Pac-12 Play Begins

            

            Stanford tipped-off its Pac-12 season with an easy 90-69 win over Cal. The Bear's only lead came in the opening minute when a 3-pointer from McIntosh put them up 3-2.  Stanford quickly reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer from Cameron Brink and never looked back.  By game's end, all 15 of Stanford's players had seen action for at least two minutes and 12 players spent at least nine minutes on the court.  Tara was active on the sidelines, instructing her young players and encouraging their play. 

            Haley Jones led all scorers with 21 points in only 27 minutes.  Her stat line - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals - reflects Haley's amazing "Swiss Army knife" skill set. But the stat line doesn't include the important leadership role Haley plays.  Her enthusiasm and evident joy on the floor are Steph Curry-like and infectious.  Haley makes the game fun for everybody -- her teammates and the fans!  

            Hannah Jump had the other starring role -- five threes and 17 points.  Cameron Brink scored 11 points in 17 minutes but also managed to pick up three fouls.  Her stat line would undoubtedly been more extensive (she also had five rebounds, two blocks, and two assists) if Stanford had needed her on the floor. The same is true of Kiki Iriafen, who scored 9 points with seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal in her 15 minutes on the floor.  Lauren Betts again averaged almost a point a minute, scoring nine in her ten minutes on the floor. 

            The defense was good, especially in the opening twenty minutes.  Cal's Jada Curry was held to two points in the first half. She did manage 20 points for the game, but most of them were scored against reserves with the game's outcome already settled.  

            The lighthearted-feel good atmosphere carried over into the behind the bench Q&A.  Fans were provided a holiday treat that included an appearance by juniors Cameron Brink and Agnes Emma-Nnopu. Coach VanDerveer shared her delight at having her mother Rita at the game, a rarity due to COVID.  Coach Paye noted that players were scrambling to catch flights to join family for the teams' four-day holiday break.  

 

The Second Part of the Season

 

            For a successful team like Stanford, the season can be divided into three parts.  First comes the non-conference season, then the Pac-12 season, and finally the post-season.  The non-conference season usually has two goals -- to get the team ready to compete in their conference and to establish the team's credentials for post-season seeding.  That first part concluded with the team's victory over Creighton, its twelfth.  Unfortunately, that game was only one of three against ranked teams on Stanford's non-conference dance card.  That changes with the beginning of Pac-12 play.  Four Pac-12 teams are ranked in the top 20 and there isn't a "gimmie" game anywhere.  

            One confusing thing about the Pac-12 season this year is number of familiar players on a different team.  We saw the first round of that against Cal when Peanut Tuitele, previously with Colorado, showed up on the Cal team.  In her post-game comments, Tara pointed out that Stanford is the only Pac-12 school whose roster does not include a transfer from another Pac-12 school!  That should make for an interesting season!  Given the quality of Pac-12 teams, the next 17 games will be exciting -- so get ready to enjoy the journey.

12-1 in Non-Conference Play

Get Ready to Shoot Talana

            For their final game of the non-conference schedule, Stanford defeated #21 Creighton 72 - 59.  It was a game where the final score makes the game look closer than it was. After Creighton scored to make the game 3 - 3 in the opening minute, the Cardinal led the rest of the way.  With 2:41 left in the first quarter, Haley Jones hit a 3 pointer on a pass from Cameron Brink to put the Cardinal up 20-10. After that, Creighton never trailed by less than double digits, going down by as much as 22 points late in the 3rd quarter. By the second quarter it is hard to believe that anybody not sitting on the Creighton bench (and probably not even the folks on that bench) thought the Blue Jays were going to win.

            While the outcome never really felt in doubt, Creighton kept the game from being a total blowout and outscored Stanford in the 2nd and 4th quarters.  Part of that was because the Blue Jays never gave up and their frenetic unscripted style of play allowed them to get some open looks, especially late in the shot clock. Part of it was that, with the probable outcome clear, Tara used a variety of players often in unusual combinations. Thirteen players got minutes, even though the starters got most of the minutes and scored most of the points. Four of the five starters scored in double digits -- led by Talana Lepolo's 17 points. Lepolo responded to a Creighton defensive plan that dared her to shoot by sagging off her to double team other players by knocking down 5 triples!  On a night when Stanford shot 26.9% from three and Hannah Jump came up empty, Lepolo hit over 45% from three.

