WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - Printable Version
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WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - 81alum - 07-15-2019
This season was arguable the most important and successful for the Stanford program since the 1992 national championship. It certainly re-hooked me after being a very casual fan for the prior 15 years.
Those prior 15 years fielded good teams that seemed to be always in the hunt to repeat the 1992 success but never quite did. This was especially true in the 1990s. But after the 96-97 final four appearance (starters were Kate Starbird, Olympia Scott, Vanessa Nygaard, Jamila Wideman, and many others in the final spot--Folkl played only 5 games) in which we lost a one point overtime game to Old Dominion, we did not get back to the final four for 10 years. It was beginning to seem as if time had passed us by. I honestly thought that our success early on was because Stanford had the foresight to embrace Title IX when few other universities did, but as the years went on everyone else had caught up. I doubted that we could return to those earlier levels since the competition had become so much better.
2007-2008 proved that wrong, and was the season that announced that Stanford was back. It began a succession of 5 final four appearances in a row.
This was Candice Wiggins' senior year, and she was joined by a very talented youngish team which included sophomore Jayne Appel, Frosh Kayla Pedersen, Sophomore JJ Hones, and Junior Jillian Harmon. Ros Gold-Onwude, another sophomore, got increasing minutes as the season went on.
It was a year in which we lost in the Virgin Islands early on to freshman Maya Moore and UConn, but came back in our best performance of the season to beat UConn in a brilliant semifinal match in the NCAAs. It was a year in which we beat Tennessee at home in an exciting overtime thriller, taking down Candace Parker and Pat Summit in her prime, and went on to beat everyone else along the way except dropping the road trip to both UCLA and USC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvS3yJezT9Y
This season was so memorable since we seemed like a Cinderella team again--not having been back to the final four for a decade. We felt snubbed when Maryland was given a 1 seed and we a 2 seed, but when we played them in the elite 8 in Spokane and won, Candice cried with tears of joy in the post game interview. In the highlights below I continue to be impressed with JJ Hone's steal for a layup, plucking the ball out of her opponent's stationary hands. Also Candice's three point shots from way outside the arc, and Jayne's unnaturally long arms reaching up to sink layups off glass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ34XW45unI
Then it was revenge time against UConn. In one of the most brilliant games Stanford has ever played, with incredible ball movement to defeat a UConn second half zone, we triumphed in the semifinals against our nemesis. After the game, Geno was asked about Tara and was generous. "She has always been a great coach, but she hasn't always had great players. Now she does." (Stanford recap begins halfway through the following video.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcwqiWH81is
Sadly, we did not repeat the December magic against Tennessee, and their full court press cost us 25 turnovers and the game in the final. But with three future WNBA players this may have been our best team since the championship years, and it was certainly a team that began a Renaissance for Stanford WBB.
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - BobK - 07-15-2019
I was in Tampa for this. What a thrill beating UConn
However we had two awesome additions as changes were made. Tara's Most brilliant move in my mind
And that was ?
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - 81alum - 07-15-2019
(07-15-2019, 01:15 PM)BobK Wrote: I was in Tampa for this. What a thrill beating UConnNot sure what you mean, Bob, but I look forward to your giving us the low-down on Tara's strategy.
However we had two awesome additions as changes were made. Tara's Most brilliant move in my mind
And that was ?
From the boxscore I note that Jeanette and Jillian did not start and Jeanette got no minutes in the first half, but played extensively in the 2nd. Ros played the entire first half and not a minute in the second half. Did Tara bring in Jeanette for Ros to put a fresh body on Maya Moore?
Geno was down a couple of players and said that in the first meeting they had the personnel to press us full court, but he could not do that in the seminfinal game. So we actually seem to have worn down UConn rather than the other way around.
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - BobK - 07-15-2019
Part 1 of Tara's awesome moves
https://gostanford.com/coaches.aspx?rc=3343&path=wbball
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - Spiny_Norman - 07-15-2019
Ha! In the ESPN recap after Stanford defeated UConn, the very first interview they show is the LOSING coach. As ever, the story is more what happened to UConn than what any other team did.
