Adversity can't stop this championship team

 

The players react with joy after clinching the NCAA crown. (Stanford Athletics)

Through a season buffeted by unprecedented external forces, Stanford women’s basketball players not only survived but thrived and prevailed.

Playing their way to a 31-2 record, they won the Pac-12 season championship, the Pac-12 tournament championship and the crown jewel – the NCAA national championship.

In her 35^th season on the Farm and her 42^nd year of college coaching, head coach Tara VanDerveer steered them with a steady hand.

In the process, she became the winningest women’s basketball coach ever, amassing 1,125 wins overall. The total would have been even greater if she hadn’t taken a year off to coach the USA team to an Olympic gold medal in 1996.

Tara wins three coach of the year honors

She was rewarded by being named Pac-12 coach of the year, Naismith women’s coach of the year and U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year.

True to her nature, she was quick to credit her fellow coaches --associate head coach Kate Paye and the two new assistant coaches, Katy Steding and Britney Anderson – as well as the other staff people who helped to make the season so successful.

She also credited the mature leadership of fifth-year guard Anna Wilson, senior guard Kiana Williams and senior forward Alyssa Jerome.

External forces facing the team were social unrest, the contentious presidential election and the COVID pandemic, which upended everyone’s lives. Masks and social distancing became the norm along with testing for the players.

COVID changes everything

COVID was the biggest disrupter, starting back in the 2019-20 season when it caused the abrupt cancellation of the NCAA tournament.

Then cancellations and postponements in 2020-21 forced the team to be flexible, ready to adapt seemingly at a minute’s notice while taking classes remotely.

During the summer, the players were home, working out on their own and following individual plans crafted by strength and conditioning coach Ali Kershner.

Returning players created workout videos for the freshmen: guards Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Jana Van Gytenbeek and forward Cameron Brink.

There were weekly calls with notables like Nneka Ogwumike, ’12, and small group Zoom calls.

At one time a 15-player roster was envisioned, but, as allowed by NCAA rules, senior forward Maya Dodson elected to stay home in Georgia to focus on social justice. She later said she would transfer to Notre Dame as a grad student in the fall.

Guard Estella Moschkau graduated a year early and played as a grad student at the University of Wisconsin, her home state.

Roster reduced to 12 active players

Junior guard Jenna Brown became unavailable when she suffered a season-ending injury before competition began. Thus the roster was pared to 12 active players.

They returned to campus for the fall semester in September and lived in the same housing complex.

Cutouts of some former greats take the place of live fans. (Stanford Athletics)

Competition started Nov. 25 as the team romped over Cal Poly 108-40 in a fan-less Maples Pavilion. As was true throughout the season, the coaches and players were socially distanced and wore masks on the sidelines. Cutouts of fans and former players adorned the stands.

The starting lineup featured Kiana, Anna, junior guard Lexie Hull, sophomore guard Haley Jones and sophomore forward Fran Belibi, but everyone got in on the action. 

By then the few students who were on campus had left for the quarter break, but SWBB stayed until Santa Clara County health restrictions sent them on their long odyssey.

Lindy hosts team for two games

Lindy La Rocque, former Stanford assistant coach and alum, now head coach at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, gave the team a home for the next two games.

The team reciprocated by defeating her team 101-54 on Dec. 5. The next day, it dispatched Washington 81-50.  

The UNLV game had been scheduled at the last minute after Stanford’s home games against Pacific and San Diego University were cancelled because of the county’s restrictions. The Dec. 8 game against Washington State was postponed for COVID issues at WSU. The Dec. 11 home game against UC Davis also was cancelled.

Then it was back to the Bay Area to defeat Cal 83-38 on Dec. 13,  when Fran dunked, followed by a trip to the University of the Pacific in Stockton for a 104-61 win on Dec. 15.

Tara ties, then tops Pat Summitt’s record

The Cal game meant that Tara had tied the late Pat Summitt’s of Tennessee record of 1,098 wins. The Pacific game topped it at 1,099.

