[81alum]

I can't start thinking about next year fast enough, mainly because I want to stop thinking about this year.  So lets start contemplating what will change:

1) Out with Jones, Prechtel, and Belibi. 

I will dearly miss them all, but I don't feel their loss will be quite as momentous as the loss of Wiggins, or Chiney, or maybe even Williams or Lexie.  Prechtel and Belibi made many useful--at times season-saving--contributions, but neither of them became a critical and consistent part of our rotation, and for whatever reason their importance faded in their senior year.

How much will we miss Jones?  Clearly, she was a superb talent and we will miss her in many different ways--not least her role filling in for Williams at point guard.  Someone else will have to become a great rebounder, someone else will have to get those assists, someone else will have to score those points.  But Jones described herself as a "high risk high reward" kind of player.  With all the good she did for us we had to take the bad.  Turnovers were always her Achilles heel, and her final game was a great illustration of both the good Jones and the bad Jones.  She will have to be replaced by committee, but there could be a silver lining.

2) In with Agara, Clardy, and Ogden.

Of the three freshmen, I think it is likeliest that 6'1" wing Courtney Ogden (ESPN #10) will see significant playing time.  She seems very mature--both physically and in terms of her basketball development.  Tara describes her as a "scorer" and she would logically play the wing.  That is another reason to think she might be first to break into the rotation--Jones's departure will leave a void there.  She could compete with Demetre, fellow freshman wing Agara, and maybe Bosgana.  How quickly can she learn to defend at the NCAA level?  Can she screen for Jump?  Time will tell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msy4CTLXIYQ&t=3s

5'9" combo guard Clardy (ESPN # 39) was described by Tara as being particularly strong on defense.  Tara described Emma-Nnopu that way, too, so I suspect it may take a while for her to come along and challenge Lepolo and Nivar and Harriel. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg0o96LpxMk&t=4s

6'2" 3/4 forward Agara (ESPN #37) was singled out for her rebounding.  Given the loss of Jones, Belibi, and Prechtel, there is almost certainly going to be room for a good rebounder in the rotation.  She sure looks good on tape, and perhaps she was overshadowed by her high school teammates like Paige Bueckers.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M38HOaL3UI&t=40s

3) The sophomores will improve.  How much?

The biggest question is how to most effectively use Lauren Betts.  When praising Brink at a press conference, Tara observed that the one area for Brink to improve was her "versatility."  To me this suggested that Brink needs to be able to play some of the time at the high post, so that Brink and Betts can both be on the court at the same time--and perhaps both be starters all the time.  But can Betts be ready for a LOT more minutes, or will she spend her sophomore season rotating in and out with Brink, just one of the two at a time?  I'd love to see an offense that effectively uses them both simultaneously, but we shall have to wait to see.

Most of the attention on this board has been on Lepolo and Nivar.  It is pretty clear that we need a more experienced, confident back court.  Harriel should, perhaps, be in the mix too.  But given that Harriel has been on campus for a year longer, I think the greatest improvement we might expect would be from Lepolo or Nivar.  We know what those improvements need to be--they both need to be much better on offense, and that includes both jump shooting but especially driving.  How much of this can they accomplish in the off season?  Nivar needs a jump shot, Lepolo needs to drive, they both need to perfect lob passes to a 6'7" center.  Surly the latter is something they can practice a few thousand times.

We have not seen much of Papadaki or Green.  I have a hunch that Jump's return may make it harder for Papadaki to get on the court.  They could surprise us.

4) Will the juniors have new roles?

Bosgana, Demetre, and Iriafen have all shown us flashes of brilliance over the last two years.

I have been very impressed with Iriafen at times.  She came in as a freshman with better moves around the basket than most bigs do--certainly better than McCall, Fingall, or Dodson.  Then, at the beginning of this season, she fairly easily was hitting jumpers from the elbow and free throw line range.  Her offensive rebounding has seemed pretty good.  But she averaged only 12 minutes per game.  I think she could have a breakout year if those flashes of brilliance start to emerge more consistently. 

Demetre is a superb weapon when she is "on" and I think she belongs on the floor at the same time as Jump.  It would be a little like putting Bonnie in one corner and Karlie in the other.  She improved on defense this year.  Perhaps she needs some more versatility around the basket, but next year could be the year she comes out from under Jones's shadow (and minutes).

Bosgana looked impressive on offense this year.  Her freshman year she would only drive on the basket and never take jump shots.  This year she was at times a very accurate three point shooter.  I wish I could judge her defense better, but I have seen her do some good things.  It is entirely plausible that she could emerge as a major part of the rotation.

5) How much will the offense be built around Brink?

With just Brink and Emma-Nnopu left, I think we can conclude that we have seen what they both can do and that there will probably be no major surprises from either of them.

