[chimera]

Well.  Hmmm.  This was better in some ways, but still a bit concerning in other ways.  Better in that they went inside a lot, so our posts got going.  Better in that Jones was not the primary ball handler, to her benefit (triple double!!!!) and the team's.  Better in that the offense moved the ball better and there were fewer turnovers.  Concerning that we still struggled too much with pressure.  It was better than against Texas.  I did like that one player had the job of bringing up the ball and initiating the offense.  Lacie generally did well in that role.  She was our pg in this game, and if that is the plan, ok.  I still wish we saw Jana in there a bit.  I also wish I knew why Wilson is not able to seize the job.  Her minutes will decrease if we have to play Lacie at the 1 because neither are big scorers and can't have both guards be low-scoring.  

I've been thinking this for a bit, and now I will say it - the schedule might be too hard.  This game was one of the few easy ones in the non-conference schedule and we had zero minutes for too many players.  How much time will they get against the teams we play for the next month?  Will we be able to use our depth in the Thanksgiving tournament if minutes are like they were tonight?  This is the sort of game I thought we would see everyone get at least 4 or 5 minutes.

ETA Really loved Demetre's offense in this game. Iriafen also did well.

[chimera]

Well.  Hmmm.  This was better in some ways, but still a bit concerning in other ways.  Better in that they went inside a lot, so our posts got going.  Better in that Jones was not the primary ball handler, to her benefit (triple double!!!!) and the team's.  Better in that the offense moved the ball better and there were fewer turnovers.  Concerning that we still struggled too much with pressure.  It was better than against Texas.  I did like that one player had the job of bringing up the ball and initiating the offense.  Lacie generally did well in that role.  She was our pg in this game, and if that is the plan, ok.  I still wish we saw Jana in there a bit.  I also wish I knew why Wilson is not able to seize the job.  Her minutes will decrease if we have to play Lacie at the 1 because neither are big scorers and can't have both guards be low-scoring.  

I've been thinking this for a bit, and now I will say it - the schedule might be too hard.  This game was one of the few easy ones in the non-conference schedule and we had zero minutes for too many players.  How much time will they get against the teams we play for the next month?  Will we be able to use our depth in the Thanksgiving tournament if minutes are like they were tonight?  This is the sort of game I thought we would see everyone get at least 4 or 5 minutes.

ETA Really loved Demetre's offense in this game. Iriafen also did well.

[martyup]

Missed the game, but the stats are ugly on FT shooting.  Lexie was 2-6 at the charity stripe.  Glad to see good production from Iriafen and Demetre.  Did the team seem to be having fun?  It must have been a hard pill to swallow losing to Texas.  But maybe the pill will be medicine against teams that want to play thug ball against us.

[martyup]

Missed the game, but the stats are ugly on FT shooting.  Lexie was 2-6 at the charity stripe.  Glad to see good production from Iriafen and Demetre.  Did the team seem to be having fun?  It must have been a hard pill to swallow losing to Texas.  But maybe the pill will be medicine against teams that want to play thug ball against us.

[teejers1]

Missed the game, but the stats are ugly on FT shooting.  Lexie was 2-6 at the charity stripe.  Glad to see good production from Iriafen and Demetre.  Did the team seem to be having fun?  It must have been a hard pill to swallow losing to Texas.  But maybe the pill will be medicine against teams that want to play thug ball against us.

Was at the game, a few takes:

1.  Portland is an extremely well-coached team - they were outmanned at every position, yet managed to shoot a good %, due in no small part to coaching plays that gave his players the best chance to succeed.  It was quite impressive.  Even in plays that didn't work, I was impressed.  (Case in point:  after Haley's half-court splash was waved off due to traveling, it was halfcourt out-of-bounds for UP with .6 seconds left.  They ran a play - no TO called - where it was open for at least a look near the hoop (i) had the throw been more to the "right" (or away) side of bucket, and (ii) had Lexie not left her man to deflect pass away);

