Playing team basketball wins games and a regular-season title, but better statistics wins awards.
Or so it seemed to Rainbow Wahine coach Laura Beeman on Monday.
Named Big West Coach of the Year just prior to Hawaii’s flight to Los Angeles, Beeman was not pleased that senior captain Shawn-Lei Kuehu was passed over for the Player of the Year honor that went to UC Riverside junior guard Brittany Crain.
"I’m thoroughly, thoroughly disappointed that Shawna-Lei did not receive Player of the Year," Beeman said of Kuehu, who leads the Rainbow Wahine in points, assists, blocks, steals and rebound average. "This is no disrespect to Brittany Crain, who is a tremendous player, but Shawna-Lei is the heart and soul of our team and I think the Big West coaches made a big mistake.
"All you have to do is look at the fact that the only two losses we have in a very tough conference were the two games she missed. And that is the biggest stat anyone needs to look at. That should speak volumes. She could have easily scored 20 points or more a night, but that’s not her style, and not the style we are playing, which is unselfish team basketball.
"And I couldn’t put her up for the Sixth Man Award because she started too many games for us in the preseason."
Instead, the Sixth Woman of the Year went to Hawaii freshman center Megan Huff, who joined the team in late December after competing for the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team. Huff came off the bench in 14 of Hawaii’s 16 Big West games with two starts, averaging 7.1 points and 4.9 rebounds and was No. 2 in conference play in blocked shots with 20.
It was the third consecutive season that a Rainbow Wahine picked up the Sixth Woman award. Senior guard Ashleigh Karaitiana did so in 2014 and Kuehu in 2013.
Kuehu and Crain were named to the first team, as were Sydnee Fipps of UC Davis, Cal Poly’s Ariana Elegado, Chante Miles from Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge’s Ashlee Guay.
UC Riverside’s Michelle Curry was named Freshman of the Year. CSUN’s Janae Sharpe repeated as Best Defensive Player and the Best Hustle Award went to Taryn Garza of Cal Poly.
Karaitiana was named to the second team after two years getting honorable mention. She is second in scoring for Hawaii (10.2 ppg), had a team-high 39 3-pointers and is second in steals (34) and assists (69).
Junior guard Destiny King, the only Rainbow Wahine to start all 29 games, received honorable mention. She is the top rebounder (179) and free-throw shooter (75 percent).
Both Crain and Kuehu had the statistics to merit consideration for the top honor, both ranking in the top 13 in five categories.
Crain led the Big West in scoring (22.1 ppg), was second in steals (2.0 spg), eighth in blocks (0.8 bpg), and 12th in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and shooting percentage (.432). The Highlanders finished tied for fifth at 8-8, six games behind champion Hawaii.
By comparison, Kuehu was fourth in blocks (1.3 bpg) and shooting percentage (.496), ninth in rebounding (6.4 rpg), 12th in scoring (12.0 ppg) and 13th in steals (1.4 spg).
"Stats generate awards," Beeman said. "Again this is no disrespect to Brittany Crain, but I know what Shawna means to our program. She is a special young woman who wanted to come off the bench because she didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry we had going when she was on the sidelines with injuries.
"Unfortunately that unselfish decision likely affected her for Player of the Year. But this just lit a fire. It has fed the lion."
Hawaii takes a 14-game winning streak into the conference semifinal game Friday. UH’s opponent will be the lowest remaining seed to advance out of Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Beeman is the first Hawaii coach to earn the Big West’s top honor since Vince Goo in 1993 and 1994. Goo also was the 1998 Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division Coach of the Year.
"This award just means it’s my name that gets put on the plaque," Beeman said. "There is no way you win this on your own. It’s because of my team and my staff. It’s my staff that are the true winners of the coach award."
