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| Senior forward Brooke Demetre did well at the scrimmage. (Stanford Athletics) |
The 2024-25 edition of the women’s basketball team
made its first public appearance during the annual Cardinal-White scrimmage
Oct. 26, Stanford’s homecoming.
For several reasons, it wasn’t an in-depth look for
the several dozen fans at Maples.
First, three players were sidelined, doing various
exercises at the south end of the court. They were junior guard Talana Lepolo,
freshman guard Shay Ijiwoye and freshman forward Harper Peterson.
Second, through most of the four-quarter event, the
Cardinal squad was comprised of male practice players plus recently graduated
guard Hannah Jump and an assistant coach, forward Erica “Bird” McCall. Junior
guard Stavi Papadaki and junior guard Lauren Green played mostly on this squad.
Third, the coaches made liberal substitutions,
giving everyone a chance to play.
Finally, each quarter began with the score at 0-0.
I didn’t keep statistics, nor were any displayed, so
I had no objective way of evaluating anyone.
Suffice it to say that some of the returning players
seemed to do well at times. Among them were the two seniors, guard Elena
Bosgana and forward Brooke Demetre. Some of the others were Stavi, sophomore
forwards Nunu Agara and Courtney Ogden, sophomore guard Chloe Clardy and
redshirt junior guard Jzaniya Harriel.
Newcomers who played had some good moments.
Of course Hannah and Bird showed their veteran
skills, especially Hannah, who is so accurate from behind the arc. Several
times announcer Betty Ann Hagenau, in her 25th season at the mike,
intoned the familiar “Hannah Jump for 3!”
Making her debut at the helm, head coach Kate Paye
coached the White squad while assistant coach Katie Steding oversaw the
Cardinal squad. Assistant coach Jeanette Pohlen officiated all four quarters.
Associate head coach Tempie Brown and new assistant coach Heather Oesterle
traded off between officiating and coaching.
Charli Turner Thorne, ’88, was there scouting for
the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, where she is an assistant coach.
This is a year of changes for the team. Longtime
head coach Tara VanDerveer has retired, and Stanford has moved from the Pac-12
to the Atlantic Coach Conference, necessitating several long-distance trips.
The Maples floor reflects the change with the ACC logo at the free-throw lines.
A clearer picture of the team is likely to emerge as
the team hosts its first five games: 7 p.m. Oct. 30 exhibition against Cal
State LA, 7 p.m. Nov. 4 against Le Moyne, 7 p.m. Nov. 7 against Washington
State, noon Nov. 10 against Gonzaga, and 7 p.m. Nov. 13 against UC Davis.
The Gonzaga game will be shown on ESPN2, the others
on ACCNX.