            It is encouraging to note that although Stanford had a total of 16 turnovers, the two primary ball handlers, Jones and Leoplo only had one.  In fact, the starters had fifteen assists and six turnovers, a respectable ratio.  As the season goes on and the younger players get more experience, those turnovers will almost certainly come down.

 

Conference Play Starts Friday

 

            For Stanford the toughest part of the schedule is coming up with Conference play.  Five Pac-12 schools are ranked in the top 20, including undefeated Utah and UCLA whose only loss was a close game with South Carolina.  Utah, with the addition of Alissa Pili, is going to be a tough team to beat.  Alissa gave the Card fits before she got injured when she played for USC, and she is having a great season.  In fact, it will be hard to find a Pac-12 game that could be taken for granted. Getting through the Pac-12 undefeated would be remarkable.

            The good news is that although considerable East Coast bias still exists, at least Pac-12 teams have gained respect. That matters because respect determines seeding in the NCAA tournament and success in the tournament -- which depends to a considerable extent on seeding -- is based on respect for the quality of the teams played.  There is a degree of circularity to the calculus.  For years, when good teams in the Pac-12 suffered from that East Coast bias, any Pac-12 losses cost Stanford dearly in the seeding equation.  

What we've learned so far

 

            The first thing that stands out about this season is that the current iteration of the Cardinal is just plain fun to watch.  Led by All-American Haley Jones' infectious joy and All-American Cameron Brink's fierce intensity, this team is both exciting and delightful.  In addition to her individual talent, Haley is a leader who makes everybody better and Cam is just plain awesome.  We 've also learned that Talana Lepolo is a point guard.  At the beginning of the season the biggest question mark for Stanford was who was going to handle the ball.  Lepolo has demonstrated that she is ready to be the answer.  She has great court vision, good handles, and can knock down her shots when asked -- or dared -- to do so.  We' also learned that this is still a young team.  Only six of the team's sixteen players are juniors or seniors.  Other than Jones and Brink, only Hannah Jump had averaged more than 20 minutes per game in any prior season.  That means, the best is still to come!!!  Let's enjoy the journey!

 

Questions

 

1.  What is and isn't a flagrant foul?

            At the beginning of the season, it appeared that anytime a player got hit above the neck, officials reviewed the tape to see if they should call the contact excessive and award a technical foul.  On at least one play, Lauren Betts got charged with a technical when it looked to fans (and the TV announcers) that her only fault was "playing basketball while very tall." Recently we have seen Cameron Brink get hit in the head so often and so hard that I keep expecting to hear she is in concussion protocol!  Yet the officials have never reviewed the tape on those hits, much less called the other team for a technical.  It's as if the new rule is that it's okay to hit another player in the head as long as they are taller than you...?

 

2.  Can there be a moving screen if a player never stops moving?

            Before the game, Coach Paye said the Creighton offense was run around like crazy until somebody gets an open shot. Watching Creighton, it often seemed as if their players got free because Stanford players got picked-off of the player they were guarding as that player passed close to a moving teammate. Given the general chaos of the Creighton offense, it is hard to argue that those were actually moving screens -- but it is interesting....

 

3.  Who will get the next solo?

            Stanford's team is sometimes compared to a symphony where each individual is part of making beautiful music and the featured soloist changes.  This season, Haley is the concert master and Cam is a "featured artist" every game -- but the identity of the other star soloist changes.  Against Creighton it was Talana's five three-pointers (and 17 points), but for another game it was Brooke's three-point barrage, and before that Ashton's.  Often it is Hannah's fabulous shooting.  So -- who is going to "go off" on Cal and will the star turn be on offense or defense?

Another Win Against Tennessee

The 1992 Championship Team -- 30 years later!

