Still Perfect In The Only Stat That Matters

 

Playing in the Mirror

 

            For the first three games of the season, Stanford had been putting on an offensive clinic and racking up dazzling, nation leading offensive stats.  Against UC Davis the stats weren't gaudy, but the most important one remained impressive.  Stanford is still undefeated. 

 

                  The coaches at UC Davis are the people who taught Tara VanDerveer and her staff the Princeton Offense. That's the offense the CARD is currently running.  In fact, both teams on the floor were running the same offense and Coach Paye thought Davis was running it better.  

 

                  The game wasn't pretty for either team.  That's what happens when everybody knows the other team's plays.  Neither team could get open often for easy threes.  Both shot under 30% from three for the game.  However, both teams had some decent looks that went halfway down before popping out. If those shots had fallen the stats would have been better. The Cardinal team that had been scoring 89 points or more in their first three games only managed 29 points in the entire first half.  That's only three points more than the CARD scored in the FIRST Quarter against Gonzaga.  Those 29 points were enough to give Stanford an eight-point lead, but it certainly wasn't the blow out lead the CARD had been establishing in previous games. Not only did Davis hang around, never getting more than 10 or 11 points down, but late in the third quarter they threatened to steal the game -- rallying to tie and finally take a one-point lead with 25 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.  

 

Gut-check time!

 

                  One of the questions about this year's team was, how would the team respond when things weren't easy.  Would they buckle under pressure or buckle down and grit it out.

Against Davis the CARD rose to the challenge.  Having been put on notice that the game could be lost, Stanford pulled away to win by double digits.  The surge began with a three-pointer by Courtney Ogdon on a beautiful assist from Lepolo as time expired in the Third Quarter.  UC Davis never led again although they tied the game twice.  By less than two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter Stanford had taken a two possession lead.  The game was never closer as Stanford pulled further away.  The CARD's biggest lead came at the game's end. 

 

                  It was a team effort, but sophomores Nunu Agara and Courtney Ogdon scored 15 of Stanford's last 23 points.  Seniors Demetre and Bosgana scored the other eight.  In fact, those four scored 60 of Stanford's 69 total points for the game.  Agara was especially impressive in this one, as she had been in the tougher than expected exhibition against Cal State LA.  Nunu collected her first official double-double with a career high 25 points and 10 rebounds. She also managed two steals and an assist! Just as the Cardinal has played itself into the national conversation -- now back in the Top 25 (at 24) --  Agara is playing her way into the national conversation about top power forwards. 

 

The View from Behind the Bench

 

                  Fall Quarter exams are still almost a month away, but this seems like a good time to discuss "midterm grades" for Kate Paye and her coaching staff.  Kate is different from Tara and not different.  She is on her feet more, but like Tara she works hard at coaching/teaching players throughout the game.  She is a bit more emotional, but like Tara she doesn't appear to panic.  So far Kate and her staff have an undefeated team that is fun to watch.  At least ten players have seen time on the floor in every game and only one is averaging more than 30 minutes a game -- Nunu (31). Players appear to be having fun, playing like a team, and improving.  

 

                  Another big part of the coaching staff's job is to recruit quality players.  Wednesday Coach Paye announced the first recruiting class of the Paye Era at Stanford.  If anybody had been predicting a drop-off after Tara's departure, they were wrong!  The five new players committed to Stanford for next fall, including two over 6'4”, are all rated four and five stars by talent evaluators.  They form a class that is currently ranked number two in the country!  That may change as several of the players ranked in the top 20 have not yet committed to a school. Overall, this recruiting outcome means that next year's team will remain relevant.  

 

                  The final measure will be retaining the talent already on the team.  That task is complicated by the ability and willingness of the "collectives" at some schools to dangle big money (high six or even seven figure paydays) as enticement for young women to transfer.  That is what cost Stanford Kiki Iriafen -- Lifetime Cardinal couldn't compete with USC. However, having players who are happy and feel connected to their teammates and school reduces the chances of losing players who aren't being offered lottery winner level deals.

 

Questions:

 

1.  How will this CARD team fare outside of Maples?

                  To date all of Stanford's games have been played inside the comfy confines of Maples Pavilion -- on the Tara VanDerveer Court.  That changes now.  Sunday the CARD is on the road to Indiana. December's schedule includes away games against LSU and CAL along with a "neutral" Chase Center contest against Ohio State.  Once the ACC schedule starts half the games will be on the road, often against ranked teams!  The team is unlikely to remain undefeated through all of that-- but we would like to see them continue to do well.

 

2.  What's up with the offensive fouls?

                  Against Davis the ACC refs seemed to be mostly "letting them play."  Bodies were hitting the floor all over the place with no calls. However, of the 19 fouls called on Stanford, six were offensive fouls.  Of the 13 fouls called against Davis, NONE were offensive fouls.  One must ask, were Cardinal players being more blatant with their offensive physicality or are there ACC refs having some anti-Stanford bias already...? The good news is that no Stanford player picked up more than one offensive foul -- so they showed the ability to learn what the refs were calling.

A Short Video hello from two of our freshmen

The link below takes you to a short video from Shay and Kennedy

 https://youtu.be/KMbz8oJb-QA?si=cvHVR4EJZ8YjefAY

A Tribute to a Legend: Tara VanDerveer Court

 

First -- Let's Talk about the Game and the Team!

 

            Gonzaga was Stanford's third official opponent and the first one to be part of the national conversation even if unranked.  In fact, in the Top 25 polls, Gonzaga had received more votes than Stanford. The CARD dominated in the first two games, never trailing after the opening moments of the first quarter, scoring over 90 points in each of them, and "shooting the lights out." Still, questions remained -- how would Stanford do against a quality opponent, could the CARD continue to rain threes, could the CARD continue to put up gauzy stats, could the CARD keep scoring over 90 points a game? Additionally, there was the question of how this young team would respond to participating in a "big deal" game -- like this one honoring Tara VanDerveer.

 

                  All those questions were answered. The team continued to record an impressive number of assists -- this game it was 19 assists on 30 made baskets (63%) coupled with only 5 turnovers. The CARD also continued to have an impressive number of steals - today it was 10, bringing the season's total to 29.  Stanford's three-point total and shooting percentages were down but only slightly -- but their three-point and free throw percentages were up slightly. Against Gonzaga Stanford hit 13 of 24 threes (54%) and 30 of 65 shots total (46%). All ten of the players in the regular rotation scored, led by Nunu Agara with 16.  She was joined in double figure by Elena Bosgana and Jzaniya Harriel with 12 each and Chloe Clardy with 11. Six players hit three shots. Of course, the CARD didn't score over 90 points against Gonzaga -- they only got to 89, but that's pretty darn good! To put it simply, as Kate says, "We have good shooters."

 

Playing to Honor a Legend

 

                  Prior to Sunday's game there was a very special ceremony -- celebrating the naming of the basketball court for basketball legend Tara VanDerveer.  With her mother, three of her siblings, numerous friends, former players, current Stanford athletes and coaches, and appreciative fans many wearing shirts honoring Tara's record setting career all looking on -- the public address announcer said, "For the first time, welcome to Tara VanDerveer Court at Maple's Pavilion."  As the announcement was made, a cover was pulled off the new permanent logo. 

