Stanford 102 – Vanguard 25! A 77-point margin of victory is impressive. Of course, it’s hard to believe that a team whose tallest player is only 6’1” can present a real challenge to the Stanford trees, especially since our team has not only height but also quickness and intensity.
One could almost feel sorry for the Vanguard players being on the losing end of such a lopsided score. Yet, they can go home and tell friends that they played Stanford at Maples and were in the lead for several minutes. True, those minutes were in the first five minutes of the game as Stanford players let go of their season opening jitters and figured out how to handle all those short bodies running around out there. But it was a game for the first ten minutes.
Then it became an exhibition of the amazing team, or as Tara calls them, the galaxy of stars that wear Stanford uniforms this year and a vision of how bright those stars will shine for years to come. Everybody played, with nobody going more than 18 minutes or less than 6. All of the players showed that they belong here! On one particularly memorable play, Lepolo made a three-quarter court pass-on-a-rope to a streaking Iriafen who caught the ball almost under the basket, stopped on a dime, gathered herself and put the ball through the hoop. Wow!
Top Take-aways
Our All-Americans (Haley and Cam) are All-Americans -- they didn't do anything surprising, but they certainly didn't disappoint.
The promise Kiki Iriafen showed at the Red-White scrimmage was no fluke. She is athletic, strong, agile, quick, intense, and basketball smart! Make room for her on the All-Pac-12 and All-American lists. This was her first game as a starter but it DEFINITLY won’t be her last.
Agnes Emma-Nnopu, Wednesday's other first-time starter definitely looks like another Stanford lock-down defender. She harassed the Vanguard point guards all the way up the court and several times came within less than a second of getting a 10 second turnover on them. At 5’11” she is a big guard but she has quickness and defensive concentration. We can expect her to get major minutes this year, maybe as a frequent or even regular starter.
Hannah Jump has gotten her season opening jitters out of the way. In the Red-White scrimmage she didn’t hit a 3 and she opened this game missing her first three shots – but after that she went 4 for 6 on threes.
Fran Belibi, with one hand taped, can still contribute — she even tipped a rebound to herself, grabbed the ball one-handed and put it back up!
Our freshman guards are talented and mature. Talana Lepolo again had a boatload of assists (6) and zero turnovers, plus a rebound and two steals. Including the Red-White scrimmage, that gives her two games with major assists and no turnovers! Indya Nivar showed her athleticism and quickness. She and Lepolo have the potential to be a backcourt combo for the ages. Jzaniya Harriel also showed talent at the point – hitting both of her 3-point shots along with 5 rebound, 4 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals! Impressive. We can expect those three to challenge each other for time at the point over the next several years!
The Greek connection is starting to show promise. Elena Bosgana "stuffed the stat sheet" in her 17 minutes on the floor -- 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal on the plus side, along with one personal foul and one turnover.
Lauren Betts is 6’7. That is TALL! In addition to Lauren’s smooth moves, soft hands, and great shooting touch – her height altered every shot attempt put up when she was defending the rim – she caused a ton of misses even though she didn’t have an actual block. Despite having been ill last week and getting poked in the eye at practice on Tuesday, Lauren showed why she ranked number one among last year's high school seniors. Just wait until she is physically 100% and adjusted to the college game.
The next round of questions
1. How is Tara going to carve up the minutes with this much talent?
There are 200 minutes (40 minutes x 5 players) available in any basketball game (as long as we avoid overtime) -- so how are those minutes going to be divided? If the game is at all in jeopardy, you can expect to see Haley and Cam (as long as she isn't in foul trouble) on the floor...but who else and in what combinations?
We could actually start with the question of which freshman will it be? Lauren Betts is a true talent. But, point guard is a place where we have a real need and Lepolo already looks ready! Haley, our last number one recruit, didn't start in her freshman year until well into the season (and went out with an injury shortly after that) and Tara doesn't often start freshman point guards.So, who will it be -- and will it happen? When?
3. How will the rules on NIL change the game?
In a world where schools and coaches get huge payoffs from college revenue sports, many people have felt it unfair for students to not be paid. Of course, students get their college scholarships -- and a Stanford scholarship is worth plenty both in terms of the quality of the education and in terms of the value of a Stanford degree for one's career trajectory. Additionally, Stanford students really are student-athletes. Case in point, several students including Haley Jones missed practice on Tuesday because they had classes! Stanford doesn't prohibit student athletes from taking difficult classes or majors - as some schools reportedly do. And, hopefully most of the players who commit to Stanford Women's Basketball are here for the Stanford education (of course that includes the chance to be coached by the winningest coach in women's basketball).
But the rules have changed. College athletes can now be paid for the use of their name, their image and their likeness. How is this going to change recruiting or the expectations of student athletes? It's hard enough to navigate the challenges of being a student and an elite athlete. What effects will the need to navigate the world of NIL contracts -- and worrying about gaining followers for their various social media accounts-- have on that burden? Time will tell.
As you suggest, the impact of NIL is going to be a big factor in the game including in recruiting. Will Ju Ju Watkins use NIL prospects at a team as a tie breaking factor. How aggressive in supporting player NIL deals can and will Stanford be. Will we need to follow the South Carolina collaboration that offers players a minimum of $25K in money, funded by wealthy boosters to compete? The good news is that NIL deals for Haley, Cam and stars like Rose Zhang (golf) and Rachel Hecht (also golf) be examples lead the way to attract the very best recruits to recruiting success for new players?
ReplyDelete