            Stanford celebrated their 1992 National Championship team this weekend -- and many of the players from that team noted that their championship run was fueled by a December comeback victory over Tennessee at Maples.  We can hope that this year's team will be similarly fueled by their 77 - 70 comeback victory -- erasing an eight-point deficit late in the 3rd Quarter to take a ten-point lead with 25 seconds to go. It is important for a team to gain confidence that they can come back decisively against a good team -- but it would have been a little more comfortable for the fans if this year's team hadn't done this particular full reprise of the 1992 team's experience.  It did make for an entertaining game.

            The game was back and forth for the first half -- freqent lead changes and neither team ahead by more than five points.  Tennessee's Jordan Horston made a layup with one second left to send the game into half-time tied.  The game continued to be close in the third quarter until Stanford hit a roughly five minute dry spell and Tennessee took an eight point lead. With less than 30 seconds left in the third, Agnes Emma-Nnopu got a block to start a Stanford possession that ended the quarter with a Cameron Brink three pointer!  That cut the Tennessee lead to five points and gave the Cardinal a huge momentum swing.  The team and the crowd were electrified.  Stanford came out determined for the fourth quarter and with just under eight minutes to go, Stanford took a lead on a Brink layup (assisted by Brooke Demetre) and never trailed again.

 

Brink, Jones an' Jump

 

            This game put two basketball truisms on full display: "Basketball is a team game" and "Big-time players play big in big games." This was a team win.  Every one of the eleven players who got into the game contributed to the win -- whether it was setting a screen, hitting a key basket, getting an assist, grabbing a rebound, boxing out, a defensive play, or just giving somebody else a rest.  Some of those things didn't show up on the stat sheet -- but they mattered. Yet 59 of Stanford's 77 points and 31 of the team's 53 rebounds were recorded by the three starters with National Championship experience -- Cameron Brink, Haley Jones, and Hannah Jump.  Our preseason All-Americans Brink and Jones both had double-doubles. 

Brink wins the tip-off

Cameron scored 21 points, 17 rebounds, and tied her career high with six blocks.  Those six blocks significantly under count the number of Tennessee shots that didn't go in because of Brink.  Time and time again, Cameron's presence caused Tennessee players to change their normal shot -- and the result went awry often becoming a Stanford rebound. Haley's 19 points and 12 rebounds came while she played multiple minutes at the point -- her leadership throughout the game was obvious and important. Hannah Jump, Stanford's leading 3-point shooter, again hit the majority of the team's three-pointers while scoring eight points on baskets inside the three-point line and continuing to be perfect from the free-throw line.

 

Getting the rust off

 

            Some people wondered if the Cardinal thought Tennessee would be an easy win. But it is hard to believe that a VanDerveer coached team would take Tennessee lightly!  Especially a Tennessee team that despite a rough start to the season has the talented players who earned Tennessee a top five preseason ranking.  Once Tennessee gets its two "draft pick" transfers Horston and Jackson fully integrated into their team, we can expect to see them playing late into March. 

    This was the Stanford's first game after two weeks off for Fall Quarter final exams.  Stanford players are student athletes -- nobody is taking basket weaving -- and especially for the younger players finals time is stressful.  Even though they practiced during that time, getting back to game focus can take a little time. That is a probable explanation for the team's slow start and regression from the free throw line.  That hypothesis is supported by the free throw stats -- 50% in the first half but 71% in the second.  Those second half numbers are closer to their season norm. The second half field goal percentages also improved, although they remained below Stanford's season average.  However, in the 4th Quarter Stanford made nearly 53% of the shots they attempted and played dominating defense - leading to a solid win.

 

 Planning the comeback

            

This week's Questions

 

            With Finals over, it's time to go back to asking Fan Girl Questions, so here are a few.

 

1.  Will the team that played in the second half against Tennessee show up against Creighton? 

            Creighton just dropped a tough game to #21 Arkansas, so they are going to come in wanting to avoid the back-to-back losses that would likely drop the Blue Jays out of the top 25.  They are one of those smaller, opportunistic teams that can be difficult to contain.  Hopefully the post-finals dust is gone so another comeback won't be needed.

