02-17-2026, 02:52 PM
Thank you all for your great contributions on who might be a potential coaching candidate should Kate Paye not continue. I am beginning to think Coach Paye will be given another year to turn the program around. But in the event she does not return (and based on your feedback) here are 3 coaches who might be a great fit for Stanford.
Fortier (Gonzaga)- Great X&O coach whose teams (with a couple of exceptions) have always given Stanford a very hard time, including that beat down up in Spokane a few years ago. Recruiting wise, she doesn't get the H.S. All-Americans, but she finds talented players for every position who perfectly fit her system. She has recruited internationally. I think she would be motivated to coach at a Power 4 school after so many years with a mid-major.
Rueck (Oregon State)- My gut tells me Scott will stay in Corvallis, but like Fortier, he may want to once-again be leading a Power 4 school after OSU was relegated to join a mid-major conference (the WCC). Rueck places a high value on academics and character-building. With the exception of Raegan Beers and Timea Gardner, he has never recruited a H.S. All-American, but Rueck finds raw talent and good players (under the radar) and develops them into great players at all positions. He is post-oriented as well as wing-oriented. Someone like Carly Amborn would be a key player in his system. He likes to find guards who can penetrate and score, but who are team-oriented and look for opportunities to get the ball into the post players- something Virginia did to Stanford time and time again. Rueck would make Chloe Clardy LOOK for Eschmeyer when she's driving to the hoop.
Berube (Princeton)- The more I look at what Carla Berube has done in her 7 years at Princeton, the more I think of her as the perfect outside candidate for Stanford. Going into this season, she is 121-25 (Vanderveer like stats) and her team is currently ranked #20. Berube would do fine in recruiting because (like Scott Rueck), she recruits and develops excellent H.S. talent that fits her system. Like Oregon State, Princeton does not play fast-paced, but their style gives opposing team fits. Her players are fearless and Berube has beaten the likes of (then) 6th. ranked Kentucky, N.C. State and Oklahoma. Last season, Princeton came into Pauly Pavilion (a game I watched on TV) and took UCLA to the wire (actually leading the Bruins in the 4th quarter, totally frustrating Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, and coach Cori Close. As said before, coaching for such a highly-rated academic school like Princeton could make her a very attractive candidate.
But I'm beginning to agree with those of you who believe Coach Paye will get another shot.
Fortier (Gonzaga)- Great X&O coach whose teams (with a couple of exceptions) have always given Stanford a very hard time, including that beat down up in Spokane a few years ago. Recruiting wise, she doesn't get the H.S. All-Americans, but she finds talented players for every position who perfectly fit her system. She has recruited internationally. I think she would be motivated to coach at a Power 4 school after so many years with a mid-major.
Rueck (Oregon State)- My gut tells me Scott will stay in Corvallis, but like Fortier, he may want to once-again be leading a Power 4 school after OSU was relegated to join a mid-major conference (the WCC). Rueck places a high value on academics and character-building. With the exception of Raegan Beers and Timea Gardner, he has never recruited a H.S. All-American, but Rueck finds raw talent and good players (under the radar) and develops them into great players at all positions. He is post-oriented as well as wing-oriented. Someone like Carly Amborn would be a key player in his system. He likes to find guards who can penetrate and score, but who are team-oriented and look for opportunities to get the ball into the post players- something Virginia did to Stanford time and time again. Rueck would make Chloe Clardy LOOK for Eschmeyer when she's driving to the hoop.
Berube (Princeton)- The more I look at what Carla Berube has done in her 7 years at Princeton, the more I think of her as the perfect outside candidate for Stanford. Going into this season, she is 121-25 (Vanderveer like stats) and her team is currently ranked #20. Berube would do fine in recruiting because (like Scott Rueck), she recruits and develops excellent H.S. talent that fits her system. Like Oregon State, Princeton does not play fast-paced, but their style gives opposing team fits. Her players are fearless and Berube has beaten the likes of (then) 6th. ranked Kentucky, N.C. State and Oklahoma. Last season, Princeton came into Pauly Pavilion (a game I watched on TV) and took UCLA to the wire (actually leading the Bruins in the 4th quarter, totally frustrating Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, and coach Cori Close. As said before, coaching for such a highly-rated academic school like Princeton could make her a very attractive candidate.
But I'm beginning to agree with those of you who believe Coach Paye will get another shot.
