Duke Coach Gail Goestenkors was the driving force behind the Blue Devils' perfect regular season. Oklahoma sophomore Courtney Paris also showed consistent excellence.
Their successes were honored Saturday, when they received the Associated Press' women's basketball coach and player of the year awards.
Paris became the first sophomore to be voted player of the year, narrowly edging Tennessee's Candace Parker and Duke's Lindsey Harding. Paris received 18 votes, and Parker and Harding got 16 each in the voting by the 50-member national media panel. The 6-foot-4 center was third in the nation in scoring at 23.3 points and second in rebounding with 15.8.