 

2.  Can Cameron Brink stay on the floor longer?

            Although different players step up in almost every game, Haley Jones and Cameron Brink are the team's leaders.  When the two of them are on the floor together, it can be magical.  Cameron is doing better at avoiding silly or over-exuberant fouls, but when she is on the bench the team is just not as good.  We look forward to Brink continuing her improvement in this area -- with Cam on the floor, this team National Championship aspirations are legit. 

 

3.  Will anybody show up for the CAL game?

            This team deserves a good crowd for every game.  Their last game before the Christmas break is at NOON on Friday, Dec. 23.  That is a rough time slot -- folks are running around completing holiday preparations.  Hopefully fans will show up to collect an early Christmas present from the Cardinal!  The team is running a "Warm Coat Drive" at the Cal game -- so bring a contribution for the collection bin!

FastBreak Club Interview with Tara

Coach takes time to talk to FastBreak Club fans!!

Bring a donation of warm clothing to the Tennessee game!   Be there, be loud,

be supportive of this exciting team!

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.

Back home...taking care of business

    After winning three games in three days and a 2400 mile red-eye flight Sunday night, the Cardinal faced off against local challenger Santa Clara on Wednesday night.  That was Stanford's fourth game in seven days. Stanford triumphed 82-69 and led the whole game except one 28 second blink-and-you-miss-it moment in the last minute of the first quarter when Santa Clara was in the lead by one point.  The CARD poured it on a bit in the second quarter, outscoring Santa Clara 20 to 10, and maintained a comfortable lead of between 7 and 17 points for the rest of the game.  

            There were a number of bright spots for Stanford, including Fran Belibi's 12 points, eight rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and zero fouls or turnovers in 13 minutes stat line.  Her best of the year. Hannah Jump went 4 for 8 from the three-point line and continued to be perfect from the charity stripe in scoring her game leading 19 points. Haley Jones had another double-double (14 pts, 11 rebounds) as well as 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Brink (12 pts) and Iriafen (16 pts) joined the other three in double figures while Lepolo continued to impress with a 6 assist, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and zero foul stat line in her 39 minutes of play.  She only scored three points, but her successful three pointer came at a time in the third period when Santa Clara was starting to heat up and it blunted their momentum. 

            Perhaps fatigue was a factor in the Cardinal's shooting. The team only shot 27.3% from the 3 and 44.3% overall - both numbers well below the team's season-to-date average.  If it was fatigue, then the rest between Wednesday's game and Sunday's upcoming game against Gonzaga should take care of the problem.  That team is currently ranked 23rd in the country and is coming in off a hot win streak from their Thanksgiving tournament.

 

            Shorter Rotation

 

            As in the South Carolina game, Tara used a shorter rotation. Only seven players had double-digit minutes, the starters plus Belibi and Elena Bosgana.  Interestingly, beyond the apparently set starting five (Jones, Jump, Brink, Iriafen, and Lepolo) the players who get the most minutes appear to change from game to game.  One assumes that matchups, practice effort, and game performance shape the difference.  But, it is a testament to Stanford's depth that there are so many potential pieces of the puzzle.  There are 10 players who are currently averaging double-digit minutes. This is not a team likely to be derailed by one person's off night.  

            That's a good thing because things will not get any easier from here.  After 23rd ranked Gonzaga the Cardinal take a ten-day break for Finals.  They then play Tennessee and 13th ranked Creighton before opening Pac-12 play against CAL on December 23rd.  Conference play will not be easy! The Pac-12 currently has zero teams with more than two losses, more undefeated teams (three) than two-loss teams (2), and a conference record of 65 wins to 11 losses.  Five Pac-12 teams are ranked in the nation's top 20 and there is a good argument to be made that more teams should be! It will be a real accomplishment if any team, even the talented Cardinal, can make it through the Pac-12 season undefeated.  

 

            Hawaii Memories

 

            It was a bit brutal to return from the balmy weather in Hawaii to this cold spell!  So, perhaps it makes sense to indulge in a bit of recollecting.  One prominent memory is of the joy players seemed to take from interacting with one another away from school and from interacting with the various family members present.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip.

                                            Cameron and Talana's youngest sister both like dogs!

Sports Performance Coach Hayden and Communications manager Treadway off to climb Diamondhead!

Coaches in Hawaii adornments!

