By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Another year, another honor for Chanelle Molina, Washington State’s freshman guard, who happens to be the most decorated player in BIIF history.
The 2016 Konawaena graduate received honorable mention to the All-Pac-12 Freshmen Team on Tuesday while teammate Caila Hailey earned honorable mention to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team.
Despite playing just six conference games before suffering a season-ending injury, Molina made an impression on the Pac-12 coaches, who saw her average 12.8 points per game on 51.5 percent shooting for the season.
The 5-foot-7 guard (Wazzu’s roster lists her at 5-9) scored in double-figures in 12 consecutive games, the second-longest streak for a Cougar freshman in program history.
Molina’s 51.5 percent shooting from the field, in 17 games, ranks as the best average ever for a freshman in school history and ninth best all-time.
The two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honoree shots 43 percent from beyond the arc, the best mark for any Wazzu freshman and third all-time in a single season.
Molina averaged a team-best 3.7 assists per game (63 total). In her six Pac-12 games, Molina was even better, averaging 17.3 ppg on 51.9% shooting.
During her run early in Pac-12 play, she tied the Wazzu freshmen record for scoring with a 33-point effort in the Cougs’ upset of No. 7 UCLA. Her efforts against the Bruins earned her the U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Freshman of the Week.
Molina went 4 for 4 for being named to the All-BIIF first team, and 3 for 4 for being selected the player of the year.
She also won two HHSAA Division I state championships, along with four BIIF titles and is part of the greatest run in league history: Konawaena is 104-0 over the last nine years.
Then there’s her second sport: volleyball, where Molina was the most dominant player in the league’s Division II history.
Molina went 3 for 4 being named to the All-BIIF first team. (As a freshman, she was on the second team.) She was the POY as a junior and senior.
As for her honor collection at Wazzu, Molina is just getting started.
True to her competitive nature, Molina, who never enjoyed sitting on the sideline, is driven as ever.
“With playing only six games, I’m honored to have been given this recognition,” she said. “I’m going to work hard to achieve much higher next season.”
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In the Pac-12 tournament, No. 7 seeded Cougars (11-18, 6-12 Pac-12) will face No. 10 seed Colorado (15-14, 5-13 Pac-12) at 3 p.m. Thursday at KeyArena in Seattle.