Cameron Brink
Brink with Stanford in 2022
No. 22 – Stanford Cardinal
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-12-31) December 31, 2001 (age 22)
Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Career information
High school
CollegeStanford (2020–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Thailand Team
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2018 Belarus Team
Women’s 3x3 basketball
FIBA 3x3 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2023 Vienna Team

Cameron Lee Brink[1] (born December 31, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference.

Brink attended Mountainside High School and Southridge High School, both in Beaverton, Oregon, where she earned McDonald's All-American honors and was ranked the number three player in her class by ESPN. As a freshman at Stanford, she helped her team win the national championship. In her sophomore season, she was named Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year and led her team to the Final Four. As a junior, Brink was named WBCA Defensive Player of the Year and became Stanford's all-time leader in blocks.

Brink has represented the United States at the youth international level. She won gold medals at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup and the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

Early life

Cameron Brink was born on December 31, 2001, in Princeton, New Jersey, to Greg Brink and Michelle Bain-Brink.[2][3] Her family are close friends with the family of Stephen Curry, whose mother, Sonya, is Brink's godmother. Her mother was roommates with Sonya at Virginia Tech, where her father played with Curry's father, Dell, on the basketball team.[4] Brink lived in Amsterdam for three years because of her parents' jobs at Nike and returned to the United States when she was in sixth grade.[5] She was not interested in basketball until age 10, preferring art as a child, but started playing the sport in Amsterdam and joined a club in Oregon one year later.[6]

High school career

Brink played basketball for Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon for three seasons. As a freshman, she averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game, leading her team to a Class 6A state title.[5] Brink won a second straight state championship as a sophomore, averaging 17.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.[7] She was named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year.[8] As a junior, Brink averaged 21.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, and led Southridge to the 6A state final. She received USA Today Oregon Player of the Year honors and repeated as Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year.[9] For her senior season, Brink transferred to Mountainside High School in Beaverton.[10] She averaged 19.7 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game as a senior. She missed five games with a high ankle sprain and played through injury at the state tournament.[11] Brink was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic,[12][13] which were both canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] She also played volleyball in high school, winning the state title as a freshman at Southridge.[15]

Recruiting

Brink was considered a five-star recruit and the number three player in the 2020 class by ESPN.[16] On November 7, 2018, she committed to Stanford over scholarship offers from Oregon and UConn.[17] Brink described Stanford as her dream school and was drawn there by her relationships with head coach Tara VanDerveer and assistant coach Kate Paye. She also felt that attending the university would benefit her after her playing career due to its strong academic prowess.[17][18]

College career

On November 25, 2020, Brink made her college debut, recording 17 points and 9 rebounds in a 108–40 win over Cal Poly.[19] On March 5, 2021, she posted a season-high 24 points while also having 11 rebounds and 5 blocks in a 79–45 victory against Oregon State at the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.[20] Brink was named to the all-tournament team after Stanford won the Pac-12 Tournament.[21] Brink helped her team win its first national championship since 1992, contributing 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in a 54–53 win over Arizona in the title game.[22] As a freshman, Brink averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, and was selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention. She set a program single-season record with 88 blocks.[2]

Brink in 2021

In her sophomore season, Brink assumed a leading role for Stanford with Haley Jones.[23] On November 25, 2021, she recorded 21 points, 22 rebounds and 5 blocks in a 69–66 win over fourth-ranked Indiana.[24] On January 30, 2022, Brink had 25 points and 15 rebounds in a 75–69 victory over eighth-ranked Arizona.[25] On February 6, she posted a career-high 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in an 83–57 win against USC.[26] Brink helped Stanford win the Pac-12 Tournament, where she was named to the all-tournament team.[27] In the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA tournament, she posted 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocks in a 59–50 win over Texas, leading her team back to the Final Four.[28] As a sophomore, Brink averaged 13.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, setting a new program single-season record with 91 blocks. She led Stanford with 13 double-doubles.[2] She earned Pac-12 Player of the Year from the media, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pac-12 Team and All-Defensive Team honors. Brink was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and made the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America team.[29]

On January 29, 2023, Brink recorded her first triple-double, with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks in a 62–54 win over Oregon.[30] She surpassed Jayne Appel as Stanford's all-time leader in blocks on February 17, after posting 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a 50–47 victory over USC.[31] As a junior, Brink averaged 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, and was named All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.[32] She received the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award as the top defensive player in the nation.[33] Brink earned second-team All-American honors from the AP and the USBWA, while repeating as a WBCA All-American. She ranked third among Division I players in blocks per game and broke her own single-season program record with 118 blocks.[34]

On August 14, 2023 Brink signed an NIL deal with New Balance, becoming the first women's basketball player for New Balance.[35]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2020–21 Stanford 32 20 18.4 .578 .367 .647 6.7 0.9 0.6 2.7 1.3 9.9
2021–22 Stanford 35 34 21.9 .556 .355 .615 8.1 1.2 0.9 2.6 1.6 13.5
2022–23 Stanford 34 34 24.8 .486 .213 .848 9.6 1.8 0.5 3.5 2.4 15.1

