ALISSA PILI - PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR RECIPIENT
US college basketball player Alissa Pili has been named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
The young Samoan/Native Alaskan becomes the Trojans' first Pac-12 women's basketball Freshman of the Year recipient since 2009 (Briana Gilbreath).
She also becomes the first freshman to be named to the All-Pac-12 team since Oregon's Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu in 2017. Pili led all Pac-12 freshmen in points per game (16.2) and rebounds per game (8.1) en route to the honor, also amassing a freshmen-best 11 double-doubles this season.
Michelle Smith, writing for WBB Notebook Pac12.com shares why she voted for Alissa for Freshman of the Year in the Post Season honours here:
Alissa Pili, USC. There were higher-profile freshmen in this class. Stanford had a few, so did Oregon and Oregon State, but none did more for their team than Alaska native Pili, who has averaged 18.8 points a game in Pac-12 play on a super-young USC team that was hampered by injuries, but still proved a tough out in conference play. She has scored in double digits in 12 straight games, averaging 19.8 points a game over that stretch, and has been named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three times this season, the first time in school history.
On the All-Pac 12 team selection:
Alissa Pili, USC - Bright young star who carried a young team.
She talks her 'bread and butter' after scoring a career high 32 points and 12 rebounds against WSU following their 66-60 victory in the video above.
Alissa's older brother Brandon also attends USC playing College Football - they did the USC Sibling Quiz below