After a second-straight perfect season in the Pac-10, it’s no surprise that Stanford’s women’s basketball team picked up a few individual accolades. The conference announced yesterday that senior point guard Jeanette Pohlen had won the Pac-10 Player of the Year Award, marking the 15th time a Stanford player has been honored as the conference’s best.
Freshman forward Chiney Ogwumike was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, just as her older sister, junior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, was two years ago. Head coach Tara VanDerveer was honored as well, receiving the John R. Wooden Pac-10 Coach of the Year award for the 11th time in her career.
Pohlen’s senior year has been an offensive eruption, as the Brea, Calif. native filled the shoes of recent graduate Rosalyn Gold-Onwude by averaging 15.8 points and 4.83 assists. She garnered national attention in the Cardinal’s 71-59 upset of then-No. 1 Connecticut on Dec. 30 last year, posting 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Chiney Ogwumike proved to be of the same mold as her older sister this season, averaging 11.4 points and 7.6 percent from the field. She’s also maintained a top-five shooting percentage in the conference for most of the year, which currently sits at 56.7 percent.
Pohlen, along with Kayla Pedersen and both Ogwumike sisters, was also named to the All-Pac-10 Team. Chiney Ogwumike was selected as a member of the Pac-10 All-Freshman and All-Defensive Teams, while Pedersen and Nnemkadi Ogwumike were named as All-Defensive Team honorable mentions. Rounding out Stanford’s myriad awards was freshman guard Toni Kokenis, who was named a Pac-10 All-Freshman Team honorable mention.