But there is a big question with Brink.  Will she continue to play the 5, or can she regain her shooter's touch from three point range and become a more versatile 4?  This year we tried her at the 4 and Iriafen or Betts at the 5, and it did not work out well.  Her three point shooting also seemed to decline this year.  We know Tara wants to see "versatility."  Can Brink do what Jones could not, and become a three level player?  It would open up the offense in many ways if she could, it would help us to utilize Betts, and it would help Jump to be open, if Brink shot treys and mid range jumpers as well as she does free throws.  Given that Tara bemoaned the tendency to rely too much on Jones and Brink, I am sure that the intention will be to build a more diversified offense around her, but that may only be possible if she herself expands her game.

(continued....)

[81alum]

I can't start thinking about next year fast enough, mainly because I want to stop thinking about this year.  So lets start contemplating what will change:

1) Out with Jones, Prechtel, and Belibi. 

I will dearly miss them all, but I don't feel their loss will be quite as momentous as the loss of Wiggins, or Chiney, or maybe even Williams or Lexie.  Prechtel and Belibi made many useful--at times season-saving--contributions, but neither of them became a critical and consistent part of our rotation, and for whatever reason their importance faded in their senior year.

How much will we miss Jones?  Clearly, she was a superb talent and we will miss her in many different ways--not least her role filling in for Williams at point guard.  Someone else will have to become a great rebounder, someone else will have to get those assists, someone else will have to score those points.  But Jones described herself as a "high risk high reward" kind of player.  With all the good she did for us we had to take the bad.  Turnovers were always her Achilles heel, and her final game was a great illustration of both the good Jones and the bad Jones.  She will have to be replaced by committee, but there could be a silver lining.

2) In with Agara, Clardy, and Ogden.

Of the three freshmen, I think it is likeliest that 6'1" wing Courtney Ogden (ESPN #10) will see significant playing time.  She seems very mature--both physically and in terms of her basketball development.  Tara describes her as a "scorer" and she would logically play the wing.  That is another reason to think she might be first to break into the rotation--Jones's departure will leave a void there.  She could compete with Demetre, fellow freshman wing Agara, and maybe Bosgana.  How quickly can she learn to defend at the NCAA level?  Can she screen for Jump?  Time will tell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msy4CTLXIYQ&t=3s

5'9" combo guard Clardy (ESPN # 39) was described by Tara as being particularly strong on defense.  Tara described Emma-Nnopu that way, too, so I suspect it may take a while for her to come along and challenge Lepolo and Nivar and Harriel. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg0o96LpxMk&t=4s

6'2" 3/4 forward Agara (ESPN #37) was singled out for her rebounding.  Given the loss of Jones, Belibi, and Prechtel, there is almost certainly going to be room for a good rebounder in the rotation.  She sure looks good on tape, and perhaps she was overshadowed by her high school teammates like Paige Bueckers.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M38HOaL3UI&t=40s

3) The sophomores will improve.  How much?

The biggest question is how to most effectively use Lauren Betts.  When praising Brink at a press conference, Tara observed that the one area for Brink to improve was her "versatility."  To me this suggested that Brink needs to be able to play some of the time at the high post, so that Brink and Betts can both be on the court at the same time--and perhaps both be starters all the time.  But can Betts be ready for a LOT more minutes, or will she spend her sophomore season rotating in and out with Brink, just one of the two at a time?  I'd love to see an offense that effectively uses them both simultaneously, but we shall have to wait to see.

Most of the attention on this board has been on Lepolo and Nivar.  It is pretty clear that we need a more experienced, confident back court.  Harriel should, perhaps, be in the mix too.  But given that Harriel has been on campus for a year longer, I think the greatest improvement we might expect would be from Lepolo or Nivar.  We know what those improvements need to be--they both need to be much better on offense, and that includes both jump shooting but especially driving.  How much of this can they accomplish in the off season?  Nivar needs a jump shot, Lepolo needs to drive, they both need to perfect lob passes to a 6'7" center.  Surly the latter is something they can practice a few thousand times.

We have not seen much of Papadaki or Green.  I have a hunch that Jump's return may make it harder for Papadaki to get on the court.  They could surprise us.

4) Will the juniors have new roles?

Bosgana, Demetre, and Iriafen have all shown us flashes of brilliance over the last two years.

I have been very impressed with Iriafen at times.  She came in as a freshman with better moves around the basket than most bigs do--certainly better than McCall, Fingall, or Dodson.  Then, at the beginning of this season, she fairly easily was hitting jumpers from the elbow and free throw line range.  Her offensive rebounding has seemed pretty good.  But she averaged only 12 minutes per game.  I think she could have a breakout year if those flashes of brilliance start to emerge more consistently. 

Demetre is a superb weapon when she is "on" and I think she belongs on the floor at the same time as Jump.  It would be a little like putting Bonnie in one corner and Karlie in the other.  She improved on defense this year.  Perhaps she needs some more versatility around the basket, but next year could be the year she comes out from under Jones's shadow (and minutes).

