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.