One last sunset!!!!

And a good time was had by all

         

 

             The Rainbow Wahine Showdown ended with the Cardinal celebrating a tournament championship and another relatively easy win over a team that was overmatched by this tall and talented team. Unlike the previous days, there was a crowd for the final game.  Florida Gulf Coast and Grambling played a much closer than expected game to a mostly empty gym; with Grambling leading for most of the way until FGC pulled out a six point win in the last quarter.  But Stanford and U. of Hawaii played to a crowd of over 2,000!  Much of the audience consisted of girls' basketball teams from around the island, mixed in with other basketball fans.  As one high school coach said, "how often in Hawaii do you get a chance to see the #2 team in the country in action?"  The crowd appreciated their local team and gave them support to "hang in there."

            Despite losing the game, the Hawaii team managed to do something no other team had done during these three days of games -- they won a quarter, the 3rd!  Hawaii came out after halftime and managed to trim Stanford's 23-point lead down to a 19-point lead by the end of the third.  Hawaii's success was partly the result of cold shooting by Stanford, with players missing 12 of the 17 shots they took that quarter, and only hitting 12.5% of their 3-point attempts!

            Stanford's 11-point quarter was significantly the result of Hawaii's ramped up defensive intensity, an intensity that sent Stanford players crashing to the floor on multiple occasions - not all of which resulted in fouls. (Sound familiar?) Several of the Hawaii "bigs" weren't tall, but they were definitely big and they used their bodies. There were players flying.  But the low scoring was also the result of some sloppy play by the Cardinal, resulting in turnovers.  Stanford "righted the ship" in the fourth quarter out scoring Hawaii by 10, but still missed a lot of shots and committed too many turnovers. 

           

            Stanford is Actually a Young Team

 

            It is useful to remember that only Brink and Jones were core starters last season, with Jump and Belibi also playing meaningful minutes.  Much of the sloppy play can be attributed to young players and the lack of time playing together for many of the combinations on the floor.  We can expect these things to correct themselves as the season goes on.  One of the difficulties of having so many talented players is that it takes time for them to learn to play together in all the various permutations that appear on the floor.  Still, 14 turnovers is too many, and the bad practice of not valuing the ball can become a bad habit.

            One bad habit that seems to be getting turned around is missing free-throws.  Only three Stanford players shot free-throws - Brink, Jones, and Betts (remember the point about fouls not getting called).  Both Cam and Haley were perfect from the line -- Brink 7 for 7 and Jones 5-5. 

            Unfortunately, Stanford's shooting performance overall was somewhat sub-par - 40% from the floor, 31.8% from three.  The usually reliable Hannah Jump went 1 for 6 from three.  Luckily, Ashten Prechtal was hot -- going 5 for 9 from three with total 17 points (while also picking up 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season). She led all players in scoring and rebounds.  Jones (11pts) and Brink (15pts) were the only other Stanford players in double figures.  Brink also added an impressive five blocks to her stat line.  Talana Lepolo played the most minutes for Stanford - 34 - and her eight-to-2 assist to turnover ratio UNDERSTATES her value to the team.  The offense simply runs better when she is on the floor.  The good news is that she is a freshman! That means both that can be expected to get even better and that she will be with Stanford for three more years after this one!

 

           Champions Again

 

         At the end of the game, a representative of the U of Hawaii Athletic Department presented a Championship trophy to Stanford. Cameron Brink was named a member of the five player All-Tournament team and Haley Jones was named the Most Outstanding Player.  Tara sent seniors, Prechel, Belibi, and Jump out to collect the trophy.  One of the few disappointments for the trip is that Fran Belibi's injured thumb is limiting her performance - and her minutes.  

            

            A Fun Interlude Comes to an End

        All in all it was a fun trip - with time for families to celebrate their Stanford stars (and the players are all start to their families) and enjoy Hawaii. Our seniors had fun! <316961441_644367980755477_6324547655108614846_n.jpg>haley j on Instagram: "funky four goes parasailing!"instagram.com Stanford staff, players, and their families got a chance to enjoy basketball and the island.

    Instead of the promised questions, I close with some family photos and only one question:

 

            Can you match the player with these family members ?