 

All games including volleyball and men's basketball will, from now on, be played on Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion. This singular recognition is a fitting honor for a woman who has changed not just women's basketball but women's sports and arguably the sports world.

 

                  Tara fell in love with basketball and coaching as a young woman -- back when coaching women's sports was paid like a hobby, if paid at all.  She soaked up everything she could from Bobby Knight during her years at Indiana and took her first coaching job as an unpaid assistant at Ohio State. After two years at the University of Idaho, Moscow as their head coach, Tara returned to Ohio State as their head coach in 1981.  In 1985 she accepted the job as head coach of Stanford's women's basketball team.  A job she held until her retirement earlier this year.  During her years at the helm of the CARD, Tara presided over the rise of not only Stanford women's basketball, but west coast women's basketball.  Tara's encouragement of other coaches is another part of her legend.  Her goals always included building the game and the world of women's sports.  Most credit Tara's willingness to take an entire year away from Stanford to lead the US Women's National Team with developing the foundation for women's professional basketball in the US.  But, through it all, Tara was never about promoting herself -- always about promoting the game. Today's honor was truly deserved. 

 

 

A Torch Has Been Passed

 

            This year's Stanford team continues to be a lot of fun to watch.  Impressively, it appears to be a team that is a lot of fun for the players too.  Coach Paye has them working hard, believing in themselves, cheering in the huddle, and celebrating each other's successes.  

 

                  Good coaches win a lot of games when coaching a team full of All-Americans.  Great coaches develop talented players into the best they can be and combine a team full of talented players into a winning unit.  The current Stanford team doesn't have any preseason All Americans. In fact, the preseason ACC All Conference list didn't include a single Stanford player.  But this team is winning and the players are getting better every game.  Nunu Agara is on her way to being a star. Chloe Clarday is on her way to an impressive sophomore season.  Elena Bosgana is blossoming, Everybody cheered Kennedy Umeh's baskets and Shay Ijwoye's assis.  Ijwoye to Umeh is a connection we may hear about often for the next four years.  All of this is the mark of a special coach.  It looks like Stanford has gotten lucky in the coaching realm twice!

Two Games -- Two Wins

Second Game: Results the Same!

 

                  So far the Kate Paye Era at Stanford has been a lot of fun -- both for the fans and, from their smiles and laughter, for the players.  The team is playing with pace, scoring in bucket loads, and looking loose.  In both regular season games and their exhibition, the CARD has scored over 90 points and won by over 20 points.  That was 21 pts over Cal State LA, 65 points over Le Moyne, and 29 points over WSU. Coach Paye has said, "we have very good shooters," and the players have been proving her right. Stanford has been "shooting the lights out" from three! Against Le Moyne the CARD shot threes at 52.9% to set a school record 18 three-pointers. Against WSU Stanford only hit 14 threes but shot a blistering 70% from the three-point line!

 

                  The official slogan is that this team is a symphony, and different players will star on different nights.  So far that has been at least partly true.  Every player dressed has played in both official games. Jzaniya Harriel was the three-point star of game one with 24 points on 6 of 7 from three.  Tess Heal hit 4 of 4 from three on her way to 14 points in game two.  Mary Ashley Stevenson (MA) had 10 rebounds against Le Moyne.  But, at least so far, three players have been quite consistent scoring leaders -- Bosgana, Agara, and Clardy.  Nunu Agara and Elena Bosgana have two games both with 18 points for Nunu and 19 points for Elena! Chloe Clardy has scored 15 and 14 points on a mix of threes and two-point drives to the basket. Elena has also been a leader in this year's "theft ring," as the CARD has managed 19 steals in two games! Elena has five of them.  Nunu has been the team's leading rebounder for two of the three games -- although only one of the "official" games.  It's a bit early to be definitive about anything -- including stars, but this should be fun to watch.

 

                  There are also some areas of concern.  Foremost among them the relative lack of height in the post.  Seven of the CARD's fourteen players are over six feet tall, but freshman Kennedy Umeh is the tallest at 6'4".  That isn't something that can "improve" over the season -- although there is help coming next year.  The issue will be learning to handle mismatches when other teams have greater height.  The CARD showed improvement with that during the WSU game.  WSU had five of its seven blocks in the first quarter, three by the 6'6" Covill, as Stanford players tried to drive to the basket. Covill didn't record another block as Stanford players stopped trying to drive past her and started pulling up and shooting over her.  

 

                  The biggest fixable concern is defense.  WSU shot 43.9% from the floor and 50% from three - both of which were considerable improvements over their previous game.  Cal State LA shot 44% overall and 42.3% from three.  Only the totally overmatched Le Moyne team failed to hit at least 40% of their shots. Against WSU there were a number of times where the Cougars had open shots that just didn't go down.  Not every team will miss. Defense is about effort and intensity -- improvement is possible.  Some of the problem may be that it is hard to push when the team is up by 20 plus points.  But getting into lazy habits is dangerous.

                  The final area of concern is what Coach Paye calls "running offense." It is the opposite of "going one-on-one." The Stanford system is designed around ball movement leading to open shots, not individual players dribbling their way free or forcing up a shot even when they aren't open.  Yes, sometimes the movement leads to an open driving lane -- but that is "in the system.”  It can be hard for talented players to operate within an offensive system instead of simply trying to be a star.  But, winning requires it. For coaches that presents the challenge of gently pushing the player to "run offense" without destroying the player's confidence, creativity, and enthusiasm.  Kate seems like she is up for that challenge.

 

                  The CARD’s performance in the season’s first two games has Stanford among the national leaders in several statistical categories.  Those include three-pointers per game, three-point percentage, and assist to turnover ratio.  Hopefully that continues.  We'll see after the Gonzaga game.  If the CARD wins that one, and I think they will, they should be climbing back into the top 25 where they belong.

Questions

1.  How will the team handle the emotion of Sunday’s court dedication?

    Young teams can have difficulty handling emotional situations and Sunday’s court dedication promises to be emotional. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the team to settle in to the game.

 

The First One is Done!

 

First Game is One for the Record Books

 

            In Stanford's blowout win over Le Moyne everybody "dressed" for the game and Head Coach Kate Paye earned a positive entry in the record books! Coach Paye got her first head coaching win, the team set a Stanford record for 3-point field goals with 18, players Jzaniya Harriel and Chloe Clardy scored career highs in points, and sophomore transfer Mary Ashley Stevenson grabbed double digit rebounds. Harriel and Clardy were joined in double digit scoring by rising star Nunu Agara (18), and senior Elena Bosgana (19).  Senior Brooke Demetre, a vocal leader, turned in a solid eight-point, three-rebound, three-assist, one-block performance.  

