03-26-2026, 07:46 PM
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgifdb.com%2Fimages%2Fhi...31bb4f9e99]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgifdb.com%2Fimages%2Fhigh%2Fsmiling-through-the-pain-in-tears-3cegjtma5hkt5kq5.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c185d42c0819058fb13819620a90058d0c64c844549938dfa7c9d531bb4f9e99)
Put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip.
WBB: Stanford vs BYU (ESPN+ 6PM PDT)
03-26-2026, 07:49 PM
1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
03-26-2026, 07:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 07:53 PM by Hieronymus.)
(03-26-2026, 07:49 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: 1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
Yeah turnovers is the one area of improvement this year, but as that got better rebounding got dramatically worse.
Do we manage 10 points this quarter? 7 player rotation finally completely sunk a game.
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 07:53 PM by Hieronymus.)
(03-26-2026, 07:49 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: 1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
Yeah turnovers is the one area of improvement this year, but as that got better rebounding got dramatically worse.
Do we manage 10 points this quarter? 7 player rotation finally completely sunk a game.
03-26-2026, 07:52 PM
(03-26-2026, 07:49 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: 1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
Are posters going to blame this on travel like nearly every other loss on the road the past 2 years?
(03-26-2026, 07:49 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: 1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
Are posters going to blame this on travel like nearly every other loss on the road the past 2 years?
03-26-2026, 08:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 08:10 PM by Hieronymus.)
- Ogden was the one good game today.
- Clardy ran out of gas - I think she was tired most of the last third of the season.
- meh for Agara
- really rough game for Swain. Couldn’t shoot today (1-11) and had essentially no other positive impact in the game with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 3 turnovers. And 0 fouls.
- 0 bench points right now. Lack of depth hurt badly in this one.
You can repeat everything I said at halftime: Rebounding, transition D and lack of a functional offense beyond Ogden doing stuff.
And that’s all folks. Game over man.
- Clardy ran out of gas - I think she was tired most of the last third of the season.
- meh for Agara
- really rough game for Swain. Couldn’t shoot today (1-11) and had essentially no other positive impact in the game with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 3 turnovers. And 0 fouls.
- 0 bench points right now. Lack of depth hurt badly in this one.
You can repeat everything I said at halftime: Rebounding, transition D and lack of a functional offense beyond Ogden doing stuff.
And that’s all folks. Game over man.
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 08:10 PM by Hieronymus.)
- Ogden was the one good game today.
- Clardy ran out of gas - I think she was tired most of the last third of the season.
- meh for Agara
- really rough game for Swain. Couldn’t shoot today (1-11) and had essentially no other positive impact in the game with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 3 turnovers. And 0 fouls.
- 0 bench points right now. Lack of depth hurt badly in this one.
You can repeat everything I said at halftime: Rebounding, transition D and lack of a functional offense beyond Ogden doing stuff.
And that’s all folks. Game over man.
- Clardy ran out of gas - I think she was tired most of the last third of the season.
- meh for Agara
- really rough game for Swain. Couldn’t shoot today (1-11) and had essentially no other positive impact in the game with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 3 turnovers. And 0 fouls.
- 0 bench points right now. Lack of depth hurt badly in this one.
You can repeat everything I said at halftime: Rebounding, transition D and lack of a functional offense beyond Ogden doing stuff.
And that’s all folks. Game over man.
03-26-2026, 08:08 PM
4th quarter was the worst offensively and defensively of the game. Kinda sums up the season. Oh well, season is officially over and now we deal with rumors, anxiety, and announcements about the transfer portal. I’ll be back and ready to renew season tickets, but hope to see some changes and improvements for the better. This can’t be what Stanford basketball is.
4th quarter was the worst offensively and defensively of the game. Kinda sums up the season. Oh well, season is officially over and now we deal with rumors, anxiety, and announcements about the transfer portal. I’ll be back and ready to renew season tickets, but hope to see some changes and improvements for the better. This can’t be what Stanford basketball is.
03-26-2026, 08:09 PM
BYU had a 53-36 rebounding edge. We missed Somfai.
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
BYU had a 53-36 rebounding edge. We missed Somfai.
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
03-26-2026, 08:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 08:15 PM by Hieronymus.)
(03-26-2026, 08:09 PM)BostonCard Wrote: BYU had a 53-36 rebounding edge. We missed Somfai.