Bosgana looked impressive on offense this year.  Her freshman year she would only drive on the basket and never take jump shots.  This year she was at times a very accurate three point shooter.  I wish I could judge her defense better, but I have seen her do some good things.  It is entirely plausible that she could emerge as a major part of the rotation.

5) How much will the offense be built around Brink?

With just Brink and Emma-Nnopu left, I think we can conclude that we have seen what they both can do and that there will probably be no major surprises from either of them.

But there is a big question with Brink.  Will she continue to play the 5, or can she regain her shooter's touch from three point range and become a more versatile 4?  This year we tried her at the 4 and Iriafen or Betts at the 5, and it did not work out well.  Her three point shooting also seemed to decline this year.  We know Tara wants to see "versatility."  Can Brink do what Jones could not, and become a three level player?  It would open up the offense in many ways if she could, it would help us to utilize Betts, and it would help Jump to be open, if Brink shot treys and mid range jumpers as well as she does free throws.  Given that Tara bemoaned the tendency to rely too much on Jones and Brink, I am sure that the intention will be to build a more diversified offense around her, but that may only be possible if she herself expands her game.

(continued....)

[81alum]

6) What will the coaches learn?

Whatever the personnel issues, there is also the system issue.  Do we literally "go with the Flow" (I hope not) or can we customize something that works better with highly aggressive defenses?  This is the kind of puzzle that Tara has been famous for solving in the past, and now that she and her coaches have time to reflect on what did not work, and life after Jones, I expect something new.  What it is  I don't know, but it clearly will depend on Brink's and Betts's roles on the team, and how to build around our greatest talents without becoming uni-dimensional.

So long as we are on the coaching angle, I wonder if there will be any coaching changes.  The effectiveness of the assistant coaches is opaque to me, but changes have quite regularly happened, whether one goes off to launch a career elsewhere (Bobbie, Lindy) or for other reasons (Tempie.)  I wonder, for example, if the current set of assistant coaches could be better balanced to complement the aging basketball matriarch at the head of the team--younger, less white, more emotional.  That said, I am a big Kate Paye fan--she has one of the best minds in the game for game planning our defense against other teams, and has been something of an underappreciated semi-secret weapon.  

7) Will we have a transfer or a last minute recruit?

Rumors of a transfer from Penn are in the air.  Could we instead fill the final spot with a surprise freshman?  That sometimes happens, usually with overseas recruits who were simply on no one's radar.  Is there an Alanna Smith or Lili Thompson out there in the offing?  I have no idea, but given that Stanford has slightly liberalized transfer rules it is entirely plausible that we might get a top Ivy Leaguer.  I might look at the graduating senior starters from the Princeton team to see if any of them were contemplating grad school at Stanford.

8) How will the fans hold up?

Stanford had a somewhat low point in the early 2000s.  It was as if that 1998 1st round loss marked the end of the highest expectations created by the two nattys early in the decade, and we went a lot of years before 2008 and the regional win over Maryland got us back on track.  Maybe we have a road like that to travel before we get back to where we want to be, and maybe Tara won't be there at the end of it.  Probably not if it takes us another 10 years.  Maybe the NCAA changes will create greater and greater challenges for WBB and Stanford will be at an increasing disadvantage.  Lots of maybes.  But how will we fans hold up?  Will we maintain our interest when we have only "one" All American, or potentially even none?  Will we continue to form a supportive community which is part of the fun of being a fan, or will disappointment or bitterness begin to creep into our fandom and spoil our enjoyment?  I will be back next year, and I will continue to gather with Cardboarders at every halftime to humanize my fellow posters and put faces to names.  To experience the highs and lows of our love of Stanford WBB together, and not in isolation.  It increases the joy and diminishes the pain.

[81alum]

6) What will the coaches learn?

Whatever the personnel issues, there is also the system issue.  Do we literally "go with the Flow" (I hope not) or can we customize something that works better with highly aggressive defenses?  This is the kind of puzzle that Tara has been famous for solving in the past, and now that she and her coaches have time to reflect on what did not work, and life after Jones, I expect something new.  What it is  I don't know, but it clearly will depend on Brink's and Betts's roles on the team, and how to build around our greatest talents without becoming uni-dimensional.

So long as we are on the coaching angle, I wonder if there will be any coaching changes.  The effectiveness of the assistant coaches is opaque to me, but changes have quite regularly happened, whether one goes off to launch a career elsewhere (Bobbie, Lindy) or for other reasons (Tempie.)  I wonder, for example, if the current set of assistant coaches could be better balanced to complement the aging basketball matriarch at the head of the team--younger, less white, more emotional.  That said, I am a big Kate Paye fan--she has one of the best minds in the game for game planning our defense against other teams, and has been something of an underappreciated semi-secret weapon.  

7) Will we have a transfer or a last minute recruit?

