Heading for the “BEST Year Ever”

    A lot has happened since Stanford played its last game last season and I posted my last blog -  the good, the sad, and the ugly.  The good included gold medals with USA Basketball for Brink and Lepolo, international experience for Bosgana, some great incoming freshmen, and several verbal commits from top recruits. The sad was the loss of three talented players to the transfer portal. The ugly was the slow motion train wreck otherwise known as the unraveling of the PAC-12 Conference. For an alum who has spent over 55 years cheering for Stanford against PAC-8, PAC-10, and finally PAC-12 foes in a variety of sports, the end of the PAC-12 was depressing.  I can only imagine how it feels for people intimately involved in those sports.  But, now isn’t the time for dissecting the end of the conference.  It is about celebrating the Stanford women’s basketball journey through the upcoming season. The past can’t be changed but the future can be shaped.  The one silver lining for the new alignment will be that Stanford will be playing games that East Coast sports writers actually will need to watch….

     At the final PAC-12 Women’s Basketball Pre-Season Media Day, Tara VanDerveer described the team’s goal this year as making it the best year ever.  For a program that has won three national championships, 26 regular season conference championships, and 15 conference tournaments, having the best year ever is a lofty goal. Of course, Tara’s measuring stick has never been just about the wins — it is also about has each woman on the team been able to develop as a player, as a woman, and as a leader.  Perhaps that larger frame is why Stanford teams have been so successful in the win column.  But, now isn’t the time for nostalgia or philosophy — it’s the time for excitement about the upcoming season — the PAC-12’s last.

Senior Leaders

    This year the team will be led by senior All-American Cameron Brink and 5th year player Hannah Jump — both veterans of Stanford’s 2021 National Championship team.  Cam is a do-everything dynamo who averaged over 15 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks.  Brink also became deadly at the free throw line — hitting 84.8% including a team record 15 of 15 against UCLA. This year we look for her to correct her one remaining weakness, a tendency to foul.  With the fouls under control the sky will be the limit for Brink and the Cardinal.  

    Stanford’s other “senior” leader, Hannah Jump is taking advantage of her “COVID year” to return for a 5th year.  Last year Hannah set the Stanford record for 3 pointers in a season with an even 100!  Equally important, Jump became a three level shooter and a lock down defender. That development is a testament to Jump’s incredible work ethic. We look forward to seeing her continued development. 

    Traditionally Stanford teams rely heavily on seniors to provide leadership for the team — communicating the Stanford culture. As they take on that role, we would expect Brink and Jump to be aided by other returning veterans, especially sophomore point-guard Talana Leopoldo.  Their challenge will be to ensure that this year’s team has a positive chemistry - a return to the Stanford “sisterhood” environment that fueled the team’s recent national championship and final four appearances. It is a task made more difficult by NCAA basketball’s new world order of NIL, the transfer portal, and legalized betting on college sports.  The lure of individual attention over team success when the pay-offs land in six and seven figures can be hard to resist. Ultimately any team’s success depends not just on the talent of the players but on their success in functioning as a team.  We saw that in action last year from the University of Washington team’s run through the PAC-12 Tournament. We hope this year’s Cardinal will play with that sort of joy and camaraderie — if they can they could be the best ever.

New “old faces” on the Coaching Staff

    The task of helping make this year’s group of talented players into a terrific team will be aided by the addition of two new “old faces” on the coaching staff.  Tempie Brown returns to the Stanford coaching staff and former Stanford star (and WNBA player) Erica “Bird” McCall starts her first coaching job — another branch on the growing VanDerveer coaching tree.  Bird, herself the daughter of a coach, was a fan favorite during her years at Stanford.  Her WNBA experience will undoubtedly be a plus for a team with a number of players anticipating a professional career in basketball. Tempie brings excellent skills coaching the “bigs.”

Twelve Players     

    This year there are only twelve women on scholarship - not Stanford’s usual 15 - making each player a more critical part of the team.  This situation reduces the potential strain that situations like last year’s embarrassment of riches with five outstanding post-players all vying for time on the floor can create.  Unlike last year, when Stanford had more “tall trees” than could be in one starting line-up, this year’s team has limited height beyond All-American Cameron Brink. That isn’t to say that the team will be short.  Brink is joined by two players listed at 6’3” - juniors Kiki Iriafen and Brooke Demetre — and two others listed at 6’2” — junior Elena Bosgana and freshman Nunu Agara.  

    Kiki Iriafen is a very talented player who averaged nearly seven points and four rebounds despite playing only twelve minutes a game last year. Her performance will likely be major key to the team’s success.  If Kiki can consistently deliver on the potential she has demonstrated, she could be a break out star. 

    Another key will be the continued improvement of last year’s surprise, point guard Talana Leopolo.  Despite being one of the least heralded members of last year’s freshman class, Talana became one of the few freshman point guards to receive the “keys to the car” from Tara VanDerveer.  Leopolo had the chance to play for USA Basketball where she won a gold medal.  

Questions:

Who will be the Fifth Starter?

    One of the biggest questions for the preseason is who will join Brink, Jump, Leopolo and Iriafen in the starting line-up? Those four seem like a lock — but the fifth starter is less clear.  And, who will be the key reserves?  How will the minutes be spread out? 

How good will this team be?

    It is hard to predict how good this team will be.  PAC-12 coaches have predicted that Stanford will be third in the Conference.  Various pundits have projected Stanford as 15th or 16th in the country.  But history tells us that Tara’s teams have often exceeded the pundit’s expectations.  Led by a legitimate player-of-the-year candidate and a Hall-of-Fame-Coach, this is not a team to count out!  See you at Maples.