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
And there is no depth so even 1 transfer would put a big hole in the roster.
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 08:15 PM by Hieronymus.)
(03-26-2026, 08:09 PM)BostonCard Wrote: BYU had a 53-36 rebounding edge. We missed Somfai.
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
And there is no depth so even 1 transfer would put a big hole in the roster.
03-26-2026, 08:16 PM
D
I’m tired of people blaming the bad Fourth Quarter on fatigue (see what I did there… :-) )
We ended the game with three unused timeouts. Unless the coaches were completely surprised by the fact that we were getting tired — in which case they are even more clueless than I thought — they should have skillfully used those timeouts through out the 4th quarter -along with better substituting - to address the problem.
Next season won’t be any better than this one, regardless of which players stay and which leave, without a substantially better coaching performance than we’ve seen for the past 2 seasons.
(03-26-2026, 08:09 PM)BostonCard Wrote: BYU had a 53-36 rebounding edge. We missed Somfai.
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
I’m tired of people blaming the bad Fourth Quarter on fatigue (see what I did there… :-) )
We ended the game with three unused timeouts. Unless the coaches were completely surprised by the fact that we were getting tired — in which case they are even more clueless than I thought — they should have skillfully used those timeouts through out the 4th quarter -along with better substituting - to address the problem.
Next season won’t be any better than this one, regardless of which players stay and which leave, without a substantially better coaching performance than we’ve seen for the past 2 seasons.
D
I’m tired of people blaming the bad Fourth Quarter on fatigue (see what I did there… :-) )
We ended the game with three unused timeouts. Unless the coaches were completely surprised by the fact that we were getting tired — in which case they are even more clueless than I thought — they should have skillfully used those timeouts through out the 4th quarter -along with better substituting - to address the problem.
Next season won’t be any better than this one, regardless of which players stay and which leave, without a substantially better coaching performance than we’ve seen for the past 2 seasons.
(03-26-2026, 08:09 PM)BostonCard Wrote: BYU had a 53-36 rebounding edge. We missed Somfai.
After the third quarter we cut the lead down to 1, but allowed BYU to score 26 pts in the fourth. Poor defense like that speaks to fatigue, which is what you get when you have 7 players get more than token minutes. We missed Somfai and Lepolo.
This team could be good next year if everyone with eligibility comes back, but if Somfai and/or any other key contributor leaves via the portal, we will be back to square one because we will never “win” with the portal (bring in more talent than we lose).
BC
I’m tired of people blaming the bad Fourth Quarter on fatigue (see what I did there… :-) )
We ended the game with three unused timeouts. Unless the coaches were completely surprised by the fact that we were getting tired — in which case they are even more clueless than I thought — they should have skillfully used those timeouts through out the 4th quarter -along with better substituting - to address the problem.
Next season won’t be any better than this one, regardless of which players stay and which leave, without a substantially better coaching performance than we’ve seen for the past 2 seasons.
(03-26-2026, 07:52 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: <snip>
Are posters going to blame this on travel like nearly every other loss on the road the past 2 years?
Blaming every loss on travel is getting old, so I'm going to blame this loss on altitude /s
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)
(This post was last modified: 03-26-2026, 08:28 PM by Papa John.)
(03-26-2026, 07:52 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: <snip>
Are posters going to blame this on travel like nearly every other loss on the road the past 2 years?
Blaming every loss on travel is getting old, so I'm going to blame this loss on altitude /s
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)
03-26-2026, 08:28 PM
The bigger counter argument is that BYU also used only 7 players. But you could argue they at least are used to playing at 4550 ft.
As for time outs, the game got out of hand so it was moot, but coaches do try to keep time outs for end of game situations, where you might want to stop the clock and advance the ball to midcourt and stretch the end-of-game clock. Of course, that only works if the game is within 3 or so possessions, otherwise it just prolongs the agony.
BC
As for time outs, the game got out of hand so it was moot, but coaches do try to keep time outs for end of game situations, where you might want to stop the clock and advance the ball to midcourt and stretch the end-of-game clock. Of course, that only works if the game is within 3 or so possessions, otherwise it just prolongs the agony.
BC
The bigger counter argument is that BYU also used only 7 players. But you could argue they at least are used to playing at 4550 ft.