Rumors of a transfer from Penn are in the air.  Could we instead fill the final spot with a surprise freshman?  That sometimes happens, usually with overseas recruits who were simply on no one's radar.  Is there an Alanna Smith or Lili Thompson out there in the offing?  I have no idea, but given that Stanford has slightly liberalized transfer rules it is entirely plausible that we might get a top Ivy Leaguer.  I might look at the graduating senior starters from the Princeton team to see if any of them were contemplating grad school at Stanford.

8) How will the fans hold up?

Stanford had a somewhat low point in the early 2000s.  It was as if that 1998 1st round loss marked the end of the highest expectations created by the two nattys early in the decade, and we went a lot of years before 2008 and the regional win over Maryland got us back on track.  Maybe we have a road like that to travel before we get back to where we want to be, and maybe Tara won't be there at the end of it.  Probably not if it takes us another 10 years.  Maybe the NCAA changes will create greater and greater challenges for WBB and Stanford will be at an increasing disadvantage.  Lots of maybes.  But how will we fans hold up?  Will we maintain our interest when we have only "one" All American, or potentially even none?  Will we continue to form a supportive community which is part of the fun of being a fan, or will disappointment or bitterness begin to creep into our fandom and spoil our enjoyment?  I will be back next year, and I will continue to gather with Cardboarders at every halftime to humanize my fellow posters and put faces to names.  To experience the highs and lows of our love of Stanford WBB together, and not in isolation.  It increases the joy and diminishes the pain.

[TheFarm07]

Thank you 81! I am sure I will be the first of many to thank you for your detailed & thoughtful analysis. I always look forward to reading your opinion and though I may not agree with every point, they are always insightful & reasoned.

I am not sure if you were waiting for definitive confirmation, but I noticed that while you mentioned Jump throughout your posts, there was not a section specifically on her. It's great to have her back and to have a long-range threat return, but do you have any thoughts on what we can see from her next season? She's grown & expanded her skillset since freshman year but she still can be locked down at times if closely guarded, leaving the matchup to be a 4-on-4 one. Any thoughts on what we can do to break out of this stalemate?

[TheFarm07]

Thank you 81! I am sure I will be the first of many to thank you for your detailed & thoughtful analysis. I always look forward to reading your opinion and though I may not agree with every point, they are always insightful & reasoned.

I am not sure if you were waiting for definitive confirmation, but I noticed that while you mentioned Jump throughout your posts, there was not a section specifically on her. It's great to have her back and to have a long-range threat return, but do you have any thoughts on what we can see from her next season? She's grown & expanded her skillset since freshman year but she still can be locked down at times if closely guarded, leaving the matchup to be a 4-on-4 one. Any thoughts on what we can do to break out of this stalemate?

[81alum]

I should have specifically mentioned her, of course.   She certainly has room for improvement too, and I think she has the self-discipline to put in the work and pull it off.  If she does, her stock for professional basketball will go up.

This year, for the first time, I saw her using a lot of screens to try to get open for treys.  She would always go to her left around her screener, but this seemed to decrease her accuracy.  She often missed the shots she took when going around her screener, slightly left, since her momentum seemed to affect her shot.

Ideally she would work on this so she could be more accurate shooting on the other side of a screen.  But what I would really love to see is an ability to move right around a screen too.  This way she could screen and re-screen to get open.

She has successfully added the mid range floater to her repertoire, and the back door cut.  I'd like to see more of those floaters whenever the other side is face guarding her on the perimeter.  It will make it so much harder to guard her if she pulls that off more consistently, since it is hard for one defender to be that close to her on the perimeter and recover in time to stop a floater.

[81alum]

I should have specifically mentioned her, of course.   She certainly has room for improvement too, and I think she has the self-discipline to put in the work and pull it off.  If she does, her stock for professional basketball will go up.

This year, for the first time, I saw her using a lot of screens to try to get open for treys.  She would always go to her left around her screener, but this seemed to decrease her accuracy.  She often missed the shots she took when going around her screener, slightly left, since her momentum seemed to affect her shot.

Ideally she would work on this so she could be more accurate shooting on the other side of a screen.  But what I would really love to see is an ability to move right around a screen too.  This way she could screen and re-screen to get open.

She has successfully added the mid range floater to her repertoire, and the back door cut.  I'd like to see more of those floaters whenever the other side is face guarding her on the perimeter.  It will make it so much harder to guard her if she pulls that off more consistently, since it is hard for one defender to be that close to her on the perimeter and recover in time to stop a floater.

[BosCard]

Great analysis.  Lots of detailed information and key questions that need to be answered in the off season.  I think one area which is still open is Brink at the 4 and her ability to share the floor with a 5 (Betts or Iriafen).  We know it didn’t work great this year but this year also included Haley Jones who was not a 3-point threat and thus gave the defense an extra defender.  If we have Jump and say two other good 3-point shooters on the floor for spacing, the Brink and Betts/Iriafen combination could work a lot better.

