This week, media and coaches will cast their ballots for end-of-the-season awards. Among those honors is the freshman of the year award, given annually to the Pac-12’s top newcomer. Both Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu have made strong impressions in 2016-17. And both likely have a shot at earning recognition.
Oregon Ducks forward Ruthy Hebard (24) fights through an attempted block by Stanford Cardinal forward Erica McCall (24). (Aaron Nelson/Emerald)
The last Oregon player to earn freshman of the year accolades was Jillian Alleyne in 2012-13 (media vote).
Voters will likely look at a variety of statistics when making their decisions. Hebard, the Fairbanks, Alaska, native ranks No. 10 in the Pac-12 in scoring at 14.7 points a game. Ionescu, meanwhile, ranks No. 12 with 13.9 points a game.
Both Hebard (8.4 rebounds a game) and Ionescu (6.8 rebounds) finished the regular season in the top 10 in rebounding.
Ionescu ranked No. 3 in assists per game while Hebard paced the conference in field goal percentage — 63.2 percent. She’s on pace to break the Oregon single-season record of 61.4 percent.
Both Ionescu and Hebard have impressed Oregon head coach Kelly Graves.
“We’re not surprised in that we knew she had a lot of potential,” Graves said of Hebard earlier this month. “But it’s a lot to ask for a freshman this early on. It’s incredible what she’s doing.”
Cal coach Lindsey Gottlieb, who recruited Ionescu as a prep player at Miramonte, had high praise for Oregon’s freshman guard who tallied four triple-doubles, breaking the Oregon career record.
“If you love basketball, you love watching Sabrina,” Gottlieb said. “She makes them go, not to take anything away from Ruthy or Mallory. But people get open looks because Sabrina is just a surgeon with a basketball in her hands. I’m proud of what she’s doing here.”
Both Hebard and Ionescu were highly ranked by recruiting services coming out of high school. Ionescu was named MaxPreps player of the year nationally. Hebard earned Alaska Gatorade player of the year three times during high school.
Graves has said he’s been more surprised with Hebard’s ability; the Ducks knew Ionescu would have an immediate impact.
“I think everyone kind of knew what Sabrina had in her game and the impact she was going to make,” Graves said during an appearance on the Dishin & Swishin Podcast. “I don’t think many people though Ruthy was going to be able to come in and impact the game like she has.
“Her ability to finish is better than I dreamed it was going to be this early in her career.”
Ionescu and Hebard’s play impressed the podcast’s host, David Siegel.
“Those two, in my opinion, are probably the best 1-2 punch of freshmen in the country,” he said.
Whoever the coaches and media select, the Ducks know they scored one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, which quickly led to two of the conference’s top rookie talents.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