As for time outs, the game got out of hand so it was moot, but coaches do try to keep time outs for end of game situations, where you might want to stop the clock and advance the ball to midcourt and stretch the end-of-game clock. Of course, that only works if the game is within 3 or so possessions, otherwise it just prolongs the agony.
BC
As for time outs, the game got out of hand so it was moot, but coaches do try to keep time outs for end of game situations, where you might want to stop the clock and advance the ball to midcourt and stretch the end-of-game clock. Of course, that only works if the game is within 3 or so possessions, otherwise it just prolongs the agony.
BC
(03-26-2026, 07:52 PM)Card10Fan Wrote:Not this one. BYU had better players and a better coach. Playing at ~0.8 miles altitude didn’t help either.(03-26-2026, 07:49 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: 1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
Are posters going to blame this on travel like nearly every other loss on the road the past 2 years?
(03-26-2026, 07:52 PM)Card10Fan Wrote:Not this one. BYU had better players and a better coach. Playing at ~0.8 miles altitude didn’t help either.(03-26-2026, 07:49 PM)Card10Fan Wrote: 1. Poor perimeter shooting
2. Lack of interior defense/rebounding
Same issues all season long. We haven't show improvement throughout the year and the team has no identity. (offense, defense, rebounding, forcing TO - what are we good at? Anything?)
Surprisngly we only have 6 turnovers.
Are posters going to blame this on travel like nearly every other loss on the road the past 2 years?
03-26-2026, 09:25 PM
Our underclassmen (Frosh and Sophs) shot a combined 2 for 21. I'm hoping we don't have an exodus of players in the next couple of weeks as we don't have much depth.
I'm a casual and didn't watch, but that box score showing a -14 differential in the fourth....
Just a brutal way to end the season.
This feels 100% accurate.
Just a brutal way to end the season.
(03-26-2026, 08:16 PM)76lsjumb Wrote: Next season won’t be any better than this one, regardless of which players stay and which leave, without a substantially better coaching performance than we’ve seen for the past 2 seasons.
This feels 100% accurate.
I'm a casual and didn't watch, but that box score showing a -14 differential in the fourth....
Just a brutal way to end the season.
This feels 100% accurate.
Just a brutal way to end the season.
(03-26-2026, 08:16 PM)76lsjumb Wrote: Next season won’t be any better than this one, regardless of which players stay and which leave, without a substantially better coaching performance than we’ve seen for the past 2 seasons.
This feels 100% accurate.
03-26-2026, 11:34 PM
I forgot the game was tonight. Guess it was just as well. :-(
I forgot the game was tonight. Guess it was just as well. :-(
03-27-2026, 01:34 AM
Yes, we missed Lara biggly on both offense and D. Ogden and Clardy were excellent and played their hearts out till the end; Shay did also but she's limited on O. Eschmeyer is going to be terrific eventually, but is still not at all strong on a contested rebound or shot. Swain has improved alot, but this eve she reminded of the first half of the season. I'll chalk it up to trying too hard to keep us in the game. Nunu played pretty well, but I doubt she has fully recovered her stamina after returning from her injury, especially at altitude. MAS grabbed a couple of tough rebounds, but she doesn't shoot.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
Yes, we missed Lara biggly on both offense and D. Ogden and Clardy were excellent and played their hearts out till the end; Shay did also but she's limited on O. Eschmeyer is going to be terrific eventually, but is still not at all strong on a contested rebound or shot. Swain has improved alot, but this eve she reminded of the first half of the season. I'll chalk it up to trying too hard to keep us in the game. Nunu played pretty well, but I doubt she has fully recovered her stamina after returning from her injury, especially at altitude. MAS grabbed a couple of tough rebounds, but she doesn't shoot.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
03-27-2026, 10:59 AM
(03-27-2026, 01:34 AM)old spanish trail Wrote: Yes, we missed Lara biggly on both offense and D. Ogden and Clardy were excellent and played their hearts out till the end; Shay did also but she's limited on O. Eschmeyer is going to be terrific eventually, but is still not at all strong on a contested rebound or shot. Swain has improved alot, but this eve she reminded of the first half of the season. I'll chalk it up to trying too hard to keep us in the game. Nunu played pretty well, but I doubt she has fully recovered her stamina after returning from her injury, especially at altitude. MAS grabbed a couple of tough rebounds, but she doesn't shoot.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
I've been hard on your coach all season, but last night was one of her poorest coaching performances. BYU's Lee Cummard was totally prepared for Stanford and as John Wooden would say- BYU made Stanford very uncomfortable at both ends of the court. In their game against Quinnipiac, Paye finally decided to use a more balanced offense, getting touches for Stevenson and Eschmeyer who were in position to score. The result? Stevenson had perhaps her best offensive performance since coming to Stanford and Eschmeyer had a career scoring night. All that disappeared against BYU who ruled the defensive paint. Instead, Paye moved Eschmeyer to a wing and her 3-point shooting deserted her. How do you leave a skilled 6'5 player with great length out on the perimeter?