2.  It looks like TvD has decided to go with Lacie at the 1 . . . we'll see how that works against elite guards (but UP's guards weren't scrubs, by any means).  Like others, am concerned and am wondering what's going on at practice; 

3.  When Stanford passed the ball crisply - as happened on several occasions - it was a thing of beauty, imo, whether or not it finished in a make.  BTW, there were a ton of made finishes in the 10-14 foot range (Jones, Demetre, and Brink) tonight;

4.  Lexie shot poorly, but as someone else noted, she is relentless on D.  And the Twins' height lead to a lot of steals/deflections/disruptions; and 

5.  The less the bench plays, the less they will be confident and ready to step in during crunch time.  That consideration alone should lead to some extended PT for more players.  Tonight I thought Jones and Lexie played too much.  We know what we have with those two, and I never considered this game in jeopardy, even when UP cut it (surprisingly) to 10 points.

[teejers1]

Missed the game, but the stats are ugly on FT shooting.  Lexie was 2-6 at the charity stripe.  Glad to see good production from Iriafen and Demetre.  Did the team seem to be having fun?  It must have been a hard pill to swallow losing to Texas.  But maybe the pill will be medicine against teams that want to play thug ball against us.

Was at the game, a few takes:

1.  Portland is an extremely well-coached team - they were outmanned at every position, yet managed to shoot a good %, due in no small part to coaching plays that gave his players the best chance to succeed.  It was quite impressive.  Even in plays that didn't work, I was impressed.  (Case in point:  after Haley's half-court splash was waved off due to traveling, it was halfcourt out-of-bounds for UP with .6 seconds left.  They ran a play - no TO called - where it was open for at least a look near the hoop (i) had the throw been more to the "right" (or away) side of bucket, and (ii) had Lexie not left her man to deflect pass away);

2.  It looks like TvD has decided to go with Lacie at the 1 . . . we'll see how that works against elite guards (but UP's guards weren't scrubs, by any means).  Like others, am concerned and am wondering what's going on at practice; 

3.  When Stanford passed the ball crisply - as happened on several occasions - it was a thing of beauty, imo, whether or not it finished in a make.  BTW, there were a ton of made finishes in the 10-14 foot range (Jones, Demetre, and Brink) tonight;

4.  Lexie shot poorly, but as someone else noted, she is relentless on D.  And the Twins' height lead to a lot of steals/deflections/disruptions; and 

5.  The less the bench plays, the less they will be confident and ready to step in during crunch time.  That consideration alone should lead to some extended PT for more players.  Tonight I thought Jones and Lexie played too much.  We know what we have with those two, and I never considered this game in jeopardy, even when UP cut it (surprisingly) to 10 points.

[BillBradley]

Well.  Hmmm.  This was better in some ways, but still a bit concerning in other ways.  Better in that they went inside a lot, so our posts got going.  Better in that Jones was not the primary ball handler, to her benefit (triple double!!!!) and the team's.  Better in that the offense moved the ball better and there were fewer turnovers.  Concerning that we still struggled too much with pressure.  It was better than against Texas.  I did like that one player had the job of bringing up the ball and initiating the offense.  Lacie generally did well in that role.  She was our pg in this game, and if that is the plan, ok.  I still wish we saw Jana in there a bit.  I also wish I knew why Wilson is not able to seize the job.  Her minutes will decrease if we have to play Lacie at the 1 because neither are big scorers and can't have both guards be low-scoring.  

That's exactly what I think Chimera. It's better to have a primary ball handler if we can pull it off because it's way better for our main scorers. We were more organized offensively, players in the right spots, making the extra pass, hitting cutters, playing high-low, etc. I thought Lacie did a nice job and she continues to be my choice at PG. 36 minutes, 5 assists, 1 turnover...that's a very solid night. Agree with others thought that she might not yet be "Final-4 good", but I love her moxie and she's certainly not scared of the opportunity. It was way more of an adventure out there when Haley was bringing it up. Wilson will be valuable when we need an extra ball handler out there, but I too see her minutes decreasing.  

