“We don’t have any stars. We have a galaxy. We have great, great players,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said recently about the Stanford women’s basketball team.
The team displayed some of its prowess Nov. 2,
breezing to a 102-25 exhibition victory over Vanguard.
Although the game didn’t count in the season record,
it did provide a chance for all 15 players to compete against someone other
than their teammates.
Cameron,
Hannah, Haley, Kiki, Agnes get the starting nod
The starting lineup featured junior forward Cameron
Brink, senior guard Hannah Jump, senior guard Haley Jones at the point,
sophomore forward Kiki Iriafen and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu.
They started somewhat slowly, leading only 6-5 about
halfway through the first quarter, but holding a 19-10 advantage when the
quarter ended.
In the meantime, others began coming in, giving nine
players some floor time. First off the bench was freshman guard Talana Lepolo, then senior forward Fran Belibi, quickly followed by freshman guard Indya Nivar and sophomore forward Brooke
Demetre.
By the time halftime rolled around, the team was up
43-17, and 12 players had seen action. By contrast, Vanguard used only nine
players for the game.
Vanguard was held to only 2 points in the third
quarter as the Cardinal zipped to a 73-19 lead. By then everyone had played.
Thirteen
players score despite their limited minutes
Statistics are impressive. No one played more than
18 minutes (Hannah and Talana), and everyone played at least six minutes.
Thirteen players scored with five in double figures:
Hannah, 12; sophomore guard Elena Bosgana and senior forward Ashten Prechtel,
11 each; Cameron and freshman center Lauren Betts, 10 each. Everyone
contributed in some way, though.
For example, Talana had no points, but she dished
out a team-high six assists and had two steals. Playing the
point guard position, she moved the ball quickly and efficiently (no turnovers)
and seemed content to facilitate.
Eleven
3’s add to total
The team’s sharp-shooting was evidenced with 11 3’s,
thanks to four by Hannah, two by redshirt freshman Jzaniya Harriel, and one
each by Ashten, Elena, Brooke, Indya and freshman guard Stavi Papadaki.
With its superior height, Stanford snared 59
rebounds (eight by Elena), compared with 23 by Vanguard.
In short, it was an impressive first look.
Tara
speaks during Buck/Cardinal Club event
Tara’s comment about the team’s galaxy came during a
Buck/Cardinal Club event Nov. 1.
It started with an open practice with some welcome
developments: Unlike the scrimmage on Oct. 29, Hannah was making her
3’s.
In addition, Fran participated in this practice,
unlike the earlier one. However, when the team did pushups, she did sit-ups,
presumably to avoid pressure on her taped left hand. She removed the tape
afterward.
There were two mishaps: Elena seemed to have hurt
her hand, but she shook it off. Lauren
went down hard under the north basket and headed for the locker room. Tara said
later that she had been hit in the eye.
And some bright spots: Jzaniya played point guard
sometimes and looked good. Cameron made
several 3’s, as did several other players, and she even hit a half-court shot
during a drill.
After the practice ended at 6:30, the team posed
for a photo. Haley, Indya and Stavi weren’t there because they had to rush off
to classes.
Panelists
answer questions
Next there was a panel with Fran, Hannah, Brooke and
Kiki, who answered questions by Kevin Danna, play-by-play radio broadcaster for
SWBB games and others.
Because the sound system was distorted, it was hard
to understand some answers. Hannah did
produce one quotable answer: “Anyone can go off on any night.”
Her comment was in line with Tara’s, which came as
part of a fan Q&A during a reception in the Home of Champions after the
practice and panel.
Among other notable information, Tara said that this
year’s seniors have the option of another season because of the COVID-disrupted
season two years ago. She didn’t say who might stay although Haley plans to
turn professional.
Tara
praises freshmen
Tara spoke highly of all five freshmen, especially
Lauren, who was the No. 1-rated player last year. “She is a talent” with
“fabulous hands. …She makes life miserable for the other posts,” Tara said.
Competition starts for real against San Diego State
at 7 p.m. Nov. 7, followed by Cal State Northridge, a late addition to the
schedule, at 6 p.m. Nov. 9.
Both home games will be shown via Stanford Live
Stream.
