Powerful decisions mark participant, coach of the yr races

Caitlin Clark drives to the basket. Iowa Athletics picture.

The employees at WomensHoopsWorld agrees on many basketball issues, however when it got here to choosing the 2022-2023 Coach of the 12 months, we fully diverged in making our picks. Participant of the 12 months, then again, was virtually unanimous, with 75 p.c of us selecting the identical athlete.

Disclaimer: we made our choices 10 days in the past, nicely earlier than “the shot” that despatched the Hawkeyes previous the Hoosiers over the weekend.

Lamarr Fields:

Participant of the 12 months: Caitlin Clark, Iowa 

Clark is placing up wonderful numbers, she is second within the nation in scoring with 27.2 factors, 7.4 rebounds and eight.2 assists per sport. She can be, arguably, the workforce’s emotional chief: when she is on, it lifts the whole Hawkeye squad.

Coach of the 12 months: Lindy La Rocque, UNLV

What UNLV coach Lindy La Rocque is doing in Las Vegas is wonderful. The Rebels entered AP prime 25 rankings earlier this month for the primary time in virtually 30 years, and so they claimed their second straight Mountain West title quickly afterward. La Rocque, in her second season, has the workforce taking part in nice basketball, and so they could possibly be harmful within the Event

Avery Wiggins:

Participant of the 12 months: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

I acknowledge that Caitlin Clark has had the higher particular person season statistically, however by way of total workforce affect and significance, there’s none like Aliyah. She is the one piece that makes South Carolina so significantly better than everybody else. In the event that they didn’t have her, they’d not be the unbeatable juggernaut that they’re, or prepared to assert a second straight nationwide title.

Coach of the 12 months: Kara Lawson, Duke

Duke has been by far the most important shock this season, as one of many nation’s prime defensive groups. Lawson has managed to show a workforce that wasn’t within the Event final yr into one which projected as a top-4 seed heading into the March play.

Jim Clark:

Participant of the 12 months: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

For me it was all the way down to Clark, Boston, Mackenzie Holmes and Maddy Siegrist. The nationwide media is so hyped on Clark vs. Boston, with out contemplating others, that I used to be tempted to select anybody however them.

Nonetheless, Clark is accountable, by scoring or helping, for 53 p.c of all Iowa baskets. She is a below-average defender. She leads the workforce in rebounds! Second within the nation in scoring. She will get my vote.

Coach of the 12 months: Lynne Roberts, Utah

Roberts has gotten the Utes from nowhere to a program-high No. 3 rating with out dives into the switch portal. And her workforce has a lot much less expertise, with all these sophomores beginning or taking part in common minutes.

I gave thought to Kara Lawson for the resurgence of Duke, however I feel Utah is the most important shock this season.

Sue Favor:

Participant of the 12 months: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Clark fills up the stat sheet each sport and is a triple-double machine, however she can be “that child” for Iowa: they wouldn’t be the place they’re with out her. The fervour she has for the sport spills on to her teammates, and is a giant a part of their spirited play and cohesion.

Coach of the 12 months: Teri Moren, Indiana

My COY candidates have been Moren, Roberts, La Rocque, Shauna Inexperienced of Dayton and Virginia’s Amaka Agugua-Hamilton. Moren wins out due to what she’s been capable of do throughout adversarial circumstances.

On Nov. 25, place to begin guard Grace Berger injured her knee in a event sport, and didn’t return to the lineup till Jan. 8. The Hoosiers have been ranked No. 6 at the moment, and although the senior is thought to be the glue of the workforce, they didn’t miss a beat in her absence. Chloe Moore-McNeil stepped in for Berger, and everybody else stepped up.

Indiana by no means fell out of the highest 10, and didn’t lose a sport till Dec. 29. They’re 26-2 on the season and reached a program-best No. 2 rating earlier this month. Regardless of a buzzer-beater loss to the Hawkeyes over the weekend, the Hoosiers have a official likelihood at cracking their first Remaining 4.

Moren has patiently constructed this system over the past decade, and has inched them ahead a bit yearly. This season she has executed a masterful job of taking the workforce to the following stage. It has been the stuff of the coach of the yr.