STANFORD, Calif. - For the second year in a row, a pair of Stanford student-athletes earned All-America recognition from the Associated Press as Cameron Brink was named to the second team and Haley Jones to the third team, announced Wednesday.
The honor is Jones' third from the AP, earning honorable mention status as a sophomore and first-team honors as a junior. Brink's second-team accolade is her highest yet after being named to the third team last year. Jones is Stanford's first three-time honoree by the AP since Chiney Ogwumike (2012-14).
A two-headed monster for the Cardinal, Brink and Jones lead the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and free throws. Jones is the team leader in assists and steals, while Brink ranks third in assists. The two have combined for 40 percent of Stanford's scoring and 41 percent of its rebounding. They are one of only two duos on the same team in the country averaging at least 13 points and nine rebounds per game. Stanford is the only team in the country with two players on the same team that have recorded a triple-double, Jones doing so last season and Brink this season.
Already highly regarded, Brink has elevated her game as a junior, already totaling season-highs in total points, rebounds, free throws and minutes entering the NCAA Tournament. The nation's second-leading shot blocker, Brink is a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Her 111 total blocks reset her previous program record (achieved each of her three years on The Farm), and are more than 268 teams have as a total, while her average of 3.36 blocks per game ranks third in the country. Her current season total ranks sixth in Pac-12 history and are the most for any player in the league outside the state of Oregon. She recently broke the program's record for career blocks, now with 290, ranking fourth in Pac-12 history. She is only one of two players in the country averaging more than 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game this season, something that has not been done in Pac-12 records dating back to 1999-00. Earlier this season, she became the first player in program history to record a triple-double with points, rebounds and blocks, doing so against Oregon on Jan. 29. Entering the year shooting 61 percent from the free throw line, Brink has turned a weakness into a strength, shooting 83 percent this year and entering March Madness with 38 straight makes from the charity stripe, second-best in program history. Her 15-for-15 performance from the free throw line against UCLA set a program record for most makes without a miss. Brink leads the team with 29 double-digit scoring efforts this year, leading the team in scoring 12 times with 15 double-doubles.
One of the most versatile players in the nation and program history, Jones is the first player at Stanford to own over 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 350 assists and 100 blocks in their career. She currently ranks 18th in the Stanford record books for career scoring, with just over 1,500 points, and will soon enter the top-10 in career rebounding. She's featured 22 double-digit scoring efforts this season, along with 12 double-doubles, and has led the team in scoring 10 times. At times playing every position on the court, Jones is the only player in the nation averaging at least 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game. Her 15 double-digit rebounding efforts this season are the most on the team - Stanford is 34-3 when Jones collects at least 10 boards.
Against the top-25 the two have elevated their numbers, with Brink averaging 16.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.6 blocks per game. Jones numbers increase to 15.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game against the nation's best.
The No. 1 seed Cardinal opens the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 17 at 4:30 p.m., hosting either Sacred Heart or Southern, both 16-seeds, on ESPN2.
