WBCA Award Voting is OPEN

 

            Fan Voting is Open for the WBCA "Starting Five" Award

 

            Before getting into Stanford's most recent game, I want to call attention to the Fan Voting for the WBCA "Starting Five" awards.  Four of our players were nominated -- and more should have been (Hannah Jump for best shooting guard).  These awards give some weight to fan voting.  It is open NOW.  And, unlike governmental elections -- there is nothing wrong with voting early and voting often.  In fact, you can vote every day.  The link is: 

http://www.hoophallawards.com/women/vote.php

 

            Stanford Players Start Dead-Week and Fall Finals on a High Note

 

            The Stanford women's team go off into their two-week break for finals riding high after defeating 23rd ranked Gonzaga 84-63.  The much-needed rain that has been soaking the Bay Area let up to allow fans to get to the game, but inside Maples the Cardinal buried Gonzaga in a storm of threes! Stanford hit fifteen three-pointers (15 of 28 for a torrid 53.6%). The three-point barrage was led by Brooke Demetre's five and Hannah Jump's four, but six other Stanford players hit one apiece.  Over half of Stanford's 84 points came from behind the arc!  Brooke's five three-pointers and 17 total points were both career highs for this talented sophomore.  

            Tara likes to say that teams have to pick their poison when you play the Cardinal.  Gonzaga apparently took one look at the way Stanford has been dominating teams with points-in-the-paint and decided to limit inside play. That was a reasonable decision given that, on average, over 45 of Stanford's points per game had come from players who had made a combined TOTAL of SIX three-point shots in Stanford's first 10 games. They guarded Hannah Jump (the nation's leading three-point shooter) and Ashton Prechtal (Stanford's second leading three-point shooter) tight but otherwise packed the paint. What they didn't count on was Demetre.  Earlier in the season Brooke had a number of good looks from three rim out -- and both Tara and Cameron Brink say the team has confidence in Brooke's high arcing, quick release shot.  The Gonzaga game was her game to shine.  

 

            The All-American's make it Look Easy

 

            Of course, our All-American's continued to play like All-Americans.  Cameron had another double-double - 16 rebounds, 14 points, two assists, a block, a steal -- and only ONE foul. Haley scored 12 points, had five rebounds, one steal and SIX assists (and zero turnovers) while taking on point guard duty for the 13 minutes when Lepolo was not on the floor. But lots of players contributed.  Eight players had double-digit minutes, and Bosgana had nine.  Lauren Betts only played five minutes but had eight points, three rebounds and a block.  

            Gonzaga came limping into Maples on a hot streak. How can that be -- well Gonzaga had recent wins over Louisville (in overtime), Marquette, and Tennessee and blowouts of several other teams but injuries and illness left then with only 7 healthy players.  Those seven players played hard.  In the end Stanford's talent, depth, and coaching were too much for the Zags.  

 

            The Chess Match

            

            At the pre-game chalk talk, Coach Steding said that because the two teams know each other well, this was likely to be a bit of a chess match with coaches making plans and adjustments to take away what the other team does well.  Stanford did a good job on Gonzaga's leading scorer Ejim -- holding her to eight points for the game.  But Kaylynne Truong burned the Cardinal for 20 points in the first half.  She got two points in the second half as Tara's defensive adjustments worked. Gonzaga wasn't able to successfully adjust its defense as the Cardinal hit seven of their 15 threes in the second half winning that half by a 12-point margin. 

 

            In the Spirit of Finals -- Questions

            With the team hitting the books for finals, it seems like a good time to ask a few questions.

 

1.  How much better can this team get?

            Stanford isn't playing the Princeton offense this year.  One of Coach Vanderveer's hallmarks is that she adjusts what she asks her team to do based on the strengths of the players she has.  The Princeton offense is a complex guard heavy offense - it is hard to learn.   This year's team is loaded with talented POST players but has mostly young and/or inexperienced (although also talented) guards.  The flow offense Stanford is using this year doesn't require the intricate work of reading and reacting and it is easier to learn - but the team is still learning!  The puzzle pieces are AMAZING.  Each of the returning players has improved and the freshmen are incredibly talented.  The team is playing at a very high level. But they haven't truly meshed yet...!  What will it look like as the young players gain  confidence in their ability to play at this level and the entire team has mastered the new offense? South Carolina had most of the pieces back from their championship run -- yet we were toe-to-toe with them down to the final seconds of overtime.  This team will only get better, and we will have fun watching them do that.

 

2. Is Haley Jones the best small forward in the country?

            Tara calls Haley a "Swiss Army Knife player."  She is so talented and so versatile.  She can do anything -- and does.  Haley's versatility is reflected in her stats.  She doesn't lead the Cardinal in any positive category -- but she is second in almost every category.  (Okay, Haley is third in total blocks behind Cam with 33- and Lauren with 11.)  In addition to doing everything and doing it well, the biggest thing Haley does is make everybody on her team better.  She is the personification of unselfish, a leader whose enthusiasm is contagious. Haley is on the WBCA ballot for small forward -- and in my book she's the best.

 

3.  Is Cameron Brink the best power forward in the country? 

            Cam was already a pre-season All American -- that was based on what people saw her do LAST year.  This year she is even better.  She has moved out to the wing, added a confident 3-point shot to her game and is showing an ability to drive to the basket.  Even better -- her free throw shooting has improved!  Cam has had a number of games where she was PERFECT from the line.  She is second in the nation in blocks, leads the team in rebounds, and is tied with Hannah Jump as the team's high scorer.  But she also leads the team in personal fouls. Cam has improved from last year in that regard -- but she needs to continue to reduce the fouls to truly live up to her potential.  Cam is on the WBCA ballot for power forward -- another winner in my book.