04-05-2021, 07:49 PM
A little late to the party with a postgame post, but it took me a while to process everything after the victory last night.
I had been waiting for this moment since I became a fan of the team and program while I was an undergraduate more than fifteen years ago. My first heartbreak was losing to Tennessee in the Elite Eight during Nicole Powell's senior year and with every subsequent close call and missed opportunity, I couldn't wait for the moment when we were national champions.
When the time came yesterday, it was neither the intense thrill or relief I was expecting. With the amount of turnovers we had, capped by the head-scratching final possesion (the only explanation I could think of is that Tara had the Gonzaga-UCLA game fresh on her mind and did not want McDonald to become Suggs and race down the court off of a rebound or inbound play before we can set up a defense and hit the game-winning shot), it felt like we did not deserve to win the game in some ways.
In fact, I went through the motions as if we had lost. I didn't immediately check the websites and bask in the glory of victory. I had to remind myself that it didn't matter how we won, it mattered that we won. As many participants on this forum know, I often focus on the things we could have done better even in victories, anticipating that we would need to clean them up for the postseason.
And in yesterday's game, we made plenty of mistakes, but it didn't matter, we played well enough to win and you don't always play at your best. It would be nice to hit 60% from the floor and win by 50 every time you play, but not every game is like that. Sometimes you'll have to find a way to win when you are not at your best and we did that last night. We fought and perservered, amidst all of the adversity, not just in last night's game, but all season long and that's the mettle of a champion. We WON.
I wanted this for all the players, but especially for Kiana, to win in her hometown and for Anna, after all she's been through with the injuries and setbacks in her collegiate years and then re-inventing herself as a defensive beast.
I wanted this for Tara, for the 29 year drought, as she watched other coaches and teams celebrate, while she continued to work and maintain that high standard and waiting for the day when it would be for her team.
I wanted this for the whole team, who got through not only this crazy season, but this past year and overcoming all of the obstacles that came with it.
I think it will take a little more time to really have it be absorbed, but it helps to see the banners when I go to the ESPN website or Stanford sports, that we finished the year as national champions!
What a phenomenal accomplishment! Go Card!!
I had been waiting for this moment since I became a fan of the team and program while I was an undergraduate more than fifteen years ago. My first heartbreak was losing to Tennessee in the Elite Eight during Nicole Powell's senior year and with every subsequent close call and missed opportunity, I couldn't wait for the moment when we were national champions.
When the time came yesterday, it was neither the intense thrill or relief I was expecting. With the amount of turnovers we had, capped by the head-scratching final possesion (the only explanation I could think of is that Tara had the Gonzaga-UCLA game fresh on her mind and did not want McDonald to become Suggs and race down the court off of a rebound or inbound play before we can set up a defense and hit the game-winning shot), it felt like we did not deserve to win the game in some ways.
In fact, I went through the motions as if we had lost. I didn't immediately check the websites and bask in the glory of victory. I had to remind myself that it didn't matter how we won, it mattered that we won. As many participants on this forum know, I often focus on the things we could have done better even in victories, anticipating that we would need to clean them up for the postseason.
And in yesterday's game, we made plenty of mistakes, but it didn't matter, we played well enough to win and you don't always play at your best. It would be nice to hit 60% from the floor and win by 50 every time you play, but not every game is like that. Sometimes you'll have to find a way to win when you are not at your best and we did that last night. We fought and perservered, amidst all of the adversity, not just in last night's game, but all season long and that's the mettle of a champion. We WON.
I wanted this for all the players, but especially for Kiana, to win in her hometown and for Anna, after all she's been through with the injuries and setbacks in her collegiate years and then re-inventing herself as a defensive beast.
I wanted this for Tara, for the 29 year drought, as she watched other coaches and teams celebrate, while she continued to work and maintain that high standard and waiting for the day when it would be for her team.
I wanted this for the whole team, who got through not only this crazy season, but this past year and overcoming all of the obstacles that came with it.
I think it will take a little more time to really have it be absorbed, but it helps to see the banners when I go to the ESPN website or Stanford sports, that we finished the year as national champions!
What a phenomenal accomplishment! Go Card!!