Tara shows off the T-DAWG jacket from her players. (Stanford Athletics)

After the Pacific game, the players clustered around Tara and gave her a black jacket with T-DAWG, their nickname for her, on the back.

Following a short break, the team traveled to Los Angeles to defeat USC 80-60 on Dec. 19 and UCLA 61-49 on Dec. 21, when Fran dunked again.

After a five-day break in Northern California with no official practice, the team continued its winning ways in the desert by defeating Arizona 81-54 on Jan. 1 and Arizona State 68-60 on Jan. 3.

Santa Cruz serves as temporary home

Listed as a home game for Stanford, the Jan. 8 game against Oregon was played in Santa Cruz’s Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Despite missing three players – Alyssa, Lexie and sophomore guard Hannah Jump – for contact tracing, Stanford prevailed over Oregon 70-63 on Jan. 8. Junior guard Lacie Hull replaced Lexie in the starting lineup.

Haley who lives near the arena, said her mother  helped to fuel the team with oatmeal cookies and brownies.

The Jan. 10 game against Oregon State was postponed because of COVID issues there.

Team suffers first and only two losses

With Lexie, Alyssa and Hannah back in action, the team coasted over Utah 82-54 in Salt Lake City on Jan. 15 but suffered its first loss on Jan. 17, falling at Colorado 77-72 in overtime.

Returning to Santa Cruz, the team suffered its second loss, 70-66 to UCLA on Jan. 22, but  bounced back to defeat USC 86-59 on Jan. 24.

Tara tweaked the starting lineup for the USC game, inserting Cameron in place of Fran. Tara stayed with that lineup – Cameron, Kiana, Anna, Lexie and Haley – for the rest of the season.

Traveling to the Evergreen State, Stanford swept Washington State 71-49 on Jan. 27 and 77-49 on Jan. 29, then traveled across the Cascades to brush off Washington 74-48 on Jan. 31.

Home sweet home

Hurrah! The team was allowed to return home to Maples for the first time since Nov. 25. It got revenge over Colorado with a 62-54 win on Feb. 5. It then beat Utah 83-41 on Feb. 7.

After a decisive 83-58 win at Oregon State on Feb. 13, the team gutted out a 63-61 squeaker at Oregon on Feb. 15.

The team was back in Maples for an 80-41 win over Arizona State on Feb. 19 and clinched the Pac-12 season championship with a 62-48 victory over Arizona on Feb. 22.

Tara joins Anna (left), Kiana and Alyssa in Maples for Senior Day on Feb. 28. (Stanford Athletics)

Celebrating Senior Day on Feb. 28, the team completed its regular season with a 72-33 home victory over Cal.

Cardinal capture Pac-12 tournament crown

Next it was off to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament. As the No. 1 seed, Stanford had a bye. It then swept its way to the championship by defeating USC 92-53 on March 4, Oregon State 79-45 on March 5 and  UCLA 75-55 on March 7 to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Kiana was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Lexie and Cameron were named to the all-tournament team.

Anna shows the grit that made her an outstanding defender. (Jed Jacobsohn/AP)

Earlier in the month, Anna was named the conference’s co-defensive player of the year and part of the all-defensive team. Lacie was named sixth player of the year. Lexie, Haley and Kiana were named to the 15-member all-conference team, and Cameron was named to the all-freshman team.

Six wins and it’s time to celebrate

Six wins at the NCAA tournament in San Antonio gave the team the national championship, the program’s third-ever and its first since 1992.

The championship path started with an 87-44 drubbing of Utah Valley on March 21 and a closer win over Oklahoma State, 73-62, on March 23.

The Sweet 16 was sweet with an 89-62 win over Missouri State on March 28 to advance to the Elite Eight. That’s when things got tougher.

Overcoming a 14-point deficit early in the third quarter, the Cardinal staged an epic comeback and defeated Louisville 78-63 on March 30.

Team ekes out two one-point games to win

Two Final Four nail biters nailed down the championship.