[BosCard]

Great analysis.  Lots of detailed information and key questions that need to be answered in the off season.  I think one area which is still open is Brink at the 4 and her ability to share the floor with a 5 (Betts or Iriafen).  We know it didn’t work great this year but this year also included Haley Jones who was not a 3-point threat and thus gave the defense an extra defender.  If we have Jump and say two other good 3-point shooters on the floor for spacing, the Brink and Betts/Iriafen combination could work a lot better.

[OCcardinal]

Bosgana looked impressive on offense this year.  Her freshman year she would only drive on the basket and never take jump shots.  This year she was at times a very accurate three point shooter.  I wish I could judge her defense better, but I have seen her do some good things.  It is entirely plausible that she could emerge as a major part of the rotation.

Bosgana is very young. Though she'll be a junior next year, she will still be only 19 years old when the season starts. (Lauren Betts is 2 months older than her.)  Bosgana also played only 73 minutes her freshman year and 250 minutes this season. Like you, I've noted flashes of quite good play from her. And overall this season she averaged 16.8 points per 40 minutes (up from 8.8 her frosh season).  Compare that to:

Jones 16.6
Lex. Hull (2022) 14.6
Jump 14.1
Van Gytenbeek (2022) 12.1
Nivar 10.1
Emma-Nnopu 9.8
Lepolo 7.4
Wilson (2022) 7.3
Harriel 7.1
Lac. Hull (2022) 6.7

Granted, Bosgana played more in garbage time, and against less talented teams, than many of the other players on the above list, but I think she has a lot of upside left.

[OCcardinal]

Bosgana looked impressive on offense this year.  Her freshman year she would only drive on the basket and never take jump shots.  This year she was at times a very accurate three point shooter.  I wish I could judge her defense better, but I have seen her do some good things.  It is entirely plausible that she could emerge as a major part of the rotation.

Bosgana is very young. Though she'll be a junior next year, she will still be only 19 years old when the season starts. (Lauren Betts is 2 months older than her.)  Bosgana also played only 73 minutes her freshman year and 250 minutes this season. Like you, I've noted flashes of quite good play from her. And overall this season she averaged 16.8 points per 40 minutes (up from 8.8 her frosh season).  Compare that to:

Jones 16.6
Lex. Hull (2022) 14.6
Jump 14.1
Van Gytenbeek (2022) 12.1
Nivar 10.1
Emma-Nnopu 9.8
Lepolo 7.4
Wilson (2022) 7.3
Harriel 7.1
Lac. Hull (2022) 6.7

Granted, Bosgana played more in garbage time, and against less talented teams, than many of the other players on the above list, but I think she has a lot of upside left.

[Softball Fan]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I'd also like to see a player like Bosgana and possibly Betts play an entire half or close to it early in the season in some games Stanford will win. Let them get into the rhythm of the game. Don't pull the plug after a mistake or two. It seemed like Bosgana felt pressured to shoot believing if she didn't make points in the first two or three minutes she would be back on the bench.

[Softball Fan]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I'd also like to see a player like Bosgana and possibly Betts play an entire half or close to it early in the season in some games Stanford will win. Let them get into the rhythm of the game. Don't pull the plug after a mistake or two. It seemed like Bosgana felt pressured to shoot believing if she didn't make points in the first two or three minutes she would be back on the bench.

[81alum]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

[81alum]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

[Maple Leaf]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I total agree with your post, including the approach to scheduling.  I would like to see UNLV on the schedule, the reasoning being that Lindy knows Stanford so very well and she may be able to expose weaknesses and provide her old coach with constructive observations.

[Maple Leaf]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I total agree with your post, including the approach to scheduling.  I would like to see UNLV on the schedule, the reasoning being that Lindy knows Stanford so very well and she may be able to expose weaknesses and provide her old coach with constructive observations.

[Jskass]

Mark Campbell to TCU. So
Much for my thought that Oregon would get him back!

[Jskass]

Mark Campbell to TCU. So
Much for my thought that Oregon would get him back!

[BobK]

Some Cal fans were hopeful about getting him. Of course no opening there now

[BobK]

Some Cal fans were hopeful about getting him. Of course no opening there now

[BillBradley]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I think we'll stay in the Top-10. Likely starting lineup of:
Kiki/Lauren - 5
Cam - 4 (with some movement out to the perimeter please!)
Demetre/Bosgana
Hannah
Lepolo/Nivar

That's a darn good lineup, led by the best player and shooter in the conference. And even though I love Haley and all she's done for the program, with this group it could be addition by subtraction. It's certainly a better perimeter shooting team. Throw in Ogden et al and we'll be 10 deep again.