On offense, Stanford had no room to operate because BYU was free to pack their players into the interior where there were no driving lanes. And yet, Paye allows her guards to drive to the basket where they were met by 2 and sometimes 3 defenders. With no inside game, Stanford tried to even things up with the 3-ball, but (as it has most of the season), hitting 3's on someone else's court is risky at best. This was one game where Carly Amborn might have been a difference maker. Amborn has a very quick release and is Stanford's best pure 3-point shooter on the team. But Amborn has basically sat on the bench and (at altitude), Stanford's short rotation hurt them in the 4th. quarter.
One last thing that impacted both the defense and offense. BYU, like so many opponents Stanford has faced, effectively uses a hard high post screen and often switches where the center was releasing (going to the paint) and taking the smaller Stanford guards with her for a total mismatch, resulting in multiple baskets. Stanford hardly ever brings a second (taller) player up to the high post to help out the guard and would be able to drift down and better defend the BYU player. Conversely, Paye never taught her players how to set strong high post screens, which (last night) would have helped to soften up BYU's defense.
Moving forward, it's less about who is leaving or coming back- because the overall team performance will be pretty much the same. You need a new coach who has the proven ability to develop elite-performing teams. But my gut tells me that Paye will be given a 3rd. year.
(03-27-2026, 01:34 AM)old spanish trail Wrote: Yes, we missed Lara biggly on both offense and D. Ogden and Clardy were excellent and played their hearts out till the end; Shay did also but she's limited on O. Eschmeyer is going to be terrific eventually, but is still not at all strong on a contested rebound or shot. Swain has improved alot, but this eve she reminded of the first half of the season. I'll chalk it up to trying too hard to keep us in the game. Nunu played pretty well, but I doubt she has fully recovered her stamina after returning from her injury, especially at altitude. MAS grabbed a couple of tough rebounds, but she doesn't shoot.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
I've been hard on your coach all season, but last night was one of her poorest coaching performances. BYU's Lee Cummard was totally prepared for Stanford and as John Wooden would say- BYU made Stanford very uncomfortable at both ends of the court. In their game against Quinnipiac, Paye finally decided to use a more balanced offense, getting touches for Stevenson and Eschmeyer who were in position to score. The result? Stevenson had perhaps her best offensive performance since coming to Stanford and Eschmeyer had a career scoring night. All that disappeared against BYU who ruled the defensive paint. Instead, Paye moved Eschmeyer to a wing and her 3-point shooting deserted her. How do you leave a skilled 6'5 player with great length out on the perimeter?
On offense, Stanford had no room to operate because BYU was free to pack their players into the interior where there were no driving lanes. And yet, Paye allows her guards to drive to the basket where they were met by 2 and sometimes 3 defenders. With no inside game, Stanford tried to even things up with the 3-ball, but (as it has most of the season), hitting 3's on someone else's court is risky at best. This was one game where Carly Amborn might have been a difference maker. Amborn has a very quick release and is Stanford's best pure 3-point shooter on the team. But Amborn has basically sat on the bench and (at altitude), Stanford's short rotation hurt them in the 4th. quarter.
One last thing that impacted both the defense and offense. BYU, like so many opponents Stanford has faced, effectively uses a hard high post screen and often switches where the center was releasing (going to the paint) and taking the smaller Stanford guards with her for a total mismatch, resulting in multiple baskets. Stanford hardly ever brings a second (taller) player up to the high post to help out the guard and would be able to drift down and better defend the BYU player. Conversely, Paye never taught her players how to set strong high post screens, which (last night) would have helped to soften up BYU's defense.
