Cameron Brink’s Extraordinary Senior Year at Stanford
The 6-foot-4 forward’s international experiences during the summer of 2023 propelled her into the best year of her collegiate career as a senior at Stanford University. Brink averaged 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and an astounding 3.7 blocks per game. She was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Player of the Year and won the Lisa Leslie award given to the best women’s center in the country.
With Brink as a catalyst, Stanford was able to capture the Pac-12 regular season title and make yet another deep run in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their season came to a halt following a Sweet Sixteen loss to North Carolina State which ended Brink’s college career. Despite the disappointing conclusion, Brink had a decorated college resume.
A list of her accolades at Stanford include winning the 2021 NCAA Championship, four-time Pac-12 champion, three-time WBCA All-American and three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Brink finished her time at Stanford accumulating 1,892 career points, 1,223 rebounds and 424 blocks.
Throughout her career she also became more outspoken on the importance of mental health, sharing her own experiences and providing advice for others on how to navigate similar struggles.
“Something I’ve learned especially this past year is that it can hit you at any moment. Last November, right when NCAA basketball season started I hit a wall mentally and it didn’t really make any sense. Everyone’s struggle is so individual with mental health but I think sometimes you just have to give yourself grace for not knowing exactly why you feel a certain way. Give yourself patience,” she said to NBC Sports.