The curtains have drawn on the SEC’s postseason awards announcement, which saw the Freshman of the Year become the topic of discussion. The seasons honors saw Oklahoma Sooners’ freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez miss out. Many believed that Chavez was a guarantee to grab the award, instead it went to Aubrey Galvan. However the snub doesn’t have the Oklahoma HC worried about her star guard.

Despite Chavez having the individual stats to back her case, it was Galvan that pipped the ‘freshman phenom’ for the award. The Vanderbilt Commodores’ guard helped her capture the No.2 seed in the SEC Tournament. However, not getting her hands on the trophy doesn’t seem to have derailed Chavez’s confidence according to her coach.

During an interaction with the media, Jennie Baranczyk talked about Chavez’s mentality. She did point out how the snub came as a bit of a surprise.

“You know, 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.

“Honestly, we didn’t make it a big deal.” Baranczyk added. “It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, come in and sit down and let’s talk about your feelings.’ 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.”

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Freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez brought energy and confidence to the backcourt, and it showed in the way the Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball played. The Sooners became one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the country, finishing the regular season 23–6 overall and 11–5 in SEC play.

Despite Chavez playing such a huge role in her team’s success, she wasn’t able to claim the award. And given the numbers that she was putting out, it maybe not so surprisingly felt like a snub.

What gave Aubrey Galvan the edge over Aaliyah Chavez?

The ‘freshman phenom’ had an extremely solid season, and maybe that is why her not winning the Freshman of the Year award might’ve felt like a robbery.

Chavez led her team in scoring this year. She averaged 18.4 points per game. However, that was not the only place on the stats sheet where she was contributing. Chavez also averaged 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

In comparison, Aubrey Galvan averaged 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

What comes a surprise is that Chavez won the SEC Freshman of the Week award eight times, tying the conference record. She also got named in the All-SEC Second Team, as well as the SEC All-Freshman team. Galvan on the other hand, won the Freshman of the Week five times. She also didn’t make it to the All-Sec First or the Second Team.

However, the Vanderbilt guard stood out in a very dominant squad. She led all freshmen in the total number of assists (178) and in addition to her other stats, she also had 81 steals.

So yes, Chavez might’ve had the individual numbers to back her case. But it looks like it came down to Galvan helping her team get the second seed. It seems like a case of choosing team’s success over the individual brilliance.

Losing the honor to Galvan might sting as many believed should’ve been a sure shot honor for Chavez, however, like she coach said, Aaliyah Chavez is a winner. She will be looking to keep her head up and lead her team in this week’s SEC Tournament. They are currently in a fantastic position and will look to advance to the Sweet 16.