 

                  All four of the team's newcomers dressed for the game scored at least one point and pulled down at least one rebound. (Junior transfer Tess Heal was on the bench with what appeared to be an upper body injury.) The freshmen Kennedy Umeh, Shay Ijiwoye, and Harper Peterson gave us a glimpse of the talent that had them among the nation's top 100 recruits. Umeh provided a presence in the paint, recording five points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in her less than seven minutes on the floor.  Peterson went two-for-two from three-point range in her 4:54 on the floor.  Ijiwoye put the speed and "hops" that coaches have described on display in her almost 13 minutes of playing time.  The 5'6" Shay skyed for a defensive rebound and dished out three assists while adding significant "zip" to the Card's push up the floor. 

               Talana Lepolo in her first game exposure since off-season knee surgery, and talented sophomore Courtney Ogden didn’t have big numbers on the stat sheet but each made positive contributions on defense.  Courtney demonstrated unselfishness on a particularly nice pass to Ijiwoye leading to her first basket. Even players who rarely get floor time made noteworthy contributions.  Stavi Papadaki had two assists, a steal, and an impressive block that got the bench and the fans on their feet cheering.  Lauren Green grabbed a rebound and showed off the defensive intensity that earns her respect in practice.  This was truly a team party!

 

It's the finish that matters!

 

                  What was perhaps most impressive about Stanford's dispatching of the clearly overmatched Le Moyne team was the Card's efficiency as they played with pace and ball movement.  The team shot 55% overall, 53% from three, and 69% of made baskets were assited (25 of 37).  Even more impressive, the team had more steals (9) than turnovers (6). 

 

                  Those gaudy numbers hide the fact that for fans at Maples the opening minutes were a bit more nerve racking.  At the five-minute mark Stanford trailed by two points (6 to 4).  Somewhere around that time, a glance at the stat board showed Stanford shooting 11% from the floor.  Stanford closed the quarter with a flurry of threes (two by Harriel and one each by Clardy and Demetre) to take a 16-10 lead and bring the shooting percentage up to a respectable (but not impressive) 31%.  From there the CARD never looked back.  With the "new season" jitters settled, Stanford went on a tear, scoring 34 points in the second quarter while holding Le Moyne to 12!  

 

Going Forward

 

                  The rest of the season is not going to be as easy as the rout of Le Moyne, a team only a few years removed from Division II.  Stanford, not ranked in the Preseason Top 25 for the first time in over 35 years, faces three ranked teams in the preseason (LSU, Ohio State, and Indiana).  The next two foes for this week-- Washington State and Gonzaga -- are teams that have played the CARD tough, especially Gonzaga.  The Gonzaga game, when Tara VanDerveer Court will be dedicated, should be a real test.  If Stanford is 3-0 by this time next week, we can be confident that the CARD's performance this year will be better than the 7th place in the ACC predicted by the pundits.

 

 

Some Important Roles for Fans

 

                  As Stanford, under the leadership of Head Coach Paye, navigates the new landscape of college athletics there are several important things fans can do to help.  First is SHOW UP!  Basketball players love playing in front of packed houses.  They love it even more when the house is packed with their fans. 

 

                  In addition, this new world is fueled by money.  Part of supporting Stanford Women's Basketball is supporting Stanford Athletics.  That means not just buying tickets but also considering a donation to the Buck/Cardinal Club (originally the "Buck a Month Club). Membership requires a donation of any size. Women's Basketball season ticket holders who donate at least $500 to the Buck/Cardinal Club receive parking passes with larger donations receiving additional benefits.  Generally donations made in a current academic year receive benefits the following year. Buck Cardinal Donations: (https://give.stanford.edu/athletics?utm_source=gostanford&utm_campaign=buck_cardinal)

 

                  A new way to support the women's basketball is to give to Stanford's recently formed "Collective" -- Lifetime Cardinal.  Fans can join Lifetime Cardinal, select the sport they want to support, and select the size of their donation.  There is also a Lifetime Cardinal merch store.  Currently only players in women's basketball, men's basketball, and football receive NIL money from Lifetime Cardinal but they plan to add more sports as support grows. Lifetime Cardinal: https://lifetimecardinal.com/pages/contact

 

 

Questions

 

                  One of my favorite parts of writing this blog is the chance to pose questions for myself and my fellow fans.  Here goes with the first set for this year.

 

1. Can Kate Paye manage a smooth transition to the role of Head Coach?

                  In the past, new coaches taking over from legends have not had spectacular results. Texas took a long time to return to high rankings after Jody Conradt retired.  Tennessee hasn't been back on top since Pat Summit retired. Other less renown programs have also struggled. More recently new coaches have had better luck, especially if they have both professional experience and spent time as a coach at that school.  For example, Notre Dame has remained relevant since Niele Ivey took over for Muffet McGraw.  So, what will be Kate's story?  

 

2.  Who will be this year's stars?

                  Of course I have been asking this question already and we already have some answers.  Nunu Agara has quickly established herself as a team leader and rising star.  It's too early to know just how good Nunu can be - but we predict that she will have a great season.  Jzaniya Harriel's three-point scoring and steady guard play suggests that she may be the next rising star.  She is currently ranked near the top on three-pointers nationally.  Will she still be there next week?  I wouldn't bet against it.

                  Of course, things like All Star rankings and national prominence require more than being the best or one of the best players on your team -- it requires your team doing well enough to get media coverage.  If Stanford can shine in the ACC, our stars will shine.

 

3.  Will Stanford fans show up?

                  Women's basketball is finally getting the national attention and respect it has long deserved.  The question is, can that happen for Stanford?  Over 15,000 Bay Area residents signed up for Valkyrie tickets -- but Stanford WBB is nowhere near a season ticket sellout and too many fans are getting older...

                  It doesn't help that the CARD have lost last season's marquee players and legendary head coach.  But last year's team played in front of half empty stands despite having two All American's and the winningest coach in college basketball.  Some people may still have the memory of where Stanford was 20 years ago when good seats weren't available...or maybe it's just the peninsula.  Maybe we should all try bringing a friend to the game...I don't know.

            

The First New Star

Two Exhibitions Played:  Now for the ones that count!

 

            Fans have now had two opportunities to preview the "Kate Paye Era" of Stanford Women's Basketball.  The 2024-25 team has been on display for two exhibition games.  The first was the Red & White Scrimmage where Stanford players, Coach "Bird" McCall, alum Hannah Jump, and the team's male practice players participated in a four-quarter scrimmage.  In that scrimmage the "White" team consisted of team members, but the identity of those players changed at the end of quarters.  The "Red" team had as its core the male practice players, Bird, Jump, Stavi Papadaki, and Lauren Green.  The second was an exhibition against Division II Cal State Los Angeles.  Neither returning starting point guard Talana Lepolo nor freshman point guard Shay Ijiwoye participated in either exhibition due to injuries. 

 

Red & White Scrimmage

 

                  The unique format of the Red & White scrimmage created challenges for analyzing the team's performance. Talana's absence as she recovers from her off-season knee surgery only added to that difficulty.  But, one fact is abundantly clear - this is a young team. Gone from the "White" team were the four players (Brink, Iriafen, Jump, and Lepolo) who averaged more than 25 minutes per game last season.  While Talana should be back on the court soon, replacing All American/PAC-12 Player of the Year Brink, team leading scorer All American Iriafen, and Stanford's three-point career record holder Jump will not be easy.  They scored over 61% of Stanford's points last year (47.4 of the team's 77.5 points per game.)  Of the returning players, other than Lepolo who average over 30, only Demetre averaged over 20 minutes a game (21). Brooke and senior Elena Bosgana are experienced players with good three point stokes -- they will need to provide solid leadership and consistent play if this young team is going to secede. 