Wow, Portland was impressive and I noticed many of the same things about Meek as Teejers mentioned. That was a great game for us to play. They are going to be a problem for the WCC over the years. And how about the Australian pipeline into Portland? What's the connection there? If he continues to bring in international talent, they could become a formidable west coast team. Maybe they are copying the Gonzaga men's blueprint for how a small Catholic school can make it in big-time hoops?

I think the answer to the question about why Jana isn't playing might have to do with her ball speed. She might be a step too slow and too easy to trap. Also, that one long, panicky loopy pass didn't look very good. It's a tough, tough position to play and she simply may not be ready. Jana obviously isn't wowing Tara in practice and I don't think this is one of those times to "give someone a chance". The pressure in both these games has been relentless and if she's not ready it's the wrong move to throw her to the wolves.

[BillBradley]

Well.  Hmmm.  This was better in some ways, but still a bit concerning in other ways.  Better in that they went inside a lot, so our posts got going.  Better in that Jones was not the primary ball handler, to her benefit (triple double!!!!) and the team's.  Better in that the offense moved the ball better and there were fewer turnovers.  Concerning that we still struggled too much with pressure.  It was better than against Texas.  I did like that one player had the job of bringing up the ball and initiating the offense.  Lacie generally did well in that role.  She was our pg in this game, and if that is the plan, ok.  I still wish we saw Jana in there a bit.  I also wish I knew why Wilson is not able to seize the job.  Her minutes will decrease if we have to play Lacie at the 1 because neither are big scorers and can't have both guards be low-scoring.  

That's exactly what I think Chimera. It's better to have a primary ball handler if we can pull it off because it's way better for our main scorers. We were more organized offensively, players in the right spots, making the extra pass, hitting cutters, playing high-low, etc. I thought Lacie did a nice job and she continues to be my choice at PG. 36 minutes, 5 assists, 1 turnover...that's a very solid night. Agree with others thought that she might not yet be "Final-4 good", but I love her moxie and she's certainly not scared of the opportunity. It was way more of an adventure out there when Haley was bringing it up. Wilson will be valuable when we need an extra ball handler out there, but I too see her minutes decreasing.  

Wow, Portland was impressive and I noticed many of the same things about Meek as Teejers mentioned. That was a great game for us to play. They are going to be a problem for the WCC over the years. And how about the Australian pipeline into Portland? What's the connection there? If he continues to bring in international talent, they could become a formidable west coast team. Maybe they are copying the Gonzaga men's blueprint for how a small Catholic school can make it in big-time hoops?

I think the answer to the question about why Jana isn't playing might have to do with her ball speed. She might be a step too slow and too easy to trap. Also, that one long, panicky loopy pass didn't look very good. It's a tough, tough position to play and she simply may not be ready. Jana obviously isn't wowing Tara in practice and I don't think this is one of those times to "give someone a chance". The pressure in both these games has been relentless and if she's not ready it's the wrong move to throw her to the wolves.

[AxeMan89]

Was also there. Another take on the starters playing so much is a determination that Lacie is the PG and getting the group comfortable with that. But I agree that puts Wilson in an awkward spot since neither scores much. 

The offense was a lot of mid-range shots, not a lot of attempted 3's. That fits Demetre as well as Haley. Glad to see Demetre and Iriafen get a long look. Iriafen actually attempted a dunk on a breakaway near the end of the game - Tara didn't seem to like that so much, especially when it didn't go in. We thought the team was a bit too focused in the 4th quarter on getting Haley a couple more assists and not particularly trying to execute a regular offense. Starters only all came off when that was completed around the 2 min mark. 

And obviously it was only a couple of possessions, but Agnes is a fun perimeter defender. Had a steal and looked good.

[AxeMan89]

Was also there. Another take on the starters playing so much is a determination that Lacie is the PG and getting the group comfortable with that. But I agree that puts Wilson in an awkward spot since neither scores much. 

