PHOENIX — Vanderbilt’s Shea Ralph was named The Associated Press women’s college basketball coach of the year Thursday after turning the Commodores into one of the nation’s top teams.
Ralph led a team that returned just one starter to the most successful season in program history. The Commodores 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 league, which matched the best showing in program history, and they earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division I 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 — a former University of Connecticut guard and assistant who took over in Nashville five years ago — 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 the award with her entire Vanderbilt coaching staff as well as her mom, husband and daughter in attendance. It was also special for Ralph with her UConn family there as well, with the Huskies there to celebrate AP women’s college basketball player of the year Sarah Strong.
Ralph received 23 votes from the 31-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll each week. UCLA’s Cori Close, who was the AP pick 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 important 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 has been presented since 1995. 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 sophomore 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 was 20-0 before its first loss this season, when the Commodores finished with seven wins over ranked teams.
“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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