An Easy Game

                                        Scouting the U of Hawaii team

    Stanford notched win number seven with an 87-50 victory over the Grambling Lady Tigers on day two of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown.  Unlike the game against the 26th ranked Florida Gulf Coast, the outcome of this game was never in doubt.  Stanford went up by eight (10 to 2) on Agnes Emma-Nnopu's two made free throws with 5:44 to go in the first quarter and Grambling never got closer.  It was abundantly clear early that, just as their record predicted, the Grambling team was totally overmatched in height and talent, although not in effort. Both teams played hard.

            Stanford started the game with its now regular starting five: Cameron Brink, Haley Jones, Hannah Jump, Kiki Iriafen, and Talana Lepolo, but they didn't play long. Substitutions started early.  The only Stanford players to be on the court 20 minutes or more for the game were Agnes Emma-Nnopu (21 min.) and Brooke Demetre (20 min).  The only players in double figures were Hannah Jump (19 pts), Lauren Betts (11 pts), and Ellena Bosgana (11pts). Betts added 13 rebounds to those points; her first double-double of her collegiate career! Stanford's starters hit 14 of their 22 shots but only Jump (19 min) was on the floor more than 14 minutes.  

            Hannah Jump's five three-pointers (5 of 7) should help to keep her firmly situated among the national leaders in 3 pointers made and in percentage made.  Cameron Brink's two blocks in eleven minutes may be enough to keep her among the national leaders in blocks.  Although Talana Lepolo has slipped a bit in terms of her assist and assist-to-turnover ranking, she still is second in the nation among freshman point guards on those stats.  Her continued solid play is a reminder of how helpful it is to have a solid point guard.

            The mood among the spectators, almost all of whom were family of the players, was considerably lighter than the day before.  There was laughter and a general sense of lightness.  Of course, there was still some concern that players were being allowed to mug our posts.  At one point spectators joked that there was no need to call a foul, after all, there was no blood and no broken bones -- but then Demetre got slammed in the face and it looked like there was blood.  Finally, a foul was called. 

    It seemed clear that the coaching staff wanted to avoid injuries to key players while allowing less experienced players to develop. As can be the case against less skilled teams, especially when playing younger players, things got a bit slapstick at times. But, after the tense game the day before, this easy game was a pleasure for fans. 

 

            A Family Affair 

 

            The crowds for these games make a slow night at Maples look like a full house.  There couldn't have been more than 75 fans present for most of the Stanford-Grambling game -- although the massive 10,300 seat arena made it virtually impossible to count.  Almost all the spectators were Stanford fans, mostly the family of Stanford players.  That was a real treat for us "regular" fans as we got a chance to see and sometimes meet the players' families and to watch them interact with their daughters (or sisters, or nieces, etc) after the game. For the players the multiple days in one location gives them time to relax together.

 

            One More Game

 

            Stanford has one more game remaining here in Hawaii.  This one is against the host team, the University of Hawaii.  They are a solid team with expectations to do well in their conference.  It is not a game to be taken lightly although, at least on paper, it shouldn't be as big a challenge as the first game against Florida Gulf Coast. 

 

 

Closer than the Score!

    Greetings from Hawaii where the Stanford Women's basketball team won their sixth game of the season in a game that was much closer - for three quarters - than the final 24-point margin of victory.  Stanford led by two points at the end of the first quarter, by four at the half, and by eight at the end of the third quarter. That was way too close for comfort.

            The CARD started out very cold - going two for seven from the floor over the first seven minutes of the game, with five different Stanford players missing shots. The team was kept in the game by Kiki Iriafen and the team's 10 for 10 performance at the free throw line (one missed attempt was wiped out by a lane violation).  After those first seven minutes, the Cardinal seemed to come in off the beach and their scoring and their defense began to pick up. 

            Florida Gulf Coast, one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country started off hot. The Eagles hit four of their first five three-pointers, allowing them to hold an eight-point lead after just less than four minutes had gone by.  This was not the cake walk expected by most of Stanford's fans (mostly family of team members with a handful of hard-core Bay Area folks and a few Hawaii transplants). 