The offense was a lot of mid-range shots, not a lot of attempted 3's. That fits Demetre as well as Haley. Glad to see Demetre and Iriafen get a long look. Iriafen actually attempted a dunk on a breakaway near the end of the game - Tara didn't seem to like that so much, especially when it didn't go in. We thought the team was a bit too focused in the 4th quarter on getting Haley a couple more assists and not particularly trying to execute a regular offense. Starters only all came off when that was completed around the 2 min mark. 

And obviously it was only a couple of possessions, but Agnes is a fun perimeter defender. Had a steal and looked good.

[mbdude]

Jana got in for 1 minute at end of game - I've often wondered what players think on those occasions. Is it "thanks coach, I appreciate the token playing  time,  but how am I supposed to show you what I can do?. 
I had players who for whatever reasons performed better in actual game situations than practice.

[mbdude]

Jana got in for 1 minute at end of game - I've often wondered what players think on those occasions. Is it "thanks coach, I appreciate the token playing  time,  but how am I supposed to show you what I can do?. 
I had players who for whatever reasons performed better in actual game situations than practice.

[81alum]

The Portland presser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmfE2FmA....com/watch?v=BmfE2FmAwj0

Generally upbeat.  Kudos to Portland.  Tara pointed out that Portland was very experienced and will challenge Gonzaga.  Also that Portland qualified for the NCAAs in 2020 but of course could not go.  What she didn't say is that Portland just beat her sister's team by a large margin.  Portland is part of a "brutal" schedule.

However, Tara took on a harsh tone when the reporter asked about Kiki's missed dunk.  "We haven't talked about it yet, but I didn't like it.  Make the layup.  What Kiki has to understand is that she is trying to build my trust in her....she didn't...we will talk about it."

Jones said she saw the replay on her half court trey and agreed it was a travel.  Tara disagreed.

---

Post game interview with Haley Jones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FteAFze6p-U

A VERY interesting revelation.  Commenting on Lacie's play:  "It's going to help us having that pg spot locked up by Lacie Hull."

[81alum]

The Portland presser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmfE2FmA....com/watch?v=BmfE2FmAwj0

Generally upbeat.  Kudos to Portland.  Tara pointed out that Portland was very experienced and will challenge Gonzaga.  Also that Portland qualified for the NCAAs in 2020 but of course could not go.  What she didn't say is that Portland just beat her sister's team by a large margin.  Portland is part of a "brutal" schedule.

However, Tara took on a harsh tone when the reporter asked about Kiki's missed dunk.  "We haven't talked about it yet, but I didn't like it.  Make the layup.  What Kiki has to understand is that she is trying to build my trust in her....she didn't...we will talk about it."

Jones said she saw the replay on her half court trey and agreed it was a travel.  Tara disagreed.

---

Post game interview with Haley Jones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FteAFze6p-U

A VERY interesting revelation.  Commenting on Lacie's play:  "It's going to help us having that pg spot locked up by Lacie Hull."

[joemontes]

Post game interview with Haley Jones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FteAFze6p-U

A VERY interesting revelation.  Commenting on Lacie's play:  "It's going to help us having that pg spot locked up by Lacie Hull."

Wow!  For me, this comment doesn't bode well for Jana VAN GYTENBEEK, who I initially thought at the start of the season would see some major playing time with the departure of Kiana.  Unless she's OK with merely playing for garbage time duty.

[joemontes]

Post game interview with Haley Jones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FteAFze6p-U

A VERY interesting revelation.  Commenting on Lacie's play:  "It's going to help us having that pg spot locked up by Lacie Hull."

Wow!  For me, this comment doesn't bode well for Jana VAN GYTENBEEK, who I initially thought at the start of the season would see some major playing time with the departure of Kiana.  Unless she's OK with merely playing for garbage time duty.

[chimera]

It doesn't look good for her in the short term.  Is that because she doesn't have a lot of experience and the coaches do not want to throw her in for a lot of minutes against these teams that pressure so much or because they don't believe she deserves the playing time at all?  Someone has to back up Lacie.  The schedule makes it very tough to work in inexperienced point guards.