 

                  The team's five newcomers include two players with college experience, Tess Heal and Mary Ashley Stevenson, and three solid recruits.  Point guard Heal, a junior from Australia, transferred from Santa Clara where she was #4 in the country in made free throws.  Wing Stevenson transferred from Purdue where she was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The three freshman newcomers are 6'4" center Kennedy Umeh, 6'3" Harper Peterson, and 5'6" guard Shay Ijwoye.  All five new players are learning the Stanford system, and the freshmen are just making the transition from high school to college.  That transition involves playing a faster game on a larger court with a longer three-point line against older players.  Bottom line, this is a team one expects to get better as the season goes along.

 

                  There were some other clues to the season ahead in the Red & White scrimmage.  First, returning sophomore Nunu Agara showed that she had made the improvement one hopes to see in a returning sophomore.  Fellow returnees Ogden and Clardy also showed increased confidence but didn't quite seem to have "put it all together."  This was most evident with Ogden, clearly a very talented player, who seemed to lack that solid sense of when to pass and when to push, resulting in some missed opportunities on offense.  Heal, despite being in a new system, acquitted herself well subbing for the missing Talana.  Similarly, Harriel showed the maturity of four years at Stanford -- and seems ready to play a significant role on this team. All of these players clearly have an "upside” and we expect the talented Stanford coaching staff to help them achieve real improvement as individual players and as a team.

 

                  The good news was that the team played with pace and ball movement.  The bad news was that the team missed way too many shots.  There were no stats displayed so it is hard to know what the shooting percentages were -- but unlike last year when it was raining made threes, this year the "rain" was hit and miss, with too many misses. There were similar struggles at the rim.

 

 

Exhibition Against CAL State LA

 

            The good news for the CARD is that nobody got hurt and six players scored in double figures -- led by Nunu Agara's monster 25 point, 13 rebound, 5 assists, and two block game.  Stanford played with good pace, evidenced by Stanford's 91 total points.  Although Stanford had a number of good looks that didn't fall, overall the shooting percentages were very close to the season averages from last year.  (Total FG% 46.3% last year to 46.9%; 3-PT % 34.6% last year to 34.5%) Free throw shooting was another plus. The team hit 91% of their 23 freebies.  There were only two misses, both early misses from players who hit a combined 15 of 17 -- not bad at all!  

 

                  The bad news is that although Stanford won this game by over 21 points, it was not the blow out that most would have expected against a Division II team with only two players over 6' on the roster.  The Cardinal "won" every quarter, but the margin for each quarter was between four and seven points.  One major factor in this surprisingly even game was CSLA's efficient 11 of 26 (42.3%) from the three-point range and 44% success from the floor overall. Obviously, Stanford needs to improve on defense! Some of that improvement should come when Talana Lepolo, generally a strong defender, gets back on the floor.  Some will come as the team gains more experience playing together since Stanford does a lot of switching on defense. However, a key factor in defensive improvement involves players making a commitment to defense.  Players need to "hang their hats" on their defense -- coaches need to ask for that and reward it with playing time.

 

 

A Star Starts to Shine!

 

                  Coming into this season with Brink, Jump, and Iriafen gone, one big question was who will be the next Stanford Star? Possible candidates included senior Brooke Demetre, senior Elena Bosgana, red-shirt junior Jzaniya Harriel, sophomore Nunu Agara, and sophomore Courtney Ogden.  Bosgana, Demetre, and Agara were Stanford's fourth, fifth, and sixth leading scorers last season. Harriel was last season's three-point percentage leader (39.5%). Ogden, the most highly rated recruit in last year's freshman class, had been hampered by nagging injuries but showed flashes of brilliance.  

 

                  At the Red & White scrimmage, Agara flashed strong signals that she was ready to shine.  Against Cal State LA she transformed those signals into a star worthy performance. On offense, Nunu attacked the rim with confidence, pulled down seven "O-boards," stepped out to make one of her two 3-point shots, and was Stanford's assist leader with five.  On defense Nunu was generally an effective defender, grabbed seven rebounds, and managed two blocks -- albeit against a team lacking in size.  Additionally, Nunu was a vocal leader on the floor -- helping to direct and encourage her teammates. She was a warrior.  However, for me the best Agara moment came with her on the bench in the games waning moments. Freshman post Kennedy Umeh credits Agara, her teammate on the Gold Medal winning USA 2022 U17 team, as her inspiration and her reason for committing to Stanford. When Kennedy grabbed her first rebounds and scored her first basket as a Stanford player, Nunu smiled, cheered, jumped up and down enthusiastically! That unselfish enthusiasm for a teammate's performance from a player who had just put in over 30 exhausting minutes on the court is the true hallmark of a Stanford star. Coaches and players talk about the Stanford sisterhood.  In her obvious joy over Kennedy's success, Nunu exhibited it!

 

                  Over the course of the year, other players need to shine.  Winning teams have more than one star, sometimes more than one superstar.  The performances against CSLA hint that other Stanford players will have multiple star turns this season.  Let's show up and watch.  Next game -- Monday night against Le Moyne at 7:00 pm!  That game, the first official game of the season, will be followed by a game against Washington State, Thursday also at 7 pm.  Then Sunday at noon, Stanford will play Gonzaga in a noon game that will also feature the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion. 

My thoughts on the New ERA

 

A New World 

            Stanford Women's Basketball will open its 2024-25 season on October 30 with an exhibition against Cal State LA.  There will be 14 players available -- nine back from last season -- all wearing traditional Stanford uniforms.  There will be one more coach on the bench (6 instead of last year's five) with four back from last year, and the team will still play its home games in Maples Pavilion.  Sounds almost normal. 

 

                  Yet, it is virtually impossible to overstate how different women's basketball and particularly Stanford Women's Basketball is from five years ago when Stanford won its most recent National Championship by defeating fellow PAC-12 team, Arizona State.  There have been total sea changes for college athletics, for west coast college athletics, and specifically for Stanford Women's basketball.  The changes are, in many ways, all connected and all connected to the effect that college football has had on the nature of college athletics. 

 

A New Era for College Sports

 

            Once upon a time college athletes were amateurs and college athletics existed for the pleasure the contests brought to fans - primarily students and alums - and the sense of accomplishment they provided to the student athletes. At least that is what the fantasy that may have existed in the distant past told us.  The transaction was college athletes received scholarships that provided them with a free college education while the school sold tickets that recouped the cost of those scholarships and made alums happy. Although there were professional leagues for football, basketball, and baseball, player salaries were quite moderate compared to what a professional in other fields -- physicians, lawyers, and business executives could expect to earn. 

