02-15-2026, 05:10 PM
Some thoughts about the game and the season from an outside perspective.
In a previous lifetime, I had the opportunity to interview a fairly successful men's coach about his philosophy of coaching. He was very generous with his time and we covered a lot, but two things (he said) I'll never forget: 1) Understand the talent that you have and use that talent to your advantage to and to such an efficiency that you force your opponent to adjust. and 2) Make the other team uncomfortable.
That coach was John Wooden.
If you look at this game from those two perspectives, Virginia coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton had her team consistently executing plays that took advantage of UVA's talent (offensively) and (defensively), they made Stanford uncomfortable. With the exception of posting Agara and letting her work, coach Paye did not use her other Bigs- Somfai along with Eschmeyer's length, moving them away from the block and out to near the perimeter, turning them into screeners and passers, similar to the unproductive Stevenson.
Others have posted their thoughts on how Stanford could have won, but lost the game, and it's quite possible that Stanford might nab a few wins down the stretch with Nunu's presence. She is the stud that Stanford has needed. But I will look back on this season as Coach Paye's inability to use the talent she has with effective playmaking (rather than coming down the court and jacking up 3-point attempts, or going one on one in traffic) and (with the lack of playmaking), the inability to make Stanford opponents uncomfortable as well as the inability to adjust.
She is not the right coach for you.
In a previous lifetime, I had the opportunity to interview a fairly successful men's coach about his philosophy of coaching. He was very generous with his time and we covered a lot, but two things (he said) I'll never forget: 1) Understand the talent that you have and use that talent to your advantage to and to such an efficiency that you force your opponent to adjust. and 2) Make the other team uncomfortable.
That coach was John Wooden.
If you look at this game from those two perspectives, Virginia coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton had her team consistently executing plays that took advantage of UVA's talent (offensively) and (defensively), they made Stanford uncomfortable. With the exception of posting Agara and letting her work, coach Paye did not use her other Bigs- Somfai along with Eschmeyer's length, moving them away from the block and out to near the perimeter, turning them into screeners and passers, similar to the unproductive Stevenson.
Others have posted their thoughts on how Stanford could have won, but lost the game, and it's quite possible that Stanford might nab a few wins down the stretch with Nunu's presence. She is the stud that Stanford has needed. But I will look back on this season as Coach Paye's inability to use the talent she has with effective playmaking (rather than coming down the court and jacking up 3-point attempts, or going one on one in traffic) and (with the lack of playmaking), the inability to make Stanford opponents uncomfortable as well as the inability to adjust.
She is not the right coach for you.