ASU's Charli Turner Thorne named Pac-12 WBB Coach of the Year

The 2015 season was a true success for Arizona State's Women's Basketball team. The Sun Devils were crowned regular-season conference co-champions for the first time since 2001 on Sunday evening, alongside Oregon State. But it was not the only season honor.

Arizona State's head coach Charli Turner Thorne was named the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year. She led the Sun Devils to a 25-5 overall record and a 16-2 conference record for her 19th season at the helm of the program. It is the second time Charli Turner Thorne earns the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award, the last one coming after the 2001 season.

Since her arrival in Tempe in 1996, Charli Turner Thorne has been the main reason of ASU's success. She became the second-winningest head coach in Pac-12 history with 379 wins and surpassed 400 career wins (419 today) counting her first three years at Northern Arizona. Also, she brought the Sun Devils to 10 NCAA tournaments appearances in less than two decades. This season is the third straight 20-win season for Arizona State.

ASU ended up with a share of the conference title and will fly to Seattle for the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament with the #2 seed in the pocket. The Sun Devils will seek their first tournament title since the 2001-02 season. They are very likely to earn a NCAA Tournament berth after a successful regular season. Arizona State does not need to win the automatic berth given to the tournament champion. Charli Turner Thorne's girls are currently ranked at the 10th position in the latest AP Top-25.

The Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament will be played Thursday-Sunday, March 3-6, 2016, at KeyArena in Seattle. Arizona State will begin the competition in the quarterfinals, and will face the winner of the Utah-California game.