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WBB: Webinar with Tara - 81alum - 11-08-2021

Tara held a webinar for season ticket holders this evening and answered questions about the team.  Here are a few of my notes, hopefully others will chime in too.

1) There will be Chalk Talks this year, but they will be on Zoom.  Not sure how that is going to work in terms of timing.

2) Tara answered the point guard question numerous times, and the answer is "it will be by committee."  She said in our system we need not to think about "point guard" so much and think about "play maker" instead.

3) She confirmed what we have all seen--that Emma-Nnopu has gotten her attention with great improvement and defensive presence.

4) She indicated that the freshmen do not expect to start, and they and Hamilton have a lot to learn to be able to play in our system "without thinking," but that she thinks this will happen as it did for Brink half way through last year.

5) She commented on Belibi's improvement in glowing terms.

6) She raved about Iriafan's physicality and skillset, especially her rebounding and said "she loves to play defense."  She can go left or right and finish well under the basket, has a good mid range jump shot, and next year will be shooting the three too.   She also indicated that rebounding and defense will earn players playing time.

7) In response to the numerous "are they still hungry" types of questions she pointed out how this may be the most competitive squad they have ever had with 17 talented players competing for playing time, and did not think there would be a let down.  The implication is that there is always someone else waiting to step onto the court if a player doesn't earn the time.

8) Harriel has not been able to fully practice due to some sort of medical condition but she has recently started to and we will see more of her. 

9) Bosgana is only 17, is a long ways from home, and even so Tara indicated that she was one of our outstanding play makers with a big upside.  She volunteered some of this information when talking about "point guard by committee."

10) Demetre is a tremendous talent and a highly intelligent basketball player.

....and a lot more that I am probably forgetting but others will share.

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - BobK - 11-08-2021

Thanks and you had a great question

We will see Jana this week

Jenna has starting working out

Jerome is a great leader

Great to see and hear from Jeanette

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - WBB fan - 11-08-2021

Thanks for the summary. Tara did answer a lot of questions, but also left a lot of things open.  I did enjoy watching this.

And nice to hear that the team will be getting their rings on Saturday.

I'm really sad the chalk talks will be virtual -- I suspect that unless they take place more than 2 hours before the games, I won't be the only one who won't be able to take part. I have an hour drive, or more depending on traffic, to get to the games. And how is it going to work re q&A? Bottom line for me, the chalk talk will not be what it has been, and the sense of connection to the coaches will be much weakened. Too bad, but I guess I understand. I just hope WBB doesn't make this permanent.

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - CompSci87 - 11-08-2021

I think Tara said chalk talks will be "virtual", not specifically on Zoom. I wonder if they will be canned videos sent out the day before. That was announced/attempted for last season's chalk talks, but I don't remember if any were actually made, what with the team having to spend almost the whole season on the road.

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - BobK - 11-08-2021

WVB can’t have live chalk talks either. We did have a zoom one. Or was it two.
Such is life these days

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - Jskass - 11-09-2021

I wonder if at least one of the Hulls is open to a 5th year if needed, based upon her comments about Senior Night -- IF the Hulls are Seniors... Unless they need to be together again, I am guessing that Lexie could play abroad next year.

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - Farm93 - 11-09-2021

Given what I have seen from Stanford athletics during this COVID era I have a greater appreciation for Tara than ever before.

Mere mortal coaches clearly have struggled to keep Stanford teams in the top tier of their sports over the last ~16 months.  Almost every team has stumbled several times with COVID-19 protocol challenges, stunning loses to awful teams, and more.   Men's gymnastics won their title but there are very few teams in that sport now, and only Oklahoma had any chance to beat the loaded Stanford team assuming Stanford could get enough scores to qualify for the post season.  Getting those scores was no small feat, so I am forever grateful for the creativity and technology that got Stanford into the post-season.

Tara's ability to put together a plan during the COVID-19 restrictions and keep the team together in the 2020-2021 in the very competitive women's basketball landscape will be the stuff of legend when people look back on Tara's career.   It looks like most Stanford coaches are trying hard to make it seem like COVID-19 protocols are not crushing recruiting, training, game prep, and more, but watching different Stanford sports it has been very clear that many of the teams are struggling.   So big thanks to Tara for making what must be a close to impossible set of tasks look so easy.

Given the stumbles and setbacks of so many of Stanford's fall sports teams, I suspect the NCAA team title run will depend on either Tara or Thom getting winning a title this academic year.   So while as fans we quickly dive into the roster news, I just want to thank Tara and her staff for all they have done to date keeping Stanford women's hoops right at the top of the national scene during this pandemic.

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - WBB fan - 11-09-2021

(11-09-2021, 03:28 PM)Farm93 Wrote:  Given what I have seen from Stanford athletics during this COVID era I have a greater appreciation for Tara than ever before.

Mere mortal coaches clearly have struggled to keep Stanford teams in the top tier of their sports over the last ~16 months.  Almost every team has stumbled several times with COVID-19 protocol challenges, stunning loses to awful teams, and more.   Men's gymnastics won their title but there are very few teams in that sport now, and only Oklahoma had any chance to beat the loaded Stanford team assuming Stanford could get enough scores to qualify for the post season.  Getting those scores was no small feat, so I am forever grateful for the creativity and technology that got Stanford into the post-season.

Tara's ability to put together a plan during the COVID-19 restrictions and keep the team together in the 2020-2021 in the very competitive women's basketball landscape will be the stuff of legend when people look back on Tara's career.   It looks like most Stanford coaches are trying hard to make it seem like COVID-19 protocols are not crushing recruiting, training, game prep, and more, but watching different Stanford sports it has been very clear that many of the teams are struggling.   So big thanks to Tara for making what must be a close to impossible set of tasks look so easy.

Given the stumbles and setbacks of so many of Stanford's fall sports teams, I suspect the NCAA team title run will depend on either Tara or Thom getting winning a title this academic year.   So while as fans we quickly dive into the roster news, I just want to thank Tara and her staff for all they have done to date keeping Stanford women's hoops right at the top of the national scene during this pandemic.

This is so well said! Thanks for these thoughts.

RE: WBB: Webinar with Tara - 76lsjumb - 11-09-2021

Don’t sell the Women’s Golf team short…