 

                  Over time, especially for "revenue" sports, the deal changed with the change driven in large part by the revenue the sports provided to the schools-- particularly from their media deals.  Football was the main driver because NFL rules require players be "at least three years" past high school, while basketball players need only one year and baseball has always drafted players right out of high school. College football coaches started receiving huge salaries making them, at many schools, far and away the most highly compensated employee of the school.  In 2024, the nation's highest paid university president earned 2.4 million while the top 60 college football coaches all earned more.  Decisions about athletics issues became more about generating athletic success than about caring for the student athletes.  Not surprisingly, student athletes began challenging the NCAA's rules limiting /prohibiting their ability to be compensated for their school's (and the NCAA's) use of their images, their ability to change schools, and prohibiting their schools from compensating them for their efforts.

 

                  At the same time, the entire notion of amateur sports began to erode with professional athletes becoming eligible for the Olympics and "appearance" payments for elite athletes in all sports becoming commonplace. Furthermore, the compensation for professional athletes increased significantly.  For example, in 1970 the average salary for professional football players was between $20,000 and $60,000 a year while the current minimum salary in the NFL is $795,000. As college athletes increasingly viewed their sport as their profession, they became less comfortable with performing for free, especially athletes coming from low-income families.  Being unable to afford a pizza or a fancy coffee while watching coaches get paid millions for the results of the student athletes' performances seemed unfair. This was especially true in sports where the probability of becoming a successful professional is low while the probability of sustaining a significant injury is high.  Only 1.6% of college football players and 1.2% of male college basketball players end up playing for US professional teams.  For female athletes the numbers are even more dismal with only 33 women even being drafted by the WNBA last year.  Additionally, although earnings for female athletes in sports other than golf and tennis have not generally had the potential to run to seven figures, there are significant signs that in the not-too-distant future, female professional athletes will be much more highly compensated.  Already female athletes are signing endorsement deals that pay handsomely.

 

                    The NCAA, in its true monopolistic bully fashion, refused to change their rules. Courts and legislatures were more sympathetic about the obvious exploitation. As a result, student athletes can now transfer to new schools as many times as they chose and interested parties (but so far not schools) can pay student athletes for among other things the use of their photos, interviews, and appearances (NIL).  Furthermore, although coaches are still prohibited from directly recruiting students committed to another school, nothing prohibits other students, alums, or other interested parties from contacting any student athlete and offering them compensation should they chose to enroll at a different school. This relatively unregulated situation was almost certainly a factor in Kiki Iriafen's decision to leave for USC. Rumor has it that Kiki, a rising senior All-American who would have been this team's leader, was offered an NIL deal in the high six figures to transfer!

 

                  Essentially, college athletes have gone from being highly regulated legally defined amateurs to being unrestricted prospective professionals.  They can earn money for everything from appearing at a charity or booster club event to getting eyeballs to their social media accounts. The implications for all of this include the need for coaches to constantly re-recruit their existing players while recruiting new players from both the high school ranks AND the rosters of other teams.  It also means that student athletes need to consider new factors -- from what payment a school's "collective" will provide to what kind of media exposure will their play at a school generate as they select a school. At some point in the future there may be more regulation (as there is in professional sports), but for now the competition for college athletes is truly the "wild west." 

                   Stanford University has always been a place where student athletes were truly student athletes.  Now Stanford is trying to figure out how to handle a world where it's more "professional athlete currently enrolled at this school." It's too early to know how Stanford will adjust to this new reality -- so stay tuned.

 

Bye-Bye PAC-12 -- Hello ACC

 

            The next sea change was the dissolving of the PAC-12 Conference.  This year for the first time in 106 years, Stanford will not be playing in what has been the Pacific Athletic Conference. It has been sacrificed on the altar of football and big bucks.  The apparent insatiable appetite for football at all levels has resulted in huge media contracts for college sports conferences.  Unfortunately, PAC-12 leadership dropped the ball in that arena.  That made PAC-12 schools attractive targets for poaching, especially schools with strong football programs and large media markets.  The Big Ten moved in and peeled off USC and UCLA.  Once they were gone, the prospects for a strong media contract diminished and both Oregon and Washington were willing to jump ship -- also joining the Big Ten.  Stanford's less than stellar recent performance on the football field apparently did not attract the same interest.  When the dust settled ten of the PAC-12 schools had  departed with both Stanford and Cal joining the ACC -- the Atlantic Coast Conference.

 

                  The predecessor of the PAC-12 was founded in 1915, with Stanford joining in 1918.  The conference became the Pacific Athletic Conference, the PAC-8, the PAC-10, and finally the PAC-12. What all those iterations had in common was a geographic link to at least the western US and mostly the Pacific Coast.  That meant that some away games were within driving distance, and all could be reached by plane in under three hours -- with direct flights usually available.  Additionally, the teams were largely geographically paired -- requiring only one plane flight and a bus ride for a two game trip. It also meant that the Conference tournament -- once it was instituted -- was held in a similarly convenient location.  Other than CAL, the closest ACC team is fellow newcomer SMU located in Dallas, TX.  The ACC tournament will be held somewhere on the East Coast.... For student athletes it means a number of long plane flights, a burden only somewhat ameliorated by the use of charter flights.  For fans the geographic proximity meant that it was reasonable to consider attending some of the team's away games. That won't be true for ACC games as we won't have the benefit of charter flights. 

 

Head Coach

 

                  The final sea change is on the bench.  Since 1985 the one constant for Stanford WB was that Tara Van Derveer was Stanford's head coach. Even when she took a year off to transform the US landscape for women's basketball, we knew she was Stanford's coach and would be back. (The '96 US National team, which went 60 and 0, is widely created with creating the foundation for professional women's basketball in the US.) During Tara's tenure on the Stanford bench, the team won three national championships, and had 14 Final Four appearances, 21 Elite Eight appearances, 28 Sweet Sixteen appearances, made the NCAA tournament every year except Tara's first season, and won the Conference tournament (PAC-10/12) 14 times.  All of those numbers for Tara, except the National Championships, would be one number higher if Tara were to be credited with the 29-3 record of Stanford's 1995-96 team coached during her absence by interim head coaches Amy Tucker and Marianne Staley (and Geno would be 29 games further behind in career wins).  

 

                  Tara was the fan's security blanket.  After her first year as head coach, her teams never had a losing record and from her third year on, only two Tara coached teams failed to win at least 20 games!  No matter how overmatched Stanford teams might appear to be on paper, we always knew that a Tara coached team couldn't be counted out. Stanford was the last team to defeat UConn before their record setting win streak and was the team that ended that streak.  Tara's legendary coaching skills earned her a place in every possible Basketball Hall of Fame and made Stanford a reasonable choice for any young woman basketball star who could meet Stanford's admission requirements.

 

                  It seems likely that the other changes contributed to Tara's decision.  She has been the Dean of West Coast women's basketball and its head cheerleader.  The loss of a conference and the relationships with her fellow coaches she worked so hard to build had to be a blow. Additionally, I can personally attest to the fact that, as we get older, long plane flights are more draining.  Finally, and probably most importantly, Tara has always viewed coaching as a means to help young women develop into their best selves both as players and, even more importantly, as people.  The prospect of players constantly transferring in and out uproots her developmental approach to coaching.

