Women's Fastbreak On SI

Vanderbilt Coach Stands Up for Star Player Khamil Pierre Amid SEC Awards Snub

Vanderbilt women's basketball head coach Shea Ralph is not happy about one of her star players not getting SEC Award recognition.
Grant Young|
Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph speaks during SEC Media Day at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2024.
Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph speaks during SEC Media Day at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2024. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the SEC Conference's annual awards were revealed, and most of the SEC's top superstars received recognition for the fantastic seasons they produced.

We say "most" because one star who didn't get recognized was Vanderbilt standout Khamil Pierre, who averaged 20.8 points (No. 4 in the conference) per game, collected 9.6 rebounds (No. 3 in the conference), and led the conference in field goals made for the Commodores.

However, Pierre didn't make All-SEC First-Team or All-SEC Second-Team. And her head coach Shea Ralph put the SEC on blast for this snub per a March 4 X post from the Vanderbilt women's basketball program.

"My staff and I are extremely disappointed that Khamil didn't receive any All-SEC honors. She is having an All-SEC type season and is putting up numbers that are among the best in the nation," Ralph wrote.

"In the SEC she ranks, No. 4 in points per game, No. 4 in points, No. 3 in rebounds, No. 2 in double-doubles this season, No. 2 in steals per game, No. 2 in steals, No. 1 in field goals made. She is the only player in our league to rank in the top four in seven categories.

"Our team would not be as successful this season without her incredible contributions all year. With that being said, we know she is one of the best players in the country. We don't need awards or recognition from outside of our program to validate Khamil's talent. We know how amazing she is on and off the court. We know her value to our program and to our league," she added.

Props to Ralph for standing up for Pierre in the wake of this obvious SEC snub.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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