Team tunes up with four-quarter scrimmage

Stanford women’s basketball fans got a second reading of the team’s latest edition during a scrimmage Oct. 28. (The first was at an open practice Oct. 23.)

This red-white (actually gray) scrimmage took the players through four quarters with longtime announcer Betty Ann Hagenau at the mike and three referees overseeing the action.

The gray team included six men plus sophomore guards Stavi Papadaki and Lauren Green. They were coached by assistant coach Erica “Bird” McCall, returning to the venue where she played her college ball until 2017. She then played in the WNBA for six seasons before retiring to enter the coaching ranks.

The white team included the other 10 women led by the other four coaches.

Starters for the white team were senior forward Cameron Brink, junior forward Kiki Iriafen, fifth-year guard Hannah Jump, junior guard Elena Bosgana and sophomore guard Talana Lepolo.

Both sides made frequent substitutions to give everyone a chance to play.

I didn’t keep score, but it seemed that the male-dominated team won because of the men’s greater strength and speed.

Overall, though, all of the women excelled at times with several heads-up plays and fast ball movement.

Eight women scored at least once from 3-point range: freshman guard Chloe Clardy; sophomore guards Lauren, Stavi and Talana; juniors Elena and forward Brooke Demetre; Cameron and Hannah.

The women hit all of their free throws (at least I don’t recall seeing any misses).

During the first break, Betty Ann asked season ticket holders how long they had had season tickets by five-year intervals. The last ones standing had had their tickets for more than 40 years.

Thus their tenures were longer than head coach Tara VanDerveer’s, who’s starting her 38^th season at Stanford.

After the practice, Betty Ann briefly introduced all of the players, both men and women, as well as the coaches and staff.

Most fans recently received an email about the construction project at Maples. Estimated to last 18 months, most of the work will take place underground (requiring excavation) to expand facilities for the women’s and men’s basketball teams and the women’s volleyball team.

The area between Maples and Campus Drive is fenced off for the work, and much of the small parking lot next to the practice facility is unavailable.

Three temporary handicapped parking spots are marked in the Maples lot along Campus Drive. Fans can access the southwest entrance of Maples from the sidewalk along the practice facility next to the closed-off lot. They also can walk along the east side of the practice facility and Maples next to the football practice field to reach the northeast entrance.

Besides the Maples lot, parking will be available in the Graduate School of Business garage across the street.

Next up is an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 against Dominican at home,

 

 

Team gives fans a positive first impression

 

Buck Cardinal Club members got their first impression of this season’s women’s basketball team during an open practice Oct. 23.

Afterward they trooped over to the Hall of Champions where they heard from head coach Tara VanDerveer.

During the fast-paced practice, it seemed that everyone had a chance to shine – that is, everyone except senior forward Cameron Brink. She reportedly is rehabbing from an ankle injury, so she stayed on the sidelines shooting free throws or riding a stationary bike.

However, when her teammates finished their scrimmages, she joined them in practicing a variety of shots, including 3’s. She appeared to walk normally.

Speaking of 3’s, I counted at least six players who lofted at least one. Chief among them was grad student Hannah Jump, a guard who has long been known for her prowess outside the arc.

Also scoring from there were junior forward Brooke Demetre, junior guard Elena Bosgana, sophomore guards Talana Lepolo and Stavi Papadaki and redshirt sophomore Jzaniya Harriel.

Because only 11 players were available, two male practice players joined them at times, as did first-year assistant coach Erica “Bird” McCall. A fan favorite, she graduated from Stanford in 2017 and went on to play in the WNBA. During her stint with the Indiana Fever, she was a teammate of Jeanette Pohlen, ’11. Now she’s on the staff with Jeanette, who’s director of player development.

After the practice, the players lined up to introduce themselves, starting with the freshmen.

Rather than going to the locker room then, five stayed behind to be quizzed by TV announcer Mary Murphy. That quintet looked much like most fans’ predictions for the starters: Cameron, Hannah, Talana, Brooke and junior forward Kiki Iriafen.

“This is going to be a fantastic season,” Mary said, echoing what many fans there might have concluded.

She also served as emcee for the reception, where she introduced the staff and coaches, including assistant coach Tempie Brown, returning to the Farm where she had coached for seven seasons from 2013 through 2019-20. She then lived in Michigan with her wife and two children and worked as athletic director for Okemos Public Schools.

“Welcome back, Tempie,” many fans said afterward, to which she replied, “Glad to be back.”

In her introduction of Tara, Mary noted that the winningest coach has compiled a record 1,186 wins in 38 seasons.

Tara enjoyed her time off by relaxing in various ways and staying in touch with her 96-year-old mother, Rita, who lives in Colorado.

She called the coming breakup of the Pac-12 “extremely disappointing” and “extremely painful.” Therefore, since this is the conference’s last season, the team’s slogan is “best year ever.”

She talked about the construction project at Maples, which has just begun.

Most of the small parking lot closest to Maples, the one with several handicapped spaces, has been fenced off, as has the lawn in front of the building. Access to Maples from the main parking lot is along the sidewalk next to the practice facility.

The underground project will provide a new, more spacious locker room, training room, lounge and theater. An usher later said other teams also will benefit from the project.

Tara was asked about the new transfer portal rule, which allows players to go to another school without sitting out for a year. This rule cost Stanford three players: Lauren Betts, Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Indya Nivar.

Conversely, it’s hard to Stanford to benefit from the portal because of the university’s stringent entry requirements, especially for grad school. “We’re not portal people,” Tara said.

On the other hand, she said she likes the NIL, which pays players for their name, image and likeness.

A new group, Lifetime Cardinal, has been formed to further that goal for Stanford athletes.

According to its website, co-founder Allen Thorpe wants “the collective to organize summer internships, career services and investment opportunities for Stanford athletes. … Lifetime Cardinal is starting out as a for-profit entity. He hopes the collective can lure corporations to tap into its Stanford talent pool for more than endorsements.”

Former Stanford football great Andrew Luck, who was at the reception, is a member of the collective’s board.

Commenting on the freshmen, Tara said, “We are thrilled” with guard Chloe Clardy and forwards Nunu Agara and Courtney Ogden. They call themselves the Tree-O.

She praised the returning players for helping to mentor their new teammates. As for Hannah, she “lets me sleep at night.” The NCAA calls Hannah the country’s second-best shooter (behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark). It calls Cameron the best rim protector for her ability to block shots. These two, along with Kiki, are the team captains.

Overall, “We’ve been having a lot of fun. …It’s going to be a great year,” Tara said.