 

            A Lead That Grew

 

            Stanford took the lead for the first time with 3:56 left to play in the first quarter on a Cameron Brink free throw (she was perfect from the line for the game).  The game stayed close, with FGC tying the score at 19 all with 22 seconds remaining in the quarter.  But Haley Jones hit a jumper with 9 seconds left to put Stanford ahead.  The Cardinal never trailed after that.  However, Stanford never led by more eight points until less than three minutes remained in the third quarter when the CARD briefly went up by 10 points.  Given FGC's identity as a three-point-shooting offense, an eight-to-ten-point lead is not a meaningful cushion.  

            Finally, in the fourth quarter the flood gates started to open for Stanford while fatigue - caused in considerable part by our strong defensive effort - appeared to take the legs out from FGC's three-point shooters (2 of 11 for the quarter).  Although FGC never gave up, the closest the Eagles got in the fourth quarter was eight points as the CARD steadily built its lead.  Tara substituted quite a bit throughout the game, perhaps wanting to avoid over taxing her players.he CARD plays three games here in three days.  Twelve of the fourteen players available (Ashten Prechtel was not) played at least five minutes and only Hannah Jump (36), Haley Jones (32), and Talana Lepolo (32) played over 30.  All the bench players made meaningful contributions with eleven players scoring. 

 

            STRANGE OFFICIATING

 

            The officiating in the game was a head scratcher.  In the first quarter the Cardinal shot 10 free throws, eight of them by our post players.  For the rest of the game Stanford only shot six more -- and none in the second or third quarters -- while FGC players mauled our post players.  It is true that Brink, Iriafen, and Betts towered over the shorter FGC players, but after the first quarter the refs seemed uninterested in calling the blows to the body, hacks, and holds that they had called earlier.  Curious.  And, of course, an audience composed largely of player families was not happy with that!  

            

            Interesting Stats

            

            As previously mentioned, Florida Gulf Coast in basically a three-point shooting team.  Their offense is mostly shoot the three until the defense commits on the three point line, then drive to the basket.  FGC took 46 three-point shots in this game, but only hit 13 of them.  The CARD, by contrast, only took 18 three-point shots but hit 6, winning the 3-pointer percentage battle, but just barely.  However, Stanford shot over 52% from the floor overall while FGC only shot a bit over 34%.  That is how you win by 24 points.  And, of course, to nobody's surprise a Florida Gulf Coast team with no player over six feet tall lost the rebounding battle to the Stanford trees 58 to 21.  That rebounding edge helped stymie an offensive strategy based on high volume three point shooting.

            Excellent rebounding aided Haley Jones and Kiki Iriafen in recording double doubles.  Haley had a particularly impressive 24 point (12 of 18), 14 rebounds, three assists, and one steal performance.   She hit like a sharpshooter on pull up jumpers supplemented by driving baskets. Kiki got her 16 point 11 rebound line in only 14 minutes, due mostly to the interesting foul calls against her.  Cameron Brink also scored in double figures, hit 100% of her free throws, and barely missed a double double. And, it almost goes without saying that Lepolo was again a solid point guard, efficient in her shooting (3 of 4 including a three pointer and 100% at the free-throw line) and her passing. 

 

            The Big Picture

 

            Most pundits consider Florida Gulf Coast the toughest team of the three Stanford faces here in Hawaii, so this win is a good start.  But, as we have learned over the years, anybody can lose if they aren't focused. (Of course, this team is so deep that if the starters aren't awake, the next seven can probably bring it home.)  So, hopefully the team (most of whom we saw departing for the beach in the late afternoon) will be ready for the next two games.  

            No Questions - but one answer

        With three games in three days, I am going to hold the questions until Sunday.  But, we now know that the CARD came out of last Sunday's loss with their heads up.  Haley, in particular, let us know that she is going to be JUST FINE and Kiki continues to be on her way to shining star status. If there were any after effects from the South Carolina loss, it appears they were left on the beach.

An Overtime Classic

            The #1 team in the country took on the #2 team in the county on network television and the outcome was all that anybody -- except Stanford fans -- could want. As a showcase for women's basketball and the exciting, competitive viewing opportunity it provides, this game had everything.  The atmosphere was electric, and the packed crowd cheered loudly in support of their team.