Moving forward, it's less about who is leaving or coming back- because the overall team performance will be pretty much the same. You need a new coach who has the proven ability to develop elite-performing teams. But my gut tells me that Paye will be given a 3rd. year.
03-27-2026, 02:29 PM
(03-27-2026, 10:59 AM)stopandpop Wrote:(03-27-2026, 01:34 AM)old spanish trail Wrote: Yes, we missed Lara biggly on both offense and D. Ogden and Clardy were excellent and played their hearts out till the end; Shay did also but she's limited on O. Eschmeyer is going to be terrific eventually, but is still not at all strong on a contested rebound or shot. Swain has improved alot, but this eve she reminded of the first half of the season. I'll chalk it up to trying too hard to keep us in the game. Nunu played pretty well, but I doubt she has fully recovered her stamina after returning from her injury, especially at altitude. MAS grabbed a couple of tough rebounds, but she doesn't shoot.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
I've been hard on your coach all season, but last night was one of her poorest coaching performances. BYU's Lee Cummard was totally prepared for Stanford and as John Wooden would say- BYU made Stanford very uncomfortable at both ends of the court. In their game against Quinnipiac, Paye finally decided to use a more balanced offense, getting touches for Stevenson and Eschmeyer who were in position to score. The result? Stevenson had perhaps her best offensive performance since coming to Stanford and Eschmeyer had a career scoring night. All that disappeared against BYU who ruled the defensive paint. Instead, Paye moved Eschmeyer to a wing and her 3-point shooting deserted her. How do you leave a skilled 6'5 player with great length out on the perimeter?
On offense, Stanford had no room to operate because BYU was free to pack their players into the interior where there were no driving lanes. And yet, Paye allows her guards to drive to the basket where they were met by 2 and sometimes 3 defenders. With no inside game, Stanford tried to even things up with the 3-ball, but (as it has most of the season), hitting 3's on someone else's court is risky at best. This was one game where Carly Amborn might have been a difference maker. Amborn has a very quick release and is Stanford's best pure 3-point shooter on the team. But Amborn has basically sat on the bench and (at altitude), Stanford's short rotation hurt them in the 4th. quarter.
One last thing that impacted both the defense and offense. BYU, like so many opponents Stanford has faced, effectively uses a hard high post screen and often switches where the center was releasing (going to the paint) and taking the smaller Stanford guards with her for a total mismatch, resulting in multiple baskets. Stanford hardly ever brings a second (taller) player up to the high post to help out the guard and would be able to drift down and better defend the BYU player. Conversely, Paye never taught her players how to set strong high post screens, which (last night) would have helped to soften up BYU's defense.
Moving forward, it's less about who is leaving or coming back- because the overall team performance will be pretty much the same. You need a new coach who has the proven ability to develop elite-performing teams. But my gut tells me that Paye will be given a 3rd. year.
Unfortunately, I agree with all of this. I'm also surprised that Kate hasn't adjusted more quickly. Too much same-o same-o. Hmmm, she did adjust by playing Esch on the wing...but it didn't work:) Hopefully, Kate and Tara talk it out, but I'm concerned.
(03-27-2026, 10:59 AM)stopandpop Wrote:(03-27-2026, 01:34 AM)old spanish trail Wrote: Yes, we missed Lara biggly on both offense and D. Ogden and Clardy were excellent and played their hearts out till the end; Shay did also but she's limited on O. Eschmeyer is going to be terrific eventually, but is still not at all strong on a contested rebound or shot. Swain has improved alot, but this eve she reminded of the first half of the season. I'll chalk it up to trying too hard to keep us in the game. Nunu played pretty well, but I doubt she has fully recovered her stamina after returning from her injury, especially at altitude. MAS grabbed a couple of tough rebounds, but she doesn't shoot.
We need the frosh to make the big jump next season, and better health for the sophs, and hopefully Lara returns. She can shoot and rebound, is clever and competitive, and will be a star.
I've been hard on your coach all season, but last night was one of her poorest coaching performances. BYU's Lee Cummard was totally prepared for Stanford and as John Wooden would say- BYU made Stanford very uncomfortable at both ends of the court. In their game against Quinnipiac, Paye finally decided to use a more balanced offense, getting touches for Stevenson and Eschmeyer who were in position to score. The result? Stevenson had perhaps her best offensive performance since coming to Stanford and Eschmeyer had a career scoring night. All that disappeared against BYU who ruled the defensive paint. Instead, Paye moved Eschmeyer to a wing and her 3-point shooting deserted her. How do you leave a skilled 6'5 player with great length out on the perimeter?