[chimera]

It doesn't look good for her in the short term.  Is that because she doesn't have a lot of experience and the coaches do not want to throw her in for a lot of minutes against these teams that pressure so much or because they don't believe she deserves the playing time at all?  Someone has to back up Lacie.  The schedule makes it very tough to work in inexperienced point guards.

[76lsjumb]

However, Tara took on a harsh tone when the reporter asked about Kiki's missed dunk.  "We haven't talked about it yet, but I didn't like it.  Make the layup.  What Kiki has to understand is that she is trying to build my trust in her....she didn't...we will talk about it."

Jones said she saw the replay on her half court trey and agreed it was a travel.  Tara disagreed.

---

Tara is right:

   -- About the travel on Haley's half-court 3... it wasn't [even if Haley agreed it was].  Saw several replays on the scoring desk monitor, and it was clean;

   -- About the missed dunk... Arguably, there are few more humiliating/ill-advised basketball maneuvers than a missed dunk -- even one that was at least somewhat contested [albeit by a much smaller defender] -- especially by a freshman... in garbage team... with a big lead.  Oof!

[76lsjumb]

However, Tara took on a harsh tone when the reporter asked about Kiki's missed dunk.  "We haven't talked about it yet, but I didn't like it.  Make the layup.  What Kiki has to understand is that she is trying to build my trust in her....she didn't...we will talk about it."

Jones said she saw the replay on her half court trey and agreed it was a travel.  Tara disagreed.

---

Tara is right:

   -- About the travel on Haley's half-court 3... it wasn't [even if Haley agreed it was].  Saw several replays on the scoring desk monitor, and it was clean;

   -- About the missed dunk... Arguably, there are few more humiliating/ill-advised basketball maneuvers than a missed dunk -- even one that was at least somewhat contested [albeit by a much smaller defender] -- especially by a freshman... in garbage team... with a big lead.  Oof!

[teejers1]

Wow!  For me, this comment doesn't bode well for Jana VAN GYTENBEEK, who I initially thought at the start of the season would see some major playing time with the departure of Kiana.  Unless she's OK with merely playing for garbage time duty.

Hard to envision JvG sticking around, and it's hard to blame her.  Kids want to play - and remember, everyone on the roster was a star player in HS and highly coveted.  She may not be the only one.

[teejers1]

Wow!  For me, this comment doesn't bode well for Jana VAN GYTENBEEK, who I initially thought at the start of the season would see some major playing time with the departure of Kiana.  Unless she's OK with merely playing for garbage time duty.

Hard to envision JvG sticking around, and it's hard to blame her.  Kids want to play - and remember, everyone on the roster was a star player in HS and highly coveted.  She may not be the only one.

[BostonCard]

Not a lot of outbound transfers from the program, even among the women who haven’t gotten much playing time.  Alyssa Jerome has stuck it out (even coming back a fifth year), despite being pretty deep into the bench.  We’ve had a few transfers (eg Marta Sniezek) but plenty have stayed, despite limited PT.

BC

[BostonCard]

Not a lot of outbound transfers from the program, even among the women who haven’t gotten much playing time.  Alyssa Jerome has stuck it out (even coming back a fifth year), despite being pretty deep into the bench.  We’ve had a few transfers (eg Marta Sniezek) but plenty have stayed, despite limited PT.

BC

[qwerty49]

Hard to envision JvG sticking around, and it's hard to blame her.  Kids want to play - and remember, everyone on the roster was a star player in HS and highly coveted.  She may not be the only one.

I don't want to tempt the woof gods, but let's just say I wouldn't be surprised by your last sentence.  17 is just way too big a roster.

[qwerty49]

Hard to envision JvG sticking around, and it's hard to blame her.  Kids want to play - and remember, everyone on the roster was a star player in HS and highly coveted.  She may not be the only one.

I don't want to tempt the woof gods, but let's just say I wouldn't be surprised by your last sentence.  17 is just way too big a roster.