            It was a battle.  Stanford won the first and third quarters, South Carolina won the second, fourth, and overtime.  Stanford was ahead at halftime 35 to 31.  The game was tied at the end of regulation on Aliyah Boston's shot in the last seconds.  South Carolina came back from a 4-point deficit early in OT, eventually turning a 2-point lead with 6 seconds to go into a 5 point, 76 - 71 victory. 

            This game was a classic. Nobody was turning this game off or channel surfing out of boredom -- ABC must have been thrilled. Even Stanford fans have a great deal to feel good about - albeit not as good as we would have felt if we had scored 6 more points or South Carolina had scored 6 less.

 

            The Good

 

            High on the list of things to feel good about: We have a POINT GUARD!  Talano Lepolo's six-assist with three-turnover, three of six shooting (including 1 of 1 from 3-point range), six rebounds, and one steal performance was not her best statistical game.  But for a freshman point guard against the #1 team in the country on national tv -- it was beyond impressive.  It is hard to remember that this was only Lepolo's SIXTH collegiate game. 

            We can also celebrate the continued development and display of Cameron Brink's awesome talent.  She was the best player in the game.Her 25 points led all scorers.  Cam's four blocks were second only to Ashten Prechtal's game high five. 

            Prechtal's performance was impressive.  Ash has a strong body and can really "bang with the big girls" down in the paint.  She can also hit the 3.  We expect to see more of her.

            The brief view of Lauren Betts was also encouraging.  Her development as a college player appears to be following Tara's standard method of bringing along young players -- remember Haley didn't start until well into her freshman year (and then quickly went out with an ACL). But we can expect that if we meet South Carolina again in March or April, Lauren will play more than four minutes.  

            Stanford's blowout wins against relatively weak teams had some fans wondering if this team was "for real" or would they fold against "real" competition.  Going toe-to-toe with the number one team in the country all the way through the last seconds of overtime is not folding.  This team can obviously play with anybody, and the good news is that many of the critical pieces are still young and learning.  

            

            The Not-So-Good

 

            The CARD out rebounded South Carolina, 47-41.  That doesn't happen often.  The Cardinal also shot a higher percentage from the floor, from the 3-pt line, and even from the free throw line.  They also had almost twice as many assists (15-9) and more blocks (10-7). Unfortunately, Stanford also had TWICE as many turnovers (22-11) - that contributed to South Carolina taking seven more shots than the Cardinal.  If Stanford wants another National Championship, they need to value the ball more.

            Stanford shot 40.9% from the floor for the game, but only 8% in the 4th Quarter.  Some of that reflects the stepped-up intensity of South Carolina's defense.  That step up is evidenced by the fact that almost half of Stanford's free throw attempts (7 out of 15) were in the 4th quarter. But some of the drop-off was due to Stanford's failure to execute.  There were mistakes - sloppy passes, five-second calls, questionable shot selection.... The question is, why?  The Stanford team is good enough to beat anybody.  How much of the problem was fatigue?  Three of our perimeter players, Haley, Hannah, and Talana, played OVER 40 minutes.  How much was the pressure to win?  Especially for a young team, the fear of losing can get in the way of winning.  All-American Haley Jones clearly wanted to carry her team to a win, maybe too badly. Several times Haley appeared to force shots when passing might have been a better decision -- or taking a pull-up or step-back jumper.  She has those shots in her arsenal, so why not use them? 

                        

            Questions for the Week

 

1.  How will the CARD respond to losing?

            This was a tough loss.  It's true that this is only November but losing a close game after leading for most of it can get into a player's or a team's head.  Will the CARD be able to learn the lessons from this game without staying stuck in it?  Hopefully a trip to Hawaii will help.

 

2. Can we get Brittney Griner home?

       In addition to the regular moment of silence in honor of Brittney, Tara, Dawn Staley, and several members of the ABC/ESPN broadcast crew were wearing sweatshirts honoring Brittney.  The goal is to keep her in the public eye to build pressure for officials to bring her home, a worthy goal.