 

                  Van Derveer is being replaced as head coach by her protege, Kate Paye.  Kate was a walk-on who worked her way up to being the point guard on Stanford's 1992 National Championship team.  She came to Stanford as an assistant coach in 2007 after working as an assistant at Pepperdine and San Diego State.  Since 2016 Paye has been Stanford's Associate Head Coach. She is widely considered to be a top coach, having won multiple national awards as the top assistant coach in women's basketball.  It may well be that Kate will carve out a legendary career as Stanford's head coach -- but that remains to be seen.  She will certainly need to adjust to the new world of college women's basketball, a world where NIL money and media exposure may be much more enticing than the value of a Stanford degree.  

 

My Personal Reactions

 

                  As a fan, I confess to being sad about Tara's decision to retire and Kiki's decision to transfer, but I can't fault either for their decision.  Tara was going to retire someday.  

Taking on the challenges and heartbreak of all these changes must have been a daunting prospect, especially when she wants to spend more time with an aging mother who won't be here forever. I selfishly wish Kiki had made a different decision as I have genuinely loved watching her play and watching her develop. But, I can't fault her for her decision. She had already earned her Stanford degree. At USC she gets to play at home where her family can show up regularly in front of what are likely to be sell-out crowds and has been paid way more than the highest WNBA salary for doing it. Furthermore, playing next to JuJu she has a very legitimate chance to win a national championship. Finally, perhaps she is temperamentally more comfortable playing "Robin" to JuJu's "Batman," as she did with Cam, than playing Superwoman with a supporting cast. 

                The best thing we can do as fans is SHOW UP!!!  When Maples is full and rocking, it's a lovely place to play -- but on nights when only a few thousand fans show up the empty seats can make other pastures look awfully green. See you at Maples.  

A New ERA -- Countdown to the ACC!

    There have been so many changes!  A new era for Stanford Women's Basketball -- the Kate Paye era.  A new era for Stanford sports -- the ACC era.  A new day for college sports -- the NIL and professional sports era.   It is taking a bit longer than planned to get things up and running here...stay tuned.  

    Like the team I spent time in Italy this summer (although not in the same location) and recovery is taking longer than I expected.  Stay tuned.  Included will be a short interview with Brooke Demetre -- we ran into each other in the London airport!

Nancy

This TEAM Refuses to Lose!

 

Opening Rounds at Maples

GO KIKI GO!

 

                  Stanford followed a solid "tune up" opening round game against a tough and determined Norfolk State team with a heavyweight battle against Iowa State.  Against Norfolk only won the opening quarter by two points, but the CARD won each of the following quarters by eight to ten points.  All ten players in Stanford's normal rotation had contributions that showed up nicely on the stat sheet, with four CARD players scoring in double digits.  It wasn't quite a "laugher," but the outcome was never seriously in doubt, only the margin of victory.

 

                  The Iowa State game was a different animal.  Cardinal fans could not exhale until Brooke Demetre's two free-throw makes with 11 seconds to go.  Kiki's two free-throws, her 40th and 41st points, with five seconds left to give Stanford a six-point lead sealed the outcome! The Cyclones are a freshman heavy team --and freshman heavy teams often "come on" in March as the freshmen mature.  Iowa State was led by senior guard Emily Ryan, an All-Big 12 star, and freshman post Audi Crooks.  Crooks, an Honorable Mention All-American, made a big splash on Friday night when she scored 40 points in Iowa State's opening round comeback against Maryland. 

 

                  There were twelve ties and 18 lead changes during the game - the last lead change coming with 19 seconds remaining in overtime!  Iowa State's largest lead, seven points, came at the end of the first quarter.  Stanford's largest lead, six points, came at the end of overtime.  Iowa State won the rebounding battle by 6 -- one of the rare times Stanford has been outrebounded and even rarer times when Stanford has won despite being outrebounded.  Part of that was that Stanford won the battle of turnovers (Iowa 19 to Stanford's 11), points off turnovers, bench points, and assists.  

 

Refusing to Lose!

 

                  Last year Stanford was challenged in Round Two and lost -- this year the CARD was challenged in Round Two and came out victorious. The difference was that this Stanford TEAM is a team that refused to lose.  A big part of that was Kiki Iriafen -- Kiki had a massive game!  She scored 41 points on shots from everywhere, she also grabbed 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and a steal -- and that doesn't include the number of times that Kiki kept the ball alive on rebounds and hit the floor on lose balls.  So, certainly Kiki was the star, but this was a true team victory.  Kiki scored 41 points but seven other Cardinal players accounted for the other 46, with only Hannah Jump hitting double figures. Numerous pundits have commented on the different feel about this year's team -- and it was evident in a number of ways.  Perhaps one of the biggest was the willingness of Brooke Demetre to put up her game changing three pointers in the waning minutes of the 4th quarter and the last 20 seconds of overtime.  Stanford players stayed together in a way that allowed players to take the open shots the offense gave them.  

 

                  As special as the victory was -- there were also weaknesses exposed that will need to be addressed if the Cardinal is to not only "get out of Maples" but also get to Cleveland.  Iowa State hit 63% of their three-point shots as Cardinal players went under ball screens and lost three-point shooters on switches.  Stanford players can play good defense -- there were flashes of by every player. Agara's defense was big, especially the charge she drew on Iowa's Ryan.  Demetre had some big moments that don't show up on the stat sheet -- like racing down court to prevent an Iowa's Bristow from making a layup on a steal.  But, it will take more defense and more consistent defense to win at the next level. 

 

Why is Kiki "the best player nobody is talking about?"

 

                  Kiki Iriafen's monster game carried Stanford into the Sweet 16.  She was truly a warrior!  But why were the pundits surprised?  Kiki scored 30 points with 17 rebounds against Florida State and was named MOP of the Thanksgiving tournament in Las Vegas.  She scored 36 points with 12 rebounds against Oregon State to help Tara become the winningest coach in college basketball -- with most of the basketball world watching. 

 

                  So why can't the pundits talk about Kiki?  The Sports Center Show after the game hardly mentioned Kiki -- you only learned that Kiki scored 41 points if you read the crawler under the video but they did tell us about Crooks 40 point game from Friday!  If you go to the NCAA website they have highlights of Page Bueckers scoring 32 points and JuJu scoring 26 -- but the Stanford "highlights" on the video board is of Stanford's 1998 loss to Harvard!  Is this East Coast bias?  Is it that the pundits only have room for one Stanford star so they can't talk about the player who has led the Cardinal in scoring ALL YEAR LONG!!??!! Kiki has more double-doubles than Page Bueckers, she averages a double-double in rebounds and scoring.  Kiki hits over 50% of her shots.  Kiki Iriafen has put up numbers that deserve to be recognized with All-American accolades.  Beyond her numbers, her physical play -- her ability to take a bump and finish through it -- her willingness to hit the deck for loose balls are all the attributes of an All-American.  Hopefully that Cardinal can keep their run going in Portland -- giving the rest of the world more time to give Kiki the flowers she deserves.  

