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Trio of coaches split top women’s award; Moore wins 2nd as player
AP
Photo
Connecticut forward Maya Moore (23) charges up court with the ball during the second half against Duke in an NCAA women's college basketball tournament regional final game, Tuesday, March 29, 2011, in Philadelphia. Connecticut won the regional championship 75-40. Moore, a four-time All-American with 3,000 career points, scored 28 points.
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS
Maya Moore is in a class by herself. Her coach will have to share his award.
Moore is The Associated Press player of the year once again, becoming the third two-time winner when she was honored by the organization on Saturday.
“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime player,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “We’re fortunate to have had her.”
Auriemma shared coach of the year honors with Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer and Miami’s Katie Meier, marking the first time ever that an AP college award has had a tie.
Moore, who joined Seimone Augustus of LSU and Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee as the only two-time winners, also received the award as a sophomore. She finished second in the voting her freshman and junior years.
The four-time All-American got 37 of the votes from the 39-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Baylor’s Brittney Griner received the other two votes.
While Auriemma has an office full of AP trophies, Meier and VanDerveer won for the first time. He was shocked to learn it was the first for the longtime Stanford coach.
“It’s hard for me to believe that this is the first one because there’s been some unbelievable accomplishments by Stanford and the consistency they’ve enjoyed over the years. If this is her first this is long overdue,” he said.
VanDerveer has Stanford back in the Final Four for the fourth straight year and this time she hopes to end the Cardinal’s 19-year championship drought.
“For us to be going back it’s thrilling,” she said. “We took an 11-year hibernation. We call this our renaissance. We never take it for granted.”
VanDerveer’s team ended UConn’s record 90-game winning streak on Dec. 30 and went 33-2 on the season.