Player of the Year Finalist

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford senior Cameron Brink was one of four players named a Naismith Trophy finalist, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
 
Brink is joined on this year's list by Paige Bueckers (UConn), Caitlin Clark (Iowa) and JuJu Watkins (USC). Two Cardinal have taken home the Naismith Trophy: Kate Starbird in 1997 and Jennifer Azzi in 1990.
 
Once again this year, fans will have a say in the determining the winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike's. Starting March 26, fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com to cast their ballot for one of these four Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy finalists. Voting ends at 2 p.m. PT on April 2 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5 percent of the total vote.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, which have become the most prestigious national honors in all of college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy recognizes the top Men's and Women's College Basketball Players and Coaches of the Year.
 
Also a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honors, Brink is the nation's leading active shot blocker with 417 in her career and recently became the 17th Division I player with 400 career rejections. She leads the country in both total blocks (120) and blocks per game (3.64), and is eight shy of the Pac-12 record (Ruth Hamblin, Oregon State – 425).
 
Brink is third nationally in rebounds per game (11.9) and using College Basketball Reference advanced metrics, she tops all DI players defensive box plus/minus (9.9), total rebound percentage (24.8) and block percentage (13.4). Her defensive rating of 69.4 is second.
 
She is the only player in the country averaging 17.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game this season, numbers that have only been put up for an entire season nine times by a major conference player since 1999-2000, most recently Oklahoma State's Natasha Mack in 2020-21. Brink is in the midst of one of the most efficient seasons by a major conference player in available records dating back to 2002-03 and currently leads the nation with a PER of 46.17.
 
She pulled down her 1,200th career rebound in Stanford's first-round victory over Norfolk State on Friday night and now has totaled 1,879 points, 1,214 rebounds, 223 assists and 417 blocks. Brittney Griner (Baylor) and Courtney Paris (Oklahoma) are the only other players with 1,800 points, 1,200 rebounds, 200 assists and 400 blocks in the past 25 years.
 
She had a career-high nine assists to go with 16 points and 12 rebounds in a Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal win over Oregon State and currently has 120 blocks and 92 assists this season. Only one other player has had 100 blocks and 100 assists in a single season in available records since 1999-2000. Breanna Stewart did it three times for UConn in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16.
 
Brink is also the first college player with 500 points, 300 rebounds and 100 blocks in back-to-back seasons since Stewart (2014-16).
 
Brink and the second-seeded Cardinal are into the Sweet 16 for the 29th time in program history and will face third-seeded NC State on Friday, March 29 at the Moda Center in Portland.