Sophomore forward Ashten Prechtel jumps for joy after the team edged South Carolina. (Getty Images)

First, Stanford defeated South Carolina 66-65 in the semi-final game April 2. One point also proved to be the winning margin against Arizona, when Stanford prevailed 54-53 on April 4 to capture the trophy. 

Both games were decided in the final seconds when the opponents unsuccessfully tried game-winning shots.

Haley and teammates are jubilant after clinching the NCAA crown. (Getty Images)

After the game, Haley was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, and Lexie was named to the all-tournament team, giving the Cardinal two of its five players.

Kiana was named a second team All-American, and Haley received honorable mention.

Stanford set a tournament record for three-pointers with a total of 55 in the six games.

Cameron, with 88 blocks this year, broke the single-season record set by Jayne Appel,’10, in 2007-08.

Kate, Tara and the trophy lead the celebratory parade. (Stanford Athletics)

Parade fetes returning heroines

Returning to campus April 5, the team and staff were greeted by hundreds of cheering fans as they paraded around campus and downtown Palo Alto in convertibles.

Ten days later, Kiana was in the spotlight again as she was claimed by the Seattle Storm in the second round of the WNBA draft.

Virtual banquet wraps up season

Still separated by Zoom, fans joined Tara as she emceed the April 18 virtual banquet honoring everyone who had made the championship season possible.

She gave a quick rundown of the season, when players first had to practice outside. She praised the team’s closeness, saying, “Our team is the definition of sisterhood.”

As is traditional, she introduced each player by class, starting with the freshmen and ending with the seniors. All of them thanked the fans for their support.

Haley spoke from South Carolina, where she was taking part in the 2021 USA AmeriCup Team trials.

Tara chatted with some illustrious former players and talked about the four recruits.

Several times she spoke of returning to Maples next season. She said she has invited Anna and Alyssa to return, as allowed by NCAA rules giving an extra year of eligibility to this year’s players. Kiana was already in Seattle with the Storm.

The other news emerging involved the schedule, which includes games against Gonzaga, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas, a possible tournament in Hawaii and the always tough Pac-12.

The session ended with a slide show of season highlights, evoking happy memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All hail to the champs; we love 'em

 Cameron, with Lexie and Anna, leaps over Aari McDonald after the final buzzer. (Getty Images)

It took two down-to-the-wire games, but the Stanford women’s basketball team has won the NCAA women’s national championship, the program’s third ever and its first since 1992.

First, Stanford defeated South Carolina 66-65 in the semi-final game on April 2.

Next the No. 1 overall seed eked out another one-point win and the championship by defeating No. 3 seed Arizona 54-53 in front of more than 4,600 people in San Antonio’s Alamodome on April 4.

In both games, the opponents tried game-winning shots, but they didn’t succeed.

In the Arizona game, Aari McDonald, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, had the ball and a chance to go ahead with only 6.1 seconds left.

Swarming defense saves the game in the final seconds

However, swarmed by fifth-year guard Anna Wilson, junior guard Lexie Hull and freshman forward Cameron Brink, she couldn’t get a clear shot and missed the basket, sending the Cardinal players into ecstasy.

As head coach Tara VanDerveer said right after the game, “It wasn’t a pretty game, but it was a gritty game.”

Even though she had to sit out the second quarter with two fouls, sophomore guard Haley Jones returned in the third quarter and helped to lead the team with 17 points. Cameron and Lexie (who also had 10 rebounds) were in double figures with 10 each.

Stanford had an eight-point lead, 16-8, after the first quarter, but Arizona outscored the Cardinal by seven points through the rest of the  game – just one point shy of what was needed.

The team committed 21 turnovers, while Arizona had six, a major factor in the tight game.

Arizona had six treys, while Stanford had four: one each by Lexie, Anna, senior guard Kiana Williams and sophomore forward Ashten Prechtel. Thus Stanford raised its three-point tournament record to 59.

Most numbers favor Stanford

On the other hand, Stanford had the advantage in rebounds, 47-29; assists, 15-6; points in the paint, 36-20; and blocks, 5-2. Cameron had three of them.