 

The New "World" in Women's Hoops

 

                  This year's NCAA tournament feels different. For decades there was a clear line between the "cream" of the women's basketball world and the rest of the field.  That was true in the PAC-12 and in the NCAA more broadly.  The NCAA bracket generally had two opening rounds where the top seeds won by 25 to 50 points while middle seeds played close games to determine who got the chance to be routed next.  Games didn't get interesting until the Sweet 16.  Thus far in this year's Women's NCAA Tournament there have been four upsets- one in the first round when 6 Seed Louisville lost to Middle Tennessee State.   Most of the Second-Round games were competitive, #7 Seed Duke beat #2 Seed Ohio State and two #4 seed host schools lost to #5 seeds. Iowa, UCLA, and NC State all had to battle to win - even when the higher seed won the game wasn't settled until the last quarter!  Stanford's game went to overtime and wasn't settled until the last minute! more on this issue in later posts....

An upset at the Wrong time

Not Stanford's Day

 

                  There was finally an upset in the PAC-12 Tournament.  Unfortunately, that meant that #1 seed Stanford, the regular season Champions, lost to #2 seed USC.  This was only USC's second PAC-12 Tournament victory.  The Trojans' other victory was in 2014 when they also defeated the Cardinal.  Stanford finishes their PAC-12 Tournament record with 15 Championship wins in 20 Championship games, a 75% winning percentage -- not bad.  But, of course, today's loss is the freshest one.  

 

                  As an observer, it appeared that Stanford played nervous while USC played hungry.  Players that are usually "money" for the CARD struggled (Hannah Jump shooting 1 for 7 and Brooke Demetre going 1-4) while USC players who have not hit big numbers or high percentages all year scored in big bunches. USC players with shooting percentages in the low to mid 30% range were hitting at the mid to high 40% level.  It was that sort of day. Shots that usually fall for Stanford circled the rim and spun out or teetered on the rim and fell off, while shots for USC hung on the rim and fell in. Beyond the shots not falling, the biggest story was rebounding. Stanford generally wins the rebounding battle. Prior to today, Stanford was the nation’s number one team in rebound margin — out rebounding opponents by 14!  In this game the Cardinal was out rebounded by 20 -- 48 to 28.  The disparity on the O-Boards was even greater with USC collecting 18 offensive rebounds while Stanford had only 6. The difference was reflected in USC's 14 second chance points compared to 3 for the Cardinal. Stanford is not going to win many games when out rebounded by those margins.  Additionally, Stanford only hit 4 of their 7 free throws while USC hit 11 of 12 from the line.  

 

No 51 Point Outing

                  There were a number of positives for Stanford -- including the solid play of Elena Bosgana on JuJu Watkins.  Not only did JuJu fail to "go off" for 51 points, but she was held to a season low nine points, with the majority coming at the free throw line.  JuJu didn't score a field goal in the first half, and for the game went 0 for 3 from the three-point line with only three rebounds and one assist. An oddity is that JuJu's season high and low scoring games both came against Stanford.  In addition to defending JuJu, Elena matched JuJu's offensive production, scoring nine points. Unfortunately, it is likely that the defensive attention to Watkins, especially given the relatively quick turnaround between late Friday night and Sunday afternoon, played a role in Stanford's problems with rebounding.  Another positive for the CARD was the play of Chloe Clardy.  In fifteen minutes on the floor, Chloe scored four points, had two assists, a steal and a block with no turnovers. Her tenacious defense and quick hands gave USC trouble.  I think we can expect to see more of Chloe as post season play continues. Cameron Brink was, as usual, a beast despite being clobbered by the very physical USC play.  Cam had six blocks and 10 rebounds to go with her team leading 19 points.  Kiki also put-up big numbers even though she also had shots roll round the rim and spin out, scoring 18 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. 

 

                  The other good news is that the USC team is unlike most other teams the CARD is likely to play this year or in the future.  The USC roster includes five graduate transfers and a senior -- that's 29 years of college playing experience and a lot of physical maturity.  Additionally, USC benefited from a "let them play" attitude from the officials - especially in the first half when USC opened up their nine-point lead. Stanford played the Trojans even once the officials started calling some of USC more blatant holds and hinders.  Unfortunately, when you have dug a nine-point hole, playing even isn't enough.  USC was able to extend their lead in the final minutes when the CARD started gambling more on both sides of the ball in an effort to catch up. Perhaps the best summation was one Tara offered, "we left our offense back at the hotel."

 

More to Come -- March Madness is On Deck

                  The good news is that this is not the end for this team.  Stanford has a 28-5 record, including multiple Top 25 wins.  Losing to the nation's fifth ranked team in a week when four other Top 10 teams suffered losses shouldn't impact Stanford's NCAA seeding too dramatically. Of course, given the slights Stanford has suffered at the hands of the NCAA selection committee over the years, nothing is certain.  The biggest question is how will Stanford respond to this loss and how will it help them get better?

 

                  See you at Maples for the first round of the NCAA tournament.   

A "Chalk" Bracket

BEST YEAR EVER

 

                  For fans of women's basketball, the final PAC-12 tournament is special.  As this column is being written, only the Championship game remains.  Eight of the ten games that have already occurred involved at least one team ranked in the national Top 25, four were between two teams ranked in the national Top 25.  The Championship game will be between the nation's #2 team, Stanford, and the nation's #5 team, USC.  The quality of competition here has been Sweet 16 and Final Four level.  There are women's basketball fans here who have traveled from the East Coast despite not having a "team" in the tournament just because they wanted to see the display of top talent involved in this tournament!!!  What a swan song for the PAC-12.

 

                  In the first ten games there have been several "never happened before" stories.  One amazing story line is that for the first time in the 22-year history of the PAC-12 tournament the bracket has been "all chalk" -- meaning that there has not been a single upset.  The higher seeded team has won every game!  The games that have occurred are the games that were predicted by the bracket. That is particularly amazing because in this year's loaded conference play, almost every weekend had included at least one upset -- with the higher ranked team losing to a lower ranked team.  Every team, including Oregon, the Conference's last place team, had at least one win against a team ranked above them in the conference standings but not in this tournament! Hopefully the CARD will be able to sustain that "all chalk" story line as Stanford -- the regular season Conference Champion -- is the higher seeded team in the final game.  Although the higher seeded team has won every game -- two games have gone to double overtime, another "never happened before." Oregon State needed double overtime to defeat Colorado in the Quarterfinals and USC needed double overtime to defeat UCLA in the Semifinals.  Stanford did not need overtime for any of the CARD's wins, but both victories involved coming back from eight-point halftime deficits, deficits that had been even higher at some point.   In both games, Stanford fans couldn't breathe easily until the last minute!!!

