The Pac-12 will reveal the final postseason award winners in conference history on Tuesday, but we see no reason to wait.
The Hotline’s selections are based largely on performance in conference play.
Coach of the Year: Washington State’s Kyle Smith. An easy call, although Cal’s Mark Madsen did first-rate work in his rookie season. The Cougars were picked 10th in the preseason media poll and finished second — the greatest upside surprise in the conference’s expansion era. For that, Smith stands as a contender for national honors and will be one of the hottest commodities on the market this spring.
Player of the Year: Arizona G Caleb Love. The transfer from North Carolina was the best player on the best team in a season that lacked superlative individual efforts by players on contending teams. Love averaged 20 points per game in league play and was superb in several of the Wildcats’ biggest wins.
Freshman of the Year: Washington State G Myles Rice. A surprise winner on so many levels, starting with his personal story. Rice missed the 2022-23 season while receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, then returned to lead the Cougars to their surprising run through the conference.
Defensive Player of the Year: Arizona State G Frankie Collins. There was no obvious choice, no player as dominant defensively as UCLA’s Jaylen Wells was last year. But Collins was a disruptive force on a weekly basis and averaged 2.7 steals per game, third nationally among players from the power conferences.
All-conference picks
(Note: The Pac-12 will select 10 players for the first team and five for the second. We believe in the traditional approach with five players per team.)
First team
Arizona G Caleb Love
WSU G Myles Rice
Colorado G KJ Simpson
Oregon State G Jordan Pope
Washington F Keion Brooks
Second team
Cal G Jaylon Tyson
WSU F Isaac Jones
Utah F Branden Carlson
Stanford F Maxime Reynaud
Arizona C Oumar Ballo
Third team
Oregon G Jermaine Couisnard
ASU G Frankie Collins
WSU F Jaylen Wells
Colorado F Tristan da Silva
Oregon C N’Faly Dante
All-defense
ASU G Frankie Collins
Arizona G Jaden Bradley
USC G Kobe Johnson
UCLA F Adem Bona
Oregon C N’Faly Dante
All-transfer
Arizona G Caleb Love (from North Carolina)
Cal G Jaylon Tyson (Texas Tech)
WSU F Jaylen Wells (Sonoma State)
Utah G Deivon Smith (Georgia Tech)
WSU F Issac Jones (Idaho)
All-freshman
WSU G Myles Rice
Oregon G Jackson Shelstad
UCLA G Sebastian Mack
USC G Isaiah Collier
Colorado F Cody Williams
Related Articles
Pac-12 MBB power ratings: Arizona clinches but wobbles as No. 1 seed status turns murky
Mailbag: The ongoing issues with Pac-12 MBB, Kliavkoff’s failures, future CFP access, ASU’s AD job and more
Time for a coaching change as Jerod Haase’s program flounders, say all-time Cardinal greats
Best of the West: Arizona on top, Gonzaga climbs and Utah State’s remarkable rise
Pac-12 collapse: Kliavkoff’s failed tenure ends with radio silence, no signs of remorse
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to [email protected] or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline
*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.