[BillBradley]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I think we'll stay in the Top-10. Likely starting lineup of:
Kiki/Lauren - 5
Cam - 4 (with some movement out to the perimeter please!)
Demetre/Bosgana
Hannah
Lepolo/Nivar

That's a darn good lineup, led by the best player and shooter in the conference. And even though I love Haley and all she's done for the program, with this group it could be addition by subtraction. It's certainly a better perimeter shooting team. Throw in Ogden et al and we'll be 10 deep again.

[qwerty49]

Excellent points, 81.  And a very nice way of looking forward, rather than looking back at shoulda-woulda-coulda.

Some things I'm looking for at the individual level for development:

Demetre -- a half step quicker on D; a slash move on O, at least for an elbow J
Betts -- S&C (hands, downcourt speed); lose that habitual dribble before shooting
Iriafen -- more consistency in finishing down low

Other stuff:
More PT for Bosgana and Nivar
Betts and Brink together -- takes the double team pressure off both of them
Hoping the frosh can contribute right away

[qwerty49]

Excellent points, 81.  And a very nice way of looking forward, rather than looking back at shoulda-woulda-coulda.

Some things I'm looking for at the individual level for development:

Demetre -- a half step quicker on D; a slash move on O, at least for an elbow J
Betts -- S&C (hands, downcourt speed); lose that habitual dribble before shooting
Iriafen -- more consistency in finishing down low

Other stuff:
More PT for Bosgana and Nivar
Betts and Brink together -- takes the double team pressure off both of them
Hoping the frosh can contribute right away

[treetop11]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I think we'll stay in the Top-10. Likely starting lineup of:
Kiki/Lauren - 5
Cam - 4 (with some movement out to the perimeter please!)
Demetre/Bosgana
Hannah
Lepolo/Nivar

That's a darn good lineup, led by the best player and shooter in the conference. And even though I love Haley and all she's done for the program, with this group it could be addition by subtraction. It's certainly a better perimeter shooting team. Throw in Ogden et al and we'll be 10 deep again.

I agree with your lineup except start Betts ahead of Kiki. 

One difficulty that Tara had this year and made the season so challenging was that she couldn't develop a dependable lineup i.e., we had lots of players deserving PT and who have had that PT on most other teams, but beyond Brink, Jones, and Jump, the other two positions were unsettled. Lepolo did fine for a frosh, but she was neither an experienced player nor the super type of frosh that was able to be a major contributor. 

My hope is that beyond Brink and Jump, three other players really step up to give us a strong starting five where all 5 are weapons. Despite our depth of potential talent, I think Tara should follow th e example of Geno Auriamma by having his best players getting the most time and subbing only as needed; blow outs by us, foul problems, injuries, giving starters a brief rest. I'm not a fan of wholesale substitutions, but rather fit in players off the bench to carry out sertsain roles. 

As for Jump, we really need to figure out ways to see that she gets more scoring opportunities. She needs to get touches much more often. What she does with the touches will be based on what the coaches can set up in terms of an offensive scheme that negates the face guard, blanket D approach this year. But Hannah also has do some effective off season work. I would really like to see her work on her ballhandling, and be good enough to drive past her defender almost at will. If she can penetrate from almost any location, it opens up possible layups, pull up jumpers, or passes to open teammates. That will make her undefendable and give her lots more open 3 pt looks. Yet, we also need to send greater and better penetration from the other guards/wings with Jump moving to open spots for kick outs. 

With the quality of our posts, improved guard/wing play will make our O unstoppable.

[treetop11]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I think we'll stay in the Top-10. Likely starting lineup of:
Kiki/Lauren - 5
Cam - 4 (with some movement out to the perimeter please!)
Demetre/Bosgana
Hannah
Lepolo/Nivar

That's a darn good lineup, led by the best player and shooter in the conference. And even though I love Haley and all she's done for the program, with this group it could be addition by subtraction. It's certainly a better perimeter shooting team. Throw in Ogden et al and we'll be 10 deep again.

I agree with your lineup except start Betts ahead of Kiki. 

One difficulty that Tara had this year and made the season so challenging was that she couldn't develop a dependable lineup i.e., we had lots of players deserving PT and who have had that PT on most other teams, but beyond Brink, Jones, and Jump, the other two positions were unsettled. Lepolo did fine for a frosh, but she was neither an experienced player nor the super type of frosh that was able to be a major contributor. 

My hope is that beyond Brink and Jump, three other players really step up to give us a strong starting five where all 5 are weapons. Despite our depth of potential talent, I think Tara should follow th e example of Geno Auriamma by having his best players getting the most time and subbing only as needed; blow outs by us, foul problems, injuries, giving starters a brief rest. I'm not a fan of wholesale substitutions, but rather fit in players off the bench to carry out sertsain roles. 