 

                  That Championship game will be the 20th of the PAC-12’s 23 Championship games that Stanford has participated in -- an incredible record of consistent excellence.  Stanford has won 15 of those prior Championships. Stanford players have been named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player 16 times (including current Stanford assistant Erica McCall.)   So far in this tournament several Stanford players are obvious candidates for the MOP -- led by Kiki Iriafen and Cameron Brink.  Of course, the CARD will almost certainly need to defeat USC in the Championship for this to be relevant. Stanford's Nicole Powell is the only player to be named Tournament MOP while playing for the losing team -- and that was in the league’s first tournament in 2002.  Nonetheless, it is worth noting the strong play so far by Iriafen and Brink. Kiki was the scoring leader against CAL with 28 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal -- followed by 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and two blocks against Oregon State.  Against CAL Cam had 15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block -- followed by 16 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, two blocks, and a steal against Oregon State.  Brink's stat line is what one would expect from the First Team All-American that Cam is.  But, Kiki's stat line suggests that Stanford's leading scorer (18.6 ppg), who averages over 11 rebounds per game also deserves to be an All-American.  

 

 "Physicality" in The Women's Game

 

                  One significant and sad second-half incident of the Stanford - CAL game was an injury to CAL's Michele Onyiah.  She fouled Cameron Brink and as Brink fell back, their heads collieded -- the back of Cam's head into the front of Onyiah's. Onyiah lay on the floor -- eventually leaving bent over and holding a towel under her nose.  This injury or one like it was the predictable result of the level of physicality being allowed in the women's game, somewhat across the board in this tournament and around the country.  In this tournament there have been numerous times when players were pulled or knocked to the floor with no fouls called.  It's not so much that the officials were "favoring" one team over another -- they were just allowing a lot of bumping and banging.  In the late Semifinal, several players -- including JuJu Watkins and Charisma Osborne -- left the game after laying of the floor.  Unlike Onyiah, both Watkins and Osborne returned to the game.  Hopefully all of these players will be healthy for whatever remains of their team's season -- but the tolerance for this increased rough play in women's basketball endangers the athletes and deprives fans of a chance to watch the best players. 

 

 

Stanford 71 -- CAL 57

 

                  Stanford trailed by eight at the end of the first half. The game had begun as a "back and forth," with two lead changes in the 1st quarter. But CAL led the entire 2nd quarter with a lead that kept growing!  The CARD seemed a bit out of sorts -- CAL was by far the more poised and aggressive team.  That switched in the second half.  Stanford came out with intensity.  It only took the CARD a tad over three minutes to achieve the first tie of the second half -- one of five ties in the third quarter.  Stanford entered the 4th quarter up by four points and maintained a growing lead throughout the final quarter.  By the middle of the 4th, Stanford was up by double digits. The CARD never led by less than ten for the rest of the game. But with CAL's ability to heat up on threes, Stanford fans didn't breathe easy until the final minutes. 

 

                  The box score for the game was quite unusual.  Despite ten CARD players being on the floor for at least two minutes, only FOUR of them scored a single point!  Those four, Iriafen, Bosgana, Brink, and Lepolo, were all in double figures.  The other six players, including Hannah Jump, took only 10 of Stanford's 63 shots -- none of them attempting more than two shots!  It appears that Stanford players were "feeding the hot hand" as three of those players had very impressive shooting percentages -- led by Kiki's 79% shooting for 28 of Stanford's 71 points.  Unfortunately, those numbers hide the important roles played by the players who didn't score, especially their defensive roles.  Not every contribution is reflected on the "regular" box score.  The steals and rebounds show up but the box-outs and defensive pressure doesn’t — but those things are key to any victory and everybody who got into the game contributed.

 

 

Stanford 66 - Oregon State 57

 

                  The final score doesn't reflect how close this game was, and for fans in the arena it felt even closer than it actually was.  Perhaps that was because fans remember the final weekend of regular season when Stanford was up seven with four minutes to go, but OSU made it a one-possession for the last three minutes. In this game, Stanford was up by seven with 3:34 remaining.  But this time the CARD didn't let the Beavers get closer than seven in the remaining minutes.

 

                  This was an incredibly physical game.  OSU clearly didn't intend to allow Stanford to dominate in the paint -- and Reagan Beers knows how to use her big body.  Beers pushed Brink to the floor several times as she moved into position to score with no foul call.  Beers also managed to disrupt several layup attempts by Brink and Iriafen with her body without a foul call.  But, as has been said all season, against Stanford teams must "pick their poison." Stanford hit 46.7% of their three-point attempts, all of which occurred in the 2nd and 3rd quarters as the CARD dug out of what had been a 16-point deficit. Three-point shots helped Hannah Jump lead all scorers with 20 points (8-13 overall, 4-7 from three).  Brooke Demetre also hit two important back-to-back threes to ignite the Cardinal. Unlike the win over CAL when the box score didn't reflect that the entire team contributed, in this game the box score did.  Of course, timing is everything -- so the box score's recording of one steal by Chloe Clardy doesn't reflect that the steal occurred in the final three-and-a-half minutes, taking the steam out of OSU's rally attempt. This isn't Clardy's first significant steal.  Amazingly, despite averaging only 10.2 minutes a game, Chloe's 22 steals are second only to Cameron Brink's 23!  As the tournament season continues, Clardy's quick hands and solid "handles" could be a big factor.

 

                  Following the game, Cameron Brink shared what Assistant Coach Erica "Bird" McCall has told the team about what she said when her Stanford team was down 17 to Notre Dame in an Elite-Eight game they eventually won. "Bird" had announced in the locker room -- "alright we've got them right where we want them."  Cam says that has become a team joke -- reminding the team that they can come back.  These two "comeback" games reinforce that ability to battle back for this Stanford team.  Hopefully they won't need to do that again, but now they know they can.  I will defer summing up the tournament and the state of the team until the break between the tournament and Selection Sunday. 

 

The Las Vegas Experience

 

                  The tournament seems relatively well attended, with Oregon State having the largest number of fans based on shirt colors in the stands.  Of course this may reflect the early loss by Oregon.  It may also, as some fans have suggested, reflect the lack of other exciting ways to spend your time in Corvallis. But, regardless, OSU had a loud fan presence for both their games. Stanford has a respectable fan representation -- although not the crowd the regular season conference champion, number two ranked team in the country deserves -- but what else is new?

 

                  This year's tournament, like the first Las Vegas tournament, is being held at the MGM Grand's Garden Arena rather than at the Mandalay Bay.  There are some pluses to that.  The MGM is more centrally located on the strip, providing more easily assessable hotel and restaurant options. The biggest fan complaint is that the seats in this arena are not comfortable.  On Thursday when there were four terrific basketball games, most fans had a hard time physically tolerating the experience of sitting in those seats.   At least this time there was water available without buying it, despite not allowing fans to bring refillable water bottles into the arena.  It was strange, however, to see fans being allowed to sit inside the arena holding large beer cans (and other "adult beverage" cans).  If water bottles aren't allowed because they could be projectiles, why are beer cans safe?  

                    Overall, the tournament has been a fun experience — more so because the CARD are winning.  But, under the fun, it is hard to believe that this is the last dance for the PAC-12.  The merchandise booth has done a brisk business in PAC-12 items as fans reach for one final piece of this conference’s storied history. So bittersweet.