National team career

Brink represented the United States at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Belarus.[36] She averaged 3.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, as her team won the gold medal.[3] Brink helped the United States win another gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Thailand, averaging 2.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Brink - FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2023". fiba3x3.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Cameron Brink – Women's Basketball". Stanford University Athletics. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Cameron Brink (USA)'s profile – FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2018". FIBA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Sulek, Julia Prodis (March 31, 2022). "When she was 8, she told Steph Curry 'believe in yourself.' Now she's starring for Stanford in the Final Four". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Hawthorne, Jonathan (May 24, 2017). "Oregon prospect Cameron Brink carries advice from Steph Curry to USA Basketball trials". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  6. ^ Kiefer, David (March 15, 2022). "The Truth in First Impressions". Stanford University Athletics. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  7. ^ Olson, Dan (October 29, 2018). "No. 2 junior prospect Cameron Brink commits to Stanford". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "Southridge High School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade Oregon Girls Basketball Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade Player of the Year. March 19, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Stanford women draw another talented group of hoop recruits". Palo Alto Weekly. November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Humburg, JD (February 26, 2020). "Cameron Brink on leaving Southridge: Oregon's top girls basketball player says she needed 'a fresh start – new school, new team'". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Humburg, JD (April 17, 2020). "6A all-state basketball: Fledgling program, serious injury … no matter the challenge, never count out the remarkable Cameron Brink". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "Brink to Jordan Brand Classic". Stanford University Athletics. February 18, 2020. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  13. ^ McCord, AJ (March 13, 2020). "Mountainside's Cameron Brink among Top 24 players in US". KOIN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  14. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 12, 2020). "McDonald's, Jordan Brand high school games won't be held". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Sanchez, Orlando (January 12, 2018). "Southridge HS star shares special connection with Stephen Curry". KGW. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "Cameron Brink 2020 High School Girls' Basketball Profile". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Humburg, JD (November 7, 2018). "Cameron Brink: Southridge star, nation's No. 2 prospect, 'brother' of Stephen Curry commits to Stanford". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Rayburn, Jacob (November 9, 2018). "Top-five junior Cameron Brink committed to her dream school". CardinalSportsReport. Rivals. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  19. ^ "No. 2 Stanford women get balanced effort, rout Cal Poly". USA Today. Associated Press. November 25, 2020. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  20. ^ Gordon, Sam (March 5, 2021). "Stanford freshman Cameron Brink steals show in semifinals". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  21. ^ "Crown the Cardinal". Stanford University Athletics. Associated Press. March 7, 2021. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  22. ^ Copeland, Kareem; Raggs, Tramel; Wang, Gene (April 4, 2021). "Stanford defeats Arizona to win its first NCAA women's title since 1992". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  23. ^ Parker, Ben (March 16, 2022). "Haley Jones and Cameron Brink named AP All-Americans". CardinalSportsReport. Rivals. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  24. ^ "Stanford women beat No. 4 Indiana in Bahamas tournament". The Mercury News. Associated Press. November 25, 2021. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  25. ^ Kroner, Steve (January 30, 2022). "Cameron Brink leads No. 2 Stanford over No. 8 Arizona in title rematch". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  26. ^ "Cameron Brink's big game helps No. 2 Stanford women rout USC". San Francisco Chronicle. February 6, 2022. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "Cameron Brink: Improved defense key to Stanford securing 2022 Pac-12 Tournament title". Pac-12 Conference. March 6, 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  28. ^ Schnell, Lindsay (March 28, 2022). "As Stanford's Cameron Brink dominates defensively, a torch is passed". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  29. ^ "2021–22 Season in Review". Stanford University Athletics. April 18, 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  30. ^ Philippou, Alexa (January 29, 2023). "'A great game': Stanford's Brink posts triple-double with blocks". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  31. ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 17, 2023). "Cameron Brink sets Stanford blocks record as Cardinal tops USC". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  32. ^ Ingemi, Marisa (February 28, 2023). "Stanford's Cameron Brink named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  33. ^ "Stanford's Brink named 2023 WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. March 27, 2023. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  34. ^ "Consensus All-American". Stanford University Athletics. March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  35. ^ Benson, Pat (August 14, 2023). "New Balance & Cameron Brink Make History With NIL Deal". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  36. ^ "No. 1 prospects Samantha Brunelle, Cameron Brink headline USA Basketball U17 roster". ESPN. May 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  37. ^ "Cameron Brink (USA)'s profile – FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2019". FIBA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cameron Brink.
Stanford Cardinal women's basketball 2020–21 NCAA champions
WBCA Defensive Player of the Year
Pac-12 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year
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