Writing in the April 5 SF Chronicle, columnist Scott Ostler reported that for the season, Stanford had more assists than its opponents, 543-296, and more blocks, 196-84, with 88 by Cameron.

The Chronicle’s Steve Kroner wrote, "No team has shot better than 41.8 percent against Stanford all season."

Arizona shot 28.8 percent in this game, Stanford 42.1 percent. In the earlier South Carolina game, Stanford shot 41.7 percent, South Carolina 35.8 percent.

Thus the team completed its season with a 31-2 record, and Tara racked up the women’s record high 1,125 career wins.

Tara completes the net cutting. (CNN)

After the game, the players received the national championship trophy, T-shirts and hats before cutting down the nets.

Haley and others cheer as dejected Arizona players leave the court. (Getty Images) 

They also learned that Haley had been named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Lexie was named to the all-tournament team, giving the Cardinal two of its five players.

Ashten jumps for joy after the squeaker over South Carolina. (Getty Images)

Team squeezes past South Carolina

In the earlier game, which also came down to the very last seconds, Stanford defeated South Carolina 66-65 on April 2 to advance to the championship game.

The team might have had to pack up and head home if the Gamecocks hadn’t missed two chances to score the winning basket at the end.

In those frantic last seconds, Stanford lost the ball, giving S. Carolina those two chances. After the second miss, Cameron grabbed the ball, thus safeguarding the win.

Haley, who led the team with 24 points, bookended the game, scoring both the first basket and the last, which proved to be the game winner.

Lexie corrals the ball in the South Carolina game. (Getty Images)

Lexie was the only other Cardinal in double figures, scoring 18 points to go with 13 rebounds for a double-double.

Also scoring were Ashten with nine, Kiana with eight, Cameron with six and junior guard Lacie Hull with one.

The game didn’t start well with two turnovers and a foul, which gave the Gamecocks two points in the first minute. They followed up with a 3-pointer, putting Stanford in a five-point hole.

First quarter starts rough, ends with tie

Stanford started scoring, but still was down nine points about halfway through the first quarter. However, thanks to a 9-0 Stanford run, the score was tied 15-15 to end the quarter.

In the meantime, Haley picked up her second foul, forcing her to sit out the rest of that quarter and all of the second before returning for the rest of the game.

Stanford notched its first lead, 17-15, early in the second quarter and expanded it to 31-25 at the half.

The third quarter ended 52-49 before the game ended with the one-point advantage.

Team sets records, earns honors

The Cardinal’s five 3’s meant it had set the record for most 3’s, 55, in the NCAA women’s tournament.

In this game, Haley and Lexie had two each. Ashten added the other.

Cameron, with 88 blocks this year, broke the single-season record set by Jayne Appel, ’10, in the 2007-08 season.

Tara received two more honors. She was named the Naismith Women’s coach of the year and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association coach of the year.

Kiana was named a second team All-American, and Haley received honorable mention.

Kate and Tara, with the trophy, lead the parade. (Stanford Athletics)

Campus parade honors the champs

Returning to campus April 5, the masked team and staff were greeted by hundreds of cheering fans as they paraded around campus in convertibles led by three motorcycle officers and several police vehicles and trailed by a fire engine, its siren blaring. Helicopters circled overhead.

Tara and associate head coach Kate Paye were in the first car holding the trophy. The other coaches and staff were in the next vehicles, and the players were in groups of two or three in the next ones.

Among the spectators was sophomore forward Fran Belibi’s mom, who had just returned from San Antonio, as well as several other fans who had been there.

Haley waves to cheering fans along the parade route. (Stanford Athletics)

Sporting Stanford apparel, people brought their kids and dogs. Stanford staffers handed out red pompons and Stanford signs.

Someone with a boom box played upbeat music, included a recording of the band playing “All Right Now.”

The parade was originally supposed to stay on campus, but it ventured into downtown Palo Alto, too.

When it disbanded in the Maples parking lot, the team and staff climbed aboard a hook-and-ladder truck to pose for photos with the trophy and a Stanford banner.

Then they walked into the back entrance of Maples to end the festivities.