Co-champion Utes well-represented on Pac-12’s All-Conference honors list

The University of Utah women’s basketball team’s dream season continued Tuesday with the release of the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball All-Conference honors.

Most notably, Utah junior forward Alissa Pili is the conference’s Player of the Year and eighth-year coach Lynne Roberts is the Coach of the Year.

It is the first time since the Utes joined the league in 2011-12 that someone from Utah has won either award.

Also Tuesday, Pili and sophomore Gianna Kneepkens made the 16-member All-Pac-12 Team, while junior guard Kennady McQueen and sophomore forward Jenna Johnson made the honorable mention list.

A year after Kneepkens was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, no Utes made the All-Freshman Team nor the All-Defensive Team.

All 12 of the league’s head coaches participate in the voting for the annual awards.

Utah will open Pac-12 tournament play Thursday at 7 p.m. at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The No. 3 Utes will meet the winner of Wednesday’s Cal-Washington State first-round game.

Pili was the obvious choice for Pac-12 Player of the Year after the USC transfer led the league in scoring (20.6 ppg.) and field goal percentage (59.9%). She is one of only two players in the country who averaged those numbers this season, joining Indiana’s MacKenzie Holmes.

Pili is also second in the league in 3-point percentage (45.8%) and could become just the second player in NCAA women’s basketball since 1999-2000 to average more than 20 points, make at least 20 3-pointers and shoot better than 60% from the field.

Pili has scored 20 or more points in 16 games to date.

Roberts recently led the Utes to their first conference title — they shared it with Stanford — and guided a stunning turnaround after the Utes won just five games two years ago.

Roberts’ high-scoring team is fourth nationally in scoring (84.4), fourth in field goal percentage (48.9%), and sixth in assists (18.9 apg.).

Roberts is one of 15 candidates for the national Naismith Coach of the Year award.

Kneepkens, from Minnesota, is Utah’s second-leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points a game. She leads the team with 62 3-pointers.

Johnson averages 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Pac-12 women’s basketball all-conference honors

Player of the Year — Alissa Pili, Utah.
Defensive Player of the Year — Cameron Brink, Stanford.
Freshman of the Year — Raegan Beers, Oregon State.
Sixth Player of the Year — Raegan Beers, Oregon State.
Co-Most Improved Player — Shaina Pellington, Arizona.
Co-Most Improved Player — Aaronette Vonleh, Colorado.
John R. Wooden Coach of the Year — Lynne Roberts, Utah.

All-Pac-12 First Team

Raegan Beers, F, Oregon State.
Cameron Brink, F, Stanford.
Haley Jones, G, Stanford.
Hannah Jump, G, Stanford.
Gianna Kneepkens, G, Utah.
Charlisse Leger-Walker, G, Washington State.
Destiny Littleton, G, USC.
Rayah Marshall, G/F, USC.
Quay Miller, C, Colorado.
Charisma Osborne, G, UCLA.
Shaina Pellington, G, Arizona.
Alissa Pili, F, Utah.
Cate Reese, F, Arizona.
Endyia Rogers, G, Oregon.
Jaylyn Sherrod, G, Colorado.
Kadi Sissoko, F, USC.

Honorable mention

Jayda Curry, California; Dalayah Daniels; Washington; Frida Formann, Colorado; Jenna Johnson, Utah; Esmery Martinez, Arizona; Leilani McIntosh, California; Kennady McQueen, Utah; Bella Murekatete, Washington State; Te-Hina Paopao, Oregon; Lauren Schwartz, Washington; Tyi Skinner, Arizona State; Haley Van Dyke, Washington; Grace VanSlooten, Oregon; Aaronette Vonleh, Colorado; Talia von Oelhoffen, Oregon State.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News