04/02/26 02:04:00
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04/02 14:02 CDT Shea Ralph named AP women's basketball Coach of the Year after
Vanderbilt's 29-5 season
Shea Ralph named AP women's basketball Coach of the Year after Vanderbilt's
29-5 season
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
PHOENIX (AP) --- Shea Ralph of Vanderbilt was named The Associated Press
women's basketball Coach of the Year on Thursday after turning the Commodores
into one of the top teams in the nation.
Ralph led a team that returned just one starter to the most successful season
in school history. The team went 29-5, with 13 of those wins coming in the
regular season against a rugged Southeastern Conference schedule. The
Commodores finished tied for second in the conference, which matched the best
finish in program history. They earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament and
reached the Sweet 16.
"It's wild. It's hard to wrap my mind around it. This whole year we haven't
slowed down," Ralph told the AP. "I love basketball, I love the group that I
coach.I love they stayed with me. It's been hard and it's been challenging, but
in a good way."
Ralph received 23 votes from the 31-member national media panel that votes on
the AP Top 25 each week. UCLA's Cori Close, who was the AP Coach of the Year
last season, was next with four. Ralph's mentor at UConn, Geno Auriemma,
received two votes while Mark Kellogg of West Virginia and Kara Lawson of Duke
each received one.
"The thing I love the most of where I'm at is the vision never changed," Ralph
said. "That's really important to me. Do it at a high level at Vanderbilt is
really improtant to me. They've shown what that looks like to invest in women.
Really invest in women. The resources and money, but also the development and
academics."
Ralph is the first Vanderbilt coach to win the award, which was launched in
1994-95. Her team, which won seven more games than the year before and was
ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP poll, was led by All-America guard Mikayla
Blakes.
"She's someone you would want to run through a brick wall for," Blakes said.
"She has bought so much into us that it's only right that we continue to fight
in this game for her, and she's someone who in tough moments you want to lean
on. And that's the reason why I came here."
Vanderbilt started out 20-0 and had seven wins over ranked teams this season.
"I think truly we never talked about it," Ralph said of the undefeated start.
"I chuckled to some of my staff members this is what I'm used to. I feel
comfortable here. Keep kicking their butts in practice and challenging them and
keep preparing the same way no matter what our record is."
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AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this story.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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