As for Jump, we really need to figure out ways to see that she gets more scoring opportunities. She needs to get touches much more often. What she does with the touches will be based on what the coaches can set up in terms of an offensive scheme that negates the face guard, blanket D approach this year. But Hannah also has do some effective off season work. I would really like to see her work on her ballhandling, and be good enough to drive past her defender almost at will. If she can penetrate from almost any location, it opens up possible layups, pull up jumpers, or passes to open teammates. That will make her undefendable and give her lots more open 3 pt looks. Yet, we also need to send greater and better penetration from the other guards/wings with Jump moving to open spots for kick outs. 

With the quality of our posts, improved guard/wing play will make our O unstoppable.

[Softball Fan]

The video is from two years ago but it's clear Tara still has the energy level for more seasons to come. She is active, engaged and definitely in charge of practice. She's giving instruction every minute of practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gYRWFIC9k8

[Softball Fan]

The video is from two years ago but it's clear Tara still has the energy level for more seasons to come. She is active, engaged and definitely in charge of practice. She's giving instruction every minute of practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gYRWFIC9k8

[martyup]

IIRC, all but one of our loses (SC) this season were on the second game of the weekend.  Too many to be pure coincidence.  Tara and her staff need to do some deep analysis to try to figure out what's up with this phenomenon.

[martyup]

IIRC, all but one of our loses (SC) this season were on the second game of the weekend.  Too many to be pure coincidence.  Tara and her staff need to do some deep analysis to try to figure out what's up with this phenomenon.

[petersalas]

One thing that I thought was a disadvantage was having so many home games back to back. At one point I think it was like 7 in a row. Then so many road trips to end the season… I don’t think that schedule did the team any favors. You get used to playing at home so much and then having to play away from home, probably made it harder to adjust to those games. I like the balance of home and away games in a few games at a time. 

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

[petersalas]

One thing that I thought was a disadvantage was having so many home games back to back. At one point I think it was like 7 in a row. Then so many road trips to end the season… I don’t think that schedule did the team any favors. You get used to playing at home so much and then having to play away from home, probably made it harder to adjust to those games. I like the balance of home and away games in a few games at a time. 

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

[BillBradley]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I think we'll stay in the Top-10. Likely starting lineup of:
Kiki/Lauren - 5
Cam - 4 (with some movement out to the perimeter please!)
Demetre/Bosgana
Hannah
Lepolo/Nivar

That's a darn good lineup, led by the best player and shooter in the conference. And even though I love Haley and all she's done for the program, with this group it could be addition by subtraction. It's certainly a better perimeter shooting team. Throw in Ogden et al and we'll be 10 deep again.

I agree with your lineup except start Betts ahead of Kiki. 

One difficulty that Tara had this year and made the season so challenging was that she couldn't develop a dependable lineup i.e., we had lots of players deserving PT and who have had that PT on most other teams, but beyond Brink, Jones, and Jump, the other two positions were unsettled. Lepolo did fine for a frosh, but she was neither an experienced player nor the super type of frosh that was able to be a major contributor. 

My hope is that beyond Brink and Jump, three other players really step up to give us a strong starting five where all 5 are weapons. Despite our depth of potential talent, I think Tara should follow th e example of Geno Auriamma by having his best players getting the most time and subbing only as needed; blow outs by us, foul problems, injuries, giving starters a brief rest. I'm not a fan of wholesale substitutions, but rather fit in players off the bench to carry out sertsain roles. 

As for Jump, we really need to figure out ways to see that she gets more scoring opportunities. She needs to get touches much more often. What she does with the touches will be based on what the coaches can set up in terms of an offensive scheme that negates the face guard, blanket D approach this year. But Hannah also has do some effective off season work. I would really like to see her work on her ballhandling, and be good enough to drive past her defender almost at will. If she can penetrate from almost any location, it opens up possible layups, pull up jumpers, or passes to open teammates. That will make her undefendable and give her lots more open 3 pt looks. Yet, we also need to send greater and better penetration from the other guards/wings with Jump moving to open spots for kick outs. 

With the quality of our posts, improved guard/wing play will make our O unstoppable.

For sure, could be Betts instead of Kiki. My "/'s" were meant as it could be "one or the other".  I also think Nivar could start instead of Lepolo.

re: Jump...when surrounded by Kiki, Cam, Haley, and Talana, there wasn't a lot she or others could do to free her up against solid defensive teams. There's just no one else on the perimeter who is a threat, so everyone can focus on her. Plus, she always drew a quick guard from the other team. We need more shooters on the court with her, providing multiple options when the double teams come. Then all of a sudden it's not just "defend Hannah", it's "how do we cover all the shooters when we double inside?". I also think Cam has it in her to be a terrific 3 pt shooter.

Yes, some off-season improvement in dribble penetration would help Hannah's game. She also needs to improve her passing.

I'd also like to see Tara reduce the substitution churn after the preseason and focus in on a ~8 person rotation, but I doubt she ever will. She's always played 11+, even in the most important post-season games.

