Player and Defensive Player of the Year – Cameron Brink, Stanford Freshman of the Year – JuJu Watkins, USC Sixth Player of the Year – Timea Gardiner, Oregon State Most Improved Player of the Year – Kiki Iriafen, Stanford John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year – Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
In a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches, Stanford’s Cameron Brink has been voted the 2023-24 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in addition to being named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight season. USC’s JuJu Watkins was selected the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Oregon State’s Timea Gardiner has been chosen as the league’s Sixth Player of the Year, Stanford’s Kiki Irirafen is the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year, and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer claimed John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors.
In addition to the major awards, the conference’s 15-member All-Pac-12 team and the league’s five-member All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams were named in advance of the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by Acura, which begins Wednesday, March 6 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
PLAYER & DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, presented by Nextiva Cameron Brink, Sr., F, Stanford (Beaverton, Oregon)
The league’s active career leader in rebounds (1,154) and blocks (397), Brink is the 20th Pac-12 Player of the Year from Stanford. The senior ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in points per game (17.9) and second in rebounds (12.0), and has 16 double-doubles on the year which is the second-most in the Conference. Brink leads the nation with 3.6 blocks per game, and is the only NCAA DI player averaging over 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. Brink put up 25 points and 24 rebounds against then-No. 11 Oregon State, becoming the only player in the nation to record the stat line against a ranked opponent on the road since at least 1999-2000. The Beaverton, Oregon product joins former Stanford great Chiney Ogwumike as the only players to earn Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors three times. Brink is six blocks away from passing Stefanie Kaspersk (Oregon) for the second-most career blocks in Conference history.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR, presented by Nextiva JuJu Watkins, G, USC (Los Angeles, California)
A record 14-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honoree, Watkins led the Trojans in scoring 25 times this season. Watkins’ 751 points this year ranks 10th in Pac-12 history and third in USC history, boasting the most points by a Trojan in a single season since 1985-86 when Cheryl Miller scored 805. The guard has 12 30-point performances this season, including a 51-point outing at then-No. 4 Stanford to set a new USC single-game record. Watkins’ 27.8 points per game trails only Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (32.3 PPG) nationally, and is the second most in league history (Washington’s Kelsey Plum – 31.7 in 2016-17). Watkins becomes the sixth Pac-12 Freshman of the Year to hail from USC, and first since Alissa Pili in 2019-20.
SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR, presented by Nextiva Timea Gardiner, So. F, Oregon State (Ogden, Utah)
Gardiner has appeared in all 29 games for Oregon State, making three starts. She ranks second on the team with 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and is seventh in the Pac-12 with a 41.7 three-point field goal percentage. Her 10.2 points per game off the bench leads the Pac-12. The sophomore has four double-doubles this season and enters the Pac-12 Tournament having scored in double figures in 10-straight games. Gardiner becomes the third Beaver to earn Sixth Player of the Year honors (Aleah Goodman – 2018-19 & Raegan Beers – 2022-23).
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR, presented by Nextiva Kiki Iriafen, Jr., F, Stanford (Los Angeles, California)
Iriafen is averaging a career-best 18.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 2023-24, more than doubling her averages in each category from a season ago. The junior is third in the Pac-12 in points per game and in rebounds per game, and her 14 double-doubles this season are the third most in the league. Iriafen started all 30 games for the regular-season champion Cardinal and has scored in double figures in 28 of those contests. She is one of four players nationally to average over 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while shooting over 54.0% from the field.
JOHN R. WOODEN PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
VanDerveer has been voted the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the 18th time in her unprecedented career. On Jan. 21, VanDerveer became the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history with her 1,203rd victory, and now has 1,212 career wins as the Cardinal enters the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the 17th time in tournament history. At 26-4 this year, Stanford has recorded its 23rd consecutive 20-win season, and 34th across VanDerveer’s tenure. The Cardinal has been ranked in the top 15 of every AP Top-25 poll this season, including 17 appearances in the top 10. VanDerveer is one of 15 honorees on the late-season watch list for Naismith Coach of the Year.
ALL-PAC-12
** two-time selection; *** three-time selection, **** four-time selection
Honorable Mention (received at least one vote): Jalyn Brown, ASU; Dalayah Daniels, WASH; Friday Formann, COLO; Jenna Johnson, UTAH; Hannah Jump, STAN; Ioanna Krimili, CAL; Phillipina Kyei, ORE; Elle Ladine, WASH; Talana Lepolo, STAN; Rayah Marshall, USC; Esmery Martinez, ARIZ; Kennedy McQueen, UTAH; Quay Miller, COLO; Bella Murekatete, WSU; Lauren Schwartz, WASH; Grace VanSlooten, ORE; Ines Vieira, UTAH.
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
** two-time selection; *** three-time selection
Honorable Mention (received at least one vote): Raegan Beers, OSU; Dalayah Daniels, WASH; Donovyn Hunter, OSU; Rayah Marshall, USC; Esmery Martinez, ARIZ; Jaddan Simmons, ASU; Ines Vieira, UTAH; Talia von Oelhoffen, OSU; JuJu Watkins, USC; Kindyll Wetta, COLO. ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Honorable Mention (received at least one vote): Nunu Agara, STAN; Breya Cunningham, ARIZ; Skylar Jones, ARIZ; Lulu Laditan-Twidale, CAL; Courtney Ogden, STAN; Dominika Paurova, OSU.
– Pac-12.com –
