Hamblin Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year; Rueck Coach of Year

The Pac-12 women's basketball coaches have made their end of year All-Conference selections, and Ruth Hamblin is this year's Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach Scott Rueck was also honored as the Coach of the Year, the second time he has been selected.

Hamblin, a junior, finished the regular season averaging 3.83 blocked shots per game, 11th in the nation, and anchored a Beaver defense that finished 4th in the nation in field goal shooting percentage allowed, holding opponents to 34%.

Rueck, above, steered Oregon St. to its best season ever, finishing with a 26-3 record, including a 16-2 record in conference, good for the Beavers first ever Pac-10/12 regular season championship. Both the conference and overall win totals and win percentages are all-time school bests.

Other Player of the Year honors went to Reshanda Gray, California's forward who averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, and Jordin Canada, UCLA's guard named Freshman of the Year.

The coaches selected only a 15 member All-Conference team, with no second or third team, and Hamblin, Jamie Weisner, and Sydney Wiese were all among the 15. Wiese was honored for the second season in a row.

Other All-Conference honorees include Gray and her California teammate Brittany Boyd, Oregon's Jillian Alleyne, Promise Amukamara and Sophie Brunner from Arizona St., UCLA's Nirra Fields, Jazmine Davis and Kelsey Plum from Washington, Washington St.'s Lia Galdeira, Amber Orrange and Lili Thompson from Stanford, and Alexyz Vaioletama of USC.

Others receiving votes included Katie Hempen from Arizona St., Lexy Kresl and Jamee Swan from Colorado; Tia Presley from Washington St., Stanford's Bonnie Samuelson, Talia Walton from Washington, Arizona's Candice Warthen, and Taryn Wicijowski from Utah.

The conference coaches also named a 6 person All-Defensive team, with Boyd, Alleyne, Galdeira, Amukamara, and Orrange joining Hamblin.

Also receiving votes for the defensive honor were Brunner, Wicijowski, USC's Kaneisha Horn, California's Mercedes Jefflo, and Washington's Aminah Williams.

In addition to Canada, the 5 person All-Freshman team is comprised of USC's McKenzie Calvert, California's Mikayla Cowling and Green, and Stanford's Kaylee Johnson.

Others receiving votes included Oregon St.'s Marie Gülich, Oregon's Lexi Bando, Utah's Tanaeya Boclair, and UCLA's Monique Billings.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com