[BostonCard]

I thought the roster limit was 15 (post-COVID).

BC

[BostonCard]

I thought the roster limit was 15 (post-COVID).

BC

[qwerty49]

I thought the roster limit was 15 (post-COVID).

BC

17 here.  

https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster

[qwerty49]

I thought the roster limit was 15 (post-COVID).

BC

17 here.  

https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster

[BostonCard]

Right, but that’s because of COVID.  I think it reverts to 15 next year.

BC

[BostonCard]

Right, but that’s because of COVID.  I think it reverts to 15 next year.

BC

[chimera]

Fifteen next year. Didn't someone say Prechtel would transfer last season?  Next year we lose a bunch of guards.  Lacie, Lexie, Hamilton, Wilson, maybe Jenna, who is academically a senior.  Lots of potential playing time for the remaining guards, who will be ahead of the incoming frosh in experience.  Speculation on transfers out without some specific info seems unhelpful to me because some people may read this stuff and think there is something behind it other than pure speculation, but what do I know?

[chimera]

Fifteen next year. Didn't someone say Prechtel would transfer last season?  Next year we lose a bunch of guards.  Lacie, Lexie, Hamilton, Wilson, maybe Jenna, who is academically a senior.  Lots of potential playing time for the remaining guards, who will be ahead of the incoming frosh in experience.  Speculation on transfers out without some specific info seems unhelpful to me because some people may read this stuff and think there is something behind it other than pure speculation, but what do I know?

[2006alum]

Fifteen next year.  Didn't someone say Prechtel would transfer last season?  Next year we lose a bunch of guards.  Lacie, Lexie, Hamilton, Wilson, maybe Jenna, who is academically a senior.  Lots of potential playing time for the remaining guards, who will be ahead of the incoming frosh in experience.  Speculation on transfers out without some specific info seems unhelpful to me because some people may read this stuff and think there is something behind it other than pure speculation, but what do I know?

+1 to all of this. Speculation is a fool's errand. It's one thing to say, "if I was Jana, I'd be looking to xyz." But acting like it might actually happen with absolutely no personal insight seems imprudent. 

And note that we have had one outbound non-grad transfer in the past decade, Taylor Rooks, who rode the bench hard from day one and was by all accounts not thrilled about her experience at Stanford. (Thompson, Sniezek, Carrington, Moschkau and Dodson all got their degrees first.) I don't see anyone on the present team who fits that bill, but again, what do I know?

[2006alum]

Fifteen next year.  Didn't someone say Prechtel would transfer last season?  Next year we lose a bunch of guards.  Lacie, Lexie, Hamilton, Wilson, maybe Jenna, who is academically a senior.  Lots of potential playing time for the remaining guards, who will be ahead of the incoming frosh in experience.  Speculation on transfers out without some specific info seems unhelpful to me because some people may read this stuff and think there is something behind it other than pure speculation, but what do I know?

+1 to all of this. Speculation is a fool's errand. It's one thing to say, "if I was Jana, I'd be looking to xyz." But acting like it might actually happen with absolutely no personal insight seems imprudent. 

And note that we have had one outbound non-grad transfer in the past decade, Taylor Rooks, who rode the bench hard from day one and was by all accounts not thrilled about her experience at Stanford. (Thompson, Sniezek, Carrington, Moschkau and Dodson all got their degrees first.) I don't see anyone on the present team who fits that bill, but again, what do I know?

[martyup]

Let's see . . . Transfer, play more during the season, and watch your former team play in the final four . . . OR stay with your team in a supporting role and watch the final four from a courtside seat AND get a Stanford degree.

[martyup]

Let's see . . . Transfer, play more during the season, and watch your former team play in the final four . . . OR stay with your team in a supporting role and watch the final four from a courtside seat AND get a Stanford degree.

[BobK]

Some people just hoping for a transfer. Same poster last year as this.

[BobK]

Some people just hoping for a transfer. Same poster last year as this.