Oklahoma's Aaliyah Chavez 'Business as Usual' After SEC Freshman of the Year Snub

NORMAN — Count Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk among those who checked again when the SEC announced its postseason awards, which saw OU phenom Aaliyah Chavez miss out on the conference’s Freshman of the Year honor.

That award, instead, went to Vanderbilt’s Aubrey Galvan after she helped Makayla Blakes and the Commodores capture the 2-seed in this week’s SEC Tournament.

“You get a little bit surprised, but obviously Vanderbilt’s had a great season too so it’s hard to not be, I don’t know, to not see it,” Baranczyk said.

Chavez led the Sooners in scoring this year, averaging 18.4 points per game as well as contributing 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Galvan averaged 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.7 steals per game for Vanderbilt, and she was honored as the SEC Freshman of the Week five times this season, to Chavez’s eight Freshman of the Week awards, which tied an SEC record.

OU closed the regular season as the nation’s No. 4 team in scoring offense with Chavez at the helm.

She earned All-SEC Second Team recognition as well as All-Freshman team honors, but that wasn’t enough to win Freshman of the Year, despite the fact that Galvan wasn’t named to either the All-SEC First or Second Team.

“When you’re an all-conference player on that list of players, that’s pretty impressive,” Baranczyk said. “Especially in the league this year, to be listed as one of the best players is pretty impressive.”

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Still, Baraczyk said Chavez didn’t let the snub linger on Tuesday at practice.

“Honestly, we didn’t make it a big deal,” Baranczyk said. “… She was business as usual today. Aaliyah’s a winner. Every single thing that she’s ever done, she won. She’s won in high school, she’s won in AAU, so this might be something that stings, but she’s a winner. And so that’s what I’m going to count on, that’s what her team’s gonna count on.”

Chavez helped the Sooners close the regular season with a 23-6 overall record and an 11-5 mark in league contests. The Sooners enter the SEC Tournament as the conference’s 5-seed, and on Sunday, the NCAA Selection Committee said that OU is currently in position to earn a 3-seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Chavez has played a massive role in Oklahoma’s success all season long, and that isn’t expected to change as the Sooners enter the postseason.

“That’s really what her focus has always been, it’s about winning,” Baranczyk said. “It’s not about her, and that’s what makes her so unique and so special. I’m sure it doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good. I don’t think it feels good either. But life happens.

“There’s a lot of things that we don’t get to decide, and so we get to see how we respond. And it’s not a personal thing, her versus somebody else, it’s about her team versus the next team. And she’s very, very mature to keep that in perspective.”