[stopandpop]

with this coaching staff can't be sure if anything!

Yup. While not as talented as some teams of the past and 3 freshman playing a lot, THIS ROSTER HAS 10 players that were ESPN TOP 100. We are not talentless. 

2 years of missing the NCAA tourney would be devastating. Irrelevancy in college athletics especially in today's era can happen very quickly and that means recruiting falls off, fan support, games on national tv, on and on.  This program that was elite for decades is just not anywhere close right now.

Recruits have to know this as well. It's a lot easier to maintain winning standards than try to rebuild after falling off a cliff. If we miss NCAA again, we are falling fast.

Well, this year we struck out on every elite recruit we tried to get. So the falling has already happened.
Is this the most embarrassing women's basketball game in history? Lose by 22 points to a 10-14 team? Maybe not but it is close.

Losing by 22 in an important game where we were 8.5 point favorites against the number 98 team in the NET. Can't remember much worse than that. And the -8.5 takes into account the injuries to Nunu and Lepolo, being on the road, ACC refs, etc.

After sitting next to Tara for all those years, I remain amazed about Coach Paye's inability or unwillingness to make even the slightest adjustments in an offense that is so easily defended.  Tara's playbook against all sorts of defenses was extensive and she was a master of making adjustments at halftime.  Kate saw it all and yet her playbook is so limited.

My concerns (relying so heavily on the 3-ball) after the easy win over Pitt unfortunately came true; 6 of 30 (20%) today against G. Tech, a team that Cal defeated because Cal plays a more balanced offense.  During the course of the game watching the Yellow Jackets defense pack the paint and cut off the driving lanes, I was reminded how Tara (when faced with similar defenses), would have Brooke Demetre flash into the key, get a quick pass, turn and hit those smooth, effortless jump shots.  I mention Demetre, who lacked the athleticism and shot making ability of Kiki or Brink, and yet she became a thorn in the side of the opposition.  I could easily see Somfai, Eschmeyer or even Ogden doing this, but it's not happening.

Others have already mentioned how under-utilized Eschmeyer is.  Unlike Somfai, Eschmeyer posts well, but the passes rarely come her way and when they do, the passes come late.  What I would love to see are passes to Alex while Somfai breaks to the basket.  This was often one of Tara's plays to disrupt the defense, using Brink in the low post with Kiki barreling to the hoop and getting the pass from Cam for the easy layup.  I understand that Stanford has no Brink or Kiki, but with some creativity, the offense becomes less predictable.

Similarly, when Tech repeatedly scored with dribble penetration (and building up their lead), I was surprised that Coach Paye didn't go to a zone and make Tech score in other ways.  

A final comment about the 3-ball.  As long as Stanford keeps shooting them with such inconsistency, why not bring in Carly Amborn (in my opinion), the best pure 3-point shooter on the team, but Amborn continues to sit.  That 4-second appearance in the last moments of the Pitt game was an insult to Amborn.

Here's another prediction that I hope I'm dead wrong.  I don't see Stanford getting into the NCAA Tournament, even as a bubble team.  That would be two years in a row.  No one can questiion Coach Paye's enthusiasm for her team as well as her long-time loyalty and dedication to the program.  But the talent on this team is simply not being used effectively.  She needs to go and replaced with someone with a great track record from the outside (with her or his own staff), who can lead the resurgence of Stanford women's basketball.

[stopandpop]

with this coaching staff can't be sure if anything!

Yup. While not as talented as some teams of the past and 3 freshman playing a lot, THIS ROSTER HAS 10 players that were ESPN TOP 100. We are not talentless. 

2 years of missing the NCAA tourney would be devastating. Irrelevancy in college athletics especially in today's era can happen very quickly and that means recruiting falls off, fan support, games on national tv, on and on.  This program that was elite for decades is just not anywhere close right now.

Recruits have to know this as well. It's a lot easier to maintain winning standards than try to rebuild after falling off a cliff. If we miss NCAA again, we are falling fast.

Well, this year we struck out on every elite recruit we tried to get. So the falling has already happened.
Is this the most embarrassing women's basketball game in history? Lose by 22 points to a 10-14 team? Maybe not but it is close.

Losing by 22 in an important game where we were 8.5 point favorites against the number 98 team in the NET. Can't remember much worse than that. And the -8.5 takes into account the injuries to Nunu and Lepolo, being on the road, ACC refs, etc.

After sitting next to Tara for all those years, I remain amazed about Coach Paye's inability or unwillingness to make even the slightest adjustments in an offense that is so easily defended.  Tara's playbook against all sorts of defenses was extensive and she was a master of making adjustments at halftime.  Kate saw it all and yet her playbook is so limited.

My concerns (relying so heavily on the 3-ball) after the easy win over Pitt unfortunately came true; 6 of 30 (20%) today against G. Tech, a team that Cal defeated because Cal plays a more balanced offense.  During the course of the game watching the Yellow Jackets defense pack the paint and cut off the driving lanes, I was reminded how Tara (when faced with similar defenses), would have Brooke Demetre flash into the key, get a quick pass, turn and hit those smooth, effortless jump shots.  I mention Demetre, who lacked the athleticism and shot making ability of Kiki or Brink, and yet she became a thorn in the side of the opposition.  I could easily see Somfai, Eschmeyer or even Ogden doing this, but it's not happening.

Others have already mentioned how under-utilized Eschmeyer is.  Unlike Somfai, Eschmeyer posts well, but the passes rarely come her way and when they do, the passes come late.  What I would love to see are passes to Alex while Somfai breaks to the basket.  This was often one of Tara's plays to disrupt the defense, using Brink in the low post with Kiki barreling to the hoop and getting the pass from Cam for the easy layup.  I understand that Stanford has no Brink or Kiki, but with some creativity, the offense becomes less predictable.

Similarly, when Tech repeatedly scored with dribble penetration (and building up their lead), I was surprised that Coach Paye didn't go to a zone and make Tech score in other ways.  

A final comment about the 3-ball.  As long as Stanford keeps shooting them with such inconsistency, why not bring in Carly Amborn (in my opinion), the best pure 3-point shooter on the team, but Amborn continues to sit.  That 4-second appearance in the last moments of the Pitt game was an insult to Amborn.

Here's another prediction that I hope I'm dead wrong.  I don't see Stanford getting into the NCAA Tournament, even as a bubble team.  That would be two years in a row.  No one can questiion Coach Paye's enthusiasm for her team as well as her long-time loyalty and dedication to the program.  But the talent on this team is simply not being used effectively.  She needs to go and replaced with someone with a great track record from the outside (with her or his own staff), who can lead the resurgence of Stanford women's basketball.