All 12 available players got in on the fun Nov. 25 as the No. 2-ranked Stanford women’s basketball team romped over its guests, Cal Poly, 108-40, to open what is probably the strangest season ever.
Former stars are among the cutouts. (Stanford Athletics)
Although there were some cutouts of people, including former players, no fans were in the stands at Maples Pavilion to take in the excitement and cheer for the team. Instead, we fans clustered in front of video screens at home --- and cheered.
And, wow, was there a lot to cheer.
Double
figures from five players
Five players were in double figures: Junior guard
Lexie Hull with 19 points; freshman forward Cameron Brink with 17; sophomore
guard Haley Jones, looking sharp after missing much of last season with an
injury, with 16, plus 10 rebounds for a double-double; sophomore guard Hannah Jump with 15; and
senior guard Kiana Williams with 13.
Haley returned to action and
had a double-double. (Tony Avelar/AP)
Six players had 3-pointers: Lexie with four; Kiana
and Hannah with three each; freshman
guard Jana Van Gytenbeek with two; and freshman guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu and
sophomore forward Ashten Prechtel with one each for total of 14.
The starting lineup featured Kiana, Lexie, Haley, fifth-year guard Anna Wilson and sophomore forward Fran Belibi. No one played more than 26
minutes (Kiana).
Rebounding was impressive, 48 for Stanford, 34 for
Cal Poly. Perhaps the only weak point
was the free-throw shooting, 18 of 31.
Freshmen
make impressive debut
One of the big takeaways from this game was the polished play by the freshmen, Cameron, Jana and Agnes. Together they scored 34, slightly less than a third of the team’s total. They had 16, or a third, of the rebounds. Like their teammates, they passed and ran the floor well.
The sophomores showed big improvement from last season.
As an indication of the team’s depth, the bench had
56 points, more than half of the total.
Besides the empty stands, there were other changes.
The team huddled in a socially distanced circle.
Masks
and social distancing everywhere
Everyone on the bench, including the coaches and
staff, wore a mask. The bench was actually socially distanced folding chairs.
The referees were masked. When the game was over,
the two teams passed each other without touching.
There was some piped-in crowd noise, though not
much, along with a recording of the band playing “All Right Now” at the end.
Tara with her megaphone. (Tony Avelar/AP)
Head coach Tara VanDerveer shouted out her instructions using a small megaphone.
Associate head coach Kate Paye was not
with the team but sat in the balcony. In the post-game press conference,
Tara said that Kate’s latest COVID test results had been lost.
All of this was necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened millions and killed hundreds of thousands just in
the United States, let alone the rest of the world.
Players
won’t go home for holidays
Most of the few students who were on campus left
after the end of fall quarter and won’t return until the winter quarter starts
Jan. 11.
Kate sits in the balcony next to cardboard cutouts. (Tony Avelar/AP)
However, SWBB players won’t go home for the holiday
break, Kate said in an email before the game. They’re
remaining in Mirrielees House, which has apartment-style rooms with full
kitchens and bathrooms.
As for Thanksgiving, it was to feature a practice followed
by take-home Thanksgiving meal packages. “Lots of sacrifices,” Kate said in her
email.
The home game against Pacific on Nov. 29 was canceled because a Pacific player had a positive test. Stanford
Athletics said it’s looking for a replacement.
The Washington teams are scheduled to visit the
following weekend, Dec. 4 and 6, times TBD.
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