On offense, Stanford had no room to operate because BYU was free to pack their players into the interior where there were no driving lanes. And yet, Paye allows her guards to drive to the basket where they were met by 2 and sometimes 3 defenders. With no inside game, Stanford tried to even things up with the 3-ball, but (as it has most of the season), hitting 3's on someone else's court is risky at best. This was one game where Carly Amborn might have been a difference maker. Amborn has a very quick release and is Stanford's best pure 3-point shooter on the team. But Amborn has basically sat on the bench and (at altitude), Stanford's short rotation hurt them in the 4th. quarter.
One last thing that impacted both the defense and offense. BYU, like so many opponents Stanford has faced, effectively uses a hard high post screen and often switches where the center was releasing (going to the paint) and taking the smaller Stanford guards with her for a total mismatch, resulting in multiple baskets. Stanford hardly ever brings a second (taller) player up to the high post to help out the guard and would be able to drift down and better defend the BYU player. Conversely, Paye never taught her players how to set strong high post screens, which (last night) would have helped to soften up BYU's defense.
Moving forward, it's less about who is leaving or coming back- because the overall team performance will be pretty much the same. You need a new coach who has the proven ability to develop elite-performing teams. But my gut tells me that Paye will be given a 3rd. year.
Unfortunately, I agree with all of this. I'm also surprised that Kate hasn't adjusted more quickly. Too much same-o same-o. Hmmm, she did adjust by playing Esch on the wing...but it didn't work:) Hopefully, Kate and Tara talk it out, but I'm concerned.
03-27-2026, 03:24 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-27-2026, 03:25 PM by Spiny_Norman.)
I have just received an invitation to the Coach's Swing in LA on May 15. I will definitely be attending.
Coaches/admins on the invitation are John Donahoe, Andrew Luck, Tavita Pritchard, Tabitha Yim, Kyle Smith and Kate Paye. Honestly I don't know what to say to Coach Paye. Her reports at these events are bland. She seems uncomfortable interacting with the attendees. She needs to be working the crowd to regain their trust that the program is headed in the right direction. But that is not at all her personality.
Maybe I will have a chance to talk with John Donahoe or one of his staff members to gauge their concern about WBB.
Coaches/admins on the invitation are John Donahoe, Andrew Luck, Tavita Pritchard, Tabitha Yim, Kyle Smith and Kate Paye. Honestly I don't know what to say to Coach Paye. Her reports at these events are bland. She seems uncomfortable interacting with the attendees. She needs to be working the crowd to regain their trust that the program is headed in the right direction. But that is not at all her personality.
Maybe I will have a chance to talk with John Donahoe or one of his staff members to gauge their concern about WBB.
"We have an unwritten rule around here not to do anything stupid."
-Casey Jacobsen, Feb 3, 2000
(This post was last modified: 03-27-2026, 03:25 PM by Spiny_Norman.)
I have just received an invitation to the Coach's Swing in LA on May 15. I will definitely be attending.
Coaches/admins on the invitation are John Donahoe, Andrew Luck, Tavita Pritchard, Tabitha Yim, Kyle Smith and Kate Paye. Honestly I don't know what to say to Coach Paye. Her reports at these events are bland. She seems uncomfortable interacting with the attendees. She needs to be working the crowd to regain their trust that the program is headed in the right direction. But that is not at all her personality.
Maybe I will have a chance to talk with John Donahoe or one of his staff members to gauge their concern about WBB.
Coaches/admins on the invitation are John Donahoe, Andrew Luck, Tavita Pritchard, Tabitha Yim, Kyle Smith and Kate Paye. Honestly I don't know what to say to Coach Paye. Her reports at these events are bland. She seems uncomfortable interacting with the attendees. She needs to be working the crowd to regain their trust that the program is headed in the right direction. But that is not at all her personality.
Maybe I will have a chance to talk with John Donahoe or one of his staff members to gauge their concern about WBB.
"We have an unwritten rule around here not to do anything stupid."
-Casey Jacobsen, Feb 3, 2000
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