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - BobK - 07-15-2019
Part 2 of awesome moves by Tara
https://gostanford.com/coaches.aspx?rc=891&path=wbball
Kate and Bobbie lit the fire Tara wanted.
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - 81alum - 07-15-2019
(07-15-2019, 03:10 PM)BobK Wrote: Part 2 of awesome moves by TaraOh, I get it. I thought you meant changes Tara made 1st half of the game to the 2nd half of the game. So Kate and Bobbie were hired right before that season?
https://gostanford.com/coaches.aspx?rc=891&path=wbball
Kate and Bobbie lit the fire Tara wanted.
I see Bobbie is currently an assistant with the LA Sparks, where she can work with fellow Stanford alums Nneka and Chiney.
This is priceless, coming after Wiggins' 41 point outburst:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vfmyHV4sFA
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - Spiny_Norman - 07-15-2019
(07-15-2019, 03:52 PM)81alum Wrote: This is priceless, coming after Wiggins' 41 point outburst:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vfmyHV4sFA
The crawl line during the interview included the news that Brook and Robin Lopez were declaring for the NBA draft. The Stanford victory over Maryland came a few days after the men had been eliminated in the Sweet 16 by Texas. The arc of the women's and men's teams since then has certainly been different. One has maintained its high level of performance, making the Sweet 16 or better every season. The other has settled into predictable mediocrity.
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - 76lsjumb - 07-15-2019
(07-15-2019, 02:48 PM)Spiny_Norman Wrote: Ha! In the ESPN recap after Stanford defeated UConn, the very first interview they show is the LOSING coach. As ever, the story is more what happened to UConn than what any other team did.
Yeah, it's funny how winning eleven national championships will get a team that kind of attention...
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - Lorcan - 07-15-2019
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(07-15-2019, 05:08 PM)76lsjumb Wrote:(07-15-2019, 02:48 PM)Spiny_Norman Wrote: Ha! In the ESPN recap after Stanford defeated UConn, the very first interview they show is the LOSING coach. As ever, the story is more what happened to UConn than what any other team did.
Yeah, it's funny how winning eleven national championships will get a team that kind of attention...
To be fair, at that juncture, Geno only had five national championships; moreover, his team hadn’t made the Final Four since the end of their three peat in 2003-2004. Certainly the dark ages for the mighty Huskies if there ever was one.
I wonder if the standard at the time was to give airtime to the losing coach first as a courtesy or whether there’s tangible evidence that UConn was favored then.
RE: WBB: the 2007-2008 semi final season - 81alum - 07-15-2019
(07-15-2019, 06:12 PM)Lorcan Wrote: NI remember thinking that when I watched the broadcast live. On the other hand, UConn was a 1 seed and we were a 2 seed, so they were favored.(07-15-2019, 05:08 PM)76lsjumb Wrote:(07-15-2019, 02:48 PM)Spiny_Norman Wrote: Ha! In the ESPN recap after Stanford defeated UConn, the very first interview they show is the LOSING coach. As ever, the story is more what happened to UConn than what any other team did.
Yeah, it's funny how winning eleven national championships will get a team that kind of attention...
To be fair, at that juncture, Geno only had five national championships; moreover, his team hadn’t made the Final Four since the end of their three peat in 2003-2004. Certainly the dark ages for the mighty Huskies if there ever was one.
I wonder if the standard at the time was to give airtime to the losing coach first as a courtesy or whether there’s tangible evidence that UConn was favored then.
There is another factor which I think becomes clear after you watch enough Tara interviews. Coaches like Geno are natural extroverts and good interviews. Tara is by nature an introvert and seldom gives away more than the minimum the reporter asks for. She can be a little more forthcoming at longer press conferences. But if I were a reporter I would know who would give the more lively interview.
Baez87 - Baez87 - 07-20-2019
Keep 'um coming!