[BillBradley]

I think it would be better next year if Stanford started out ranked somewhere between #12 and #20.  This year's expectations were unrealistically high.  That can lead to disappointment by fans if initial expectations don't get met.   I would rather see Stanford overachieve next year and gradually work its way up in the rankings.

I think that is plausible.  We probably won't be expected to win the Pac 12 next year.  Utah gets everyone back.  UCLA's #1 freshman class become sophomores and players like Rice really come into their own.  Who knows what anyone else will look like with the massive flood of transfers, but the odds are that some other team in the league will hit the transfer jackpot in the off season.  Washington will be better next year than the team that beat us this year.  etc. 

To keep expectations reasonable, we probably should try to schedule non conference games that are the same caliber as conference games.  Maybe we should put one of those frenetic defenses on our schedule early on.

I think we'll stay in the Top-10. Likely starting lineup of:
Kiki/Lauren - 5
Cam - 4 (with some movement out to the perimeter please!)
Demetre/Bosgana
Hannah
Lepolo/Nivar

That's a darn good lineup, led by the best player and shooter in the conference. And even though I love Haley and all she's done for the program, with this group it could be addition by subtraction. It's certainly a better perimeter shooting team. Throw in Ogden et al and we'll be 10 deep again.

I agree with your lineup except start Betts ahead of Kiki. 

One difficulty that Tara had this year and made the season so challenging was that she couldn't develop a dependable lineup i.e., we had lots of players deserving PT and who have had that PT on most other teams, but beyond Brink, Jones, and Jump, the other two positions were unsettled. Lepolo did fine for a frosh, but she was neither an experienced player nor the super type of frosh that was able to be a major contributor. 

My hope is that beyond Brink and Jump, three other players really step up to give us a strong starting five where all 5 are weapons. Despite our depth of potential talent, I think Tara should follow th e example of Geno Auriamma by having his best players getting the most time and subbing only as needed; blow outs by us, foul problems, injuries, giving starters a brief rest. I'm not a fan of wholesale substitutions, but rather fit in players off the bench to carry out sertsain roles. 

As for Jump, we really need to figure out ways to see that she gets more scoring opportunities. She needs to get touches much more often. What she does with the touches will be based on what the coaches can set up in terms of an offensive scheme that negates the face guard, blanket D approach this year. But Hannah also has do some effective off season work. I would really like to see her work on her ballhandling, and be good enough to drive past her defender almost at will. If she can penetrate from almost any location, it opens up possible layups, pull up jumpers, or passes to open teammates. That will make her undefendable and give her lots more open 3 pt looks. Yet, we also need to send greater and better penetration from the other guards/wings with Jump moving to open spots for kick outs. 

With the quality of our posts, improved guard/wing play will make our O unstoppable.

For sure, could be Betts instead of Kiki. My "/'s" were meant as it could be "one or the other".  I also think Nivar could start instead of Lepolo.

re: Jump...when surrounded by Kiki, Cam, Haley, and Talana, there wasn't a lot she or others could do to free her up against solid defensive teams. There's just no one else on the perimeter who is a threat, so everyone can focus on her. Plus, she always drew a quick guard from the other team. We need more shooters on the court with her, providing multiple options when the double teams come. Then all of a sudden it's not just "defend Hannah", it's "how do we cover all the shooters when we double inside?". I also think Cam has it in her to be a terrific 3 pt shooter.

Yes, some off-season improvement in dribble penetration would help Hannah's game. She also needs to improve her passing.

I'd also like to see Tara reduce the substitution churn after the preseason and focus in on a ~8 person rotation, but I doubt she ever will. She's always played 11+, even in the most important post-season games.

[CompSci87]

Good comments. Just to quibble on one point, it's only been in recent years that Tara has played 11, because there were so many who could play and Tara hoped to run a lot and wear the opponents down. In past years she would typically tighten the rotation a lot by tournament time.

[CompSci87]

Good comments. Just to quibble on one point, it's only been in recent years that Tara has played 11, because there were so many who could play and Tara hoped to run a lot and wear the opponents down. In past years she would typically tighten the rotation a lot by tournament time.

[martyup]

In the later part of the season, Lepolo was making a good percentage of her 3s.  Also, Demetre showed that she can also be a threat from beyond the arc.  And Bosgana shoots the 3 pretty well too. By the start of next season, if these three work on their shooting, they could be a good compliment to Jump and take some pressure off of her.  

Maybe Nivar can also work on her long shots in the off season.  We saw some really good things from her this season, especially on defense.

[martyup]

In the later part of the season, Lepolo was making a good percentage of her 3s.  Also, Demetre showed that she can also be a threat from beyond the arc.  And Bosgana shoots the 3 pretty well too. By the start of next season, if these three work on their shooting, they could be a good compliment to Jump and take some pressure off of her.  

Maybe Nivar can also work on her long shots in the off season.  We saw some really good things from her this season, especially on defense.