Media votes Jillian Alleyne and Jamie Weisner as Pac-12 Players of the Year
A panel of Pac-12 women’s basketball media members who cover the league voted seniors Jillian Alleyne of Oregon and Jamie Weisner of Oregon State the Pac-12 Players of the Year. Additionally, the panel selected California’s Kristine Anigwe the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and OSU’s Ruth Hamblin the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. The panel also agreed with the league’s head coaches, voting Arizona State’s Charli Turner Thorne the Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
Jillian Alleyne (Fontana, Calif.) suffered a season-ending knee injury a week ago, cutting her career a few weeks short, but not before breaking several records. The senior forward ends her collegiate career as the Conference’s greatest rebounder, claiming the records for total rebounds (1,712) and shattering the rebounding average record (14.3 rpg) held by UCLA great Natalie Williams, who averaged 12.8 rpg from 1991-94. Her career rebounding average also ranks her fourth all-time in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history and is third all-time in total rebounds. Alleyne has also scored 2,151 points in her career, putting her 11th all-time in the Pac-12 record books and first in UO history. Her 92 career double-doubles are also second-most in NCAA history and the most in Pac-12 history. This year, Alleyne led her team to a 20-win season, an improvement of seven games over last year. She averaged 19.0 points per game and 13.6 rpg, which ranks second in the country this season. Her 23 double-doubles were the most in the country at the time of her injury. It is the third-straight year Alleyne was voted to the All-Pac-12 team and All-Defensive team by the media.
A guard from Clarkston, Wash., Jamie Weisner has helped the Beavers to claim a share of the Pac-12 regular-season crown, the second in the history of the program, and a second-straight No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. The second-straight year she has been named to the All-Pac-12 team by the media, she was also the Conference’s coaches pick for player of the year. Weisner is the team’s leading scorer and ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 17.0 ppg. She claims the best field goal shooting percentage among Pac-12 guards, knocking down 47.8 percent of her attempts, and is sixth among all players. She also boasts the Conference’s second-best free throw shooting percentage at 87.7 percent and ranks fifth with a 43.0 percent shooting from long range.
Kristine Anigwe (Phoenix, Ariz.) was also the Pac-12 coaches’ pick for the Conference’s top freshman. Second in the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.3 ppg, she is the third-highest scoring freshman in the country. Averaging 8.9 rpg, she is the only freshman in the Conference to rank in the top 20 in the category. Her 56.3 percent shooting from the floor is second in the Conference and 19th in the country. Anigwe was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week by the media a Conference-record eight time this season. She is also one of just two freshmen to be named to the media’s All-Pac-12 team, she was the only freshman named all-conference by the coaches.
Ruth Hamblin (Houston, B.C.) has been voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for two-straight seasons by both the coaches and the media. Hamblin is on the verge of becoming the only player in Pac-12 history to have three 100-block seasons, entering the postseason with 99. She is also on pace to becoming only the second player in league history to amass 400-career blocks and the 12th in NCAA history, needing just six to reach the milestone. She is also eight blocks shy of tying the Conference’s all-time record held by Stefanie Kaspersky of Oregon who had 402 from 1987-90. Hamlbin 14th in NCAA history in total blocks, two behind Connecticut great Rebecca Lobo (396, 1992-95). This season, Hamblin is averaging 3.41 blocks per game, which is eighth in the country. As a team, the Beavers are tied for first in the NCAA in blocks per game at 6.6. Due in part to her presence in the paint, Oregon State ranks seventh in the NCAA in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 51.0 ppg on the season.
ASU’s Charli Turner Thorne is the media’s pick for coach of the year for the first time. She was also voted the top coach by her Pac-12 peers, giving her the honor for the second time in her 19-year career in Tempe and the first time in 15 years. Turner Thorne has led the Sun Devils to a share of the Conference regular-season crown, the team winning a program-tying record 16 league games. It is the second regular-season title for the team all-time and first since 2001. ASU has been ranked as high as No. 8 this season and has spent the last eight weeks in the top 10 of at least one national poll. ASU has posted its third-straight 20-win seasons, going into the Pac-12 Tournament with a 25-5 overall record. The Sun Devils will be looking to make a case for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, appearing in all three of the NCAA Selection Committee’s top 10 rankings that were announced in February.
The media also selected a 15-member All-Pac-12 team, a five-member All-Defensive team and a five-member All-Freshman team.
It is the seventh year of the Pac-12 media awards and are in addition to the Conference awards voted on by the league coaches, which will be announced on Wednesday. The panel included local and national media members.
2016 Pac-12 Media All-Pac-12:
Jillian Alleyne, ORE; Kristine Anigwe, CAL; Sophie Brunner, ASU; Jordin Canada, UCLA; Temi Fagbenle, USC; Nirra Fields, UCLA; Ruth Hamblin, ORE; Borislava Hristova, WSU; Erica McCall, STAN; Kelsey Plum, WASH; Emily Potter, UTAH; Lili Thompson, STAN; Talia Walton, WASH; Jamie Weisner, OSU; Sydney Wiese, OSU.
2016 Media All-Defensive Team:
Jillian Alleyne, ORE; Jordin Canada, UCLA; Elisha Davis, ASU; Ruth Hamblin, OSU; Erica McCall, STAN.
2016 Pac-12 Media All-Freshman Team:
Kristine Anigwe, CAL; Maite Cazorla, ORE; Borislava Hristova, WSU; Kennedy Leonard, COLO; Asha Thomas, CAL.
