUECK, OREGON STATE

Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck wins the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor for the second time in three years, also becoming just the fourth coach in Pac-12 history to win the honor multiple times. Rueck has led the Beavers to their third-straight Pac-12 regular-season title and a third-straight No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon State goes into the Pac-12 Tournament ranked sixth in the country in the Associated Press poll after starting the season ranked No. 25. Two of his players were named to the All-Pac-12 team, including Sydney Wiese, who has been listed on several watch lists for prestigious national awards, including the Wade Trophy, Naismith Award and Wooden Award.