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2021-2022 WER Division 1 Women's Basketball Awards: Head Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year

By World Exposure Report News Service, 04/05/22, 3:00PM CDT

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Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma

Today, we are unveiling the World Exposure Report NCAA Division 1 Head Coach of the Year and the Assistant Coach of the Year.

HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR: Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma 

Baranczyk's first year marks the first time in program history for a first-year coach to improve by 10 wins in their first season and 2022 Sooners reached 20 victories faster than all but two teams in school history, as the only two teams to hit 20 wins faster were a pair of Final Four teams. The 13-win jump is the second-largest overall in program history, trailing only Cathie Schweitzer, who increased the team's win total by 16 between the 1977 and 1978 seasons.

Oklahoma's high-powered offensive attack is one of the best in the country and fighting to be the best in program history. The Sooners average 83.2 points per game in 2021-22, third highest in Division I and second highest in program history, just short of the 1984-85 squad's 84.5 PPG. Oklahoma's 19.0 assists per contest rank fourth nationally and lead to 29 made field goals per game, third most nationally.

The team's 81.4 possessions per 40 minutes are the second most in the country, as OU's offensive rating of 100.6 is the 37th highest in the nation. However, Oklahoma isn't just pushing the pace; it's doing it efficiently as the team's effective FG% (51.2%) and points per play (0.88) rank inside the top-30 nationally. The Sooners' 1.10 points per attempt are the 16th most in the country.

Under Baranczyk, Oklahoma has notched four top-25 wins this season, the most ever for a first-year Sooner head coach. Two of those wins have come vs. the No. 9-ranked team in the country as OU upset then-No. 9 Texas 65-63 on Jan. 29 and then-No. 9 Baylor 78-77 a few days later on Feb. 2. The Sooners also notched wins over then-No. 16 BYU and then-No. 14 Baylor. The win over No. 9 Baylor in Waco snapped a 20-game losing streak vs. top-10 teams in true road games.

Baranczyk is the first head coach in OU WBB history to beat Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State in their first season. The Sooners swept Baylor and Oklahoma State for the first time in a regular season since 2009.


ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR:  Shannon Murphy, Florida Gulf Coast

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