Final salute to the 2009-10 team

“It’s a bittersweet evening.”


That’s how head coach Tara VanDerveer so aptly summed up the sentiment at the women’s basketball team’s awards banquet. “This is our official last day together as the 2009-10 team,” she told the crowd of nearly 300 gathered at the Stanford Faculty Club on April 22. It also was a chance for fans to see the players dressed up – and they all looked lovely.

Tara’s remarks opened a roller-coaster evening of emotions from elation, as seen in a video summarizing the season, to deep sadness, as exemplified in senior center Jayne Appel’s emotional farewell.

Although this dinner traditionally includes the announcement of individual awards such as most outstanding player, best defensive player and most improved player, Tara and her coaching staff decided to forgo them this year because of the impressive record amassed by the team and the numerous individual honors garnered through the year.

Tara ticked off just a few of the team’s record-breaking accomplishments, starting with 28 regular season wins, its first undefeated Pac-10 season (plus Stanford’s seventh Pac-10 tournament championship) and the most rebounds ever (1,719 total, or 45.2 per game, an 11.8 margin over opponents). In addition, the team held opponents to a record-low 53.9 points per game and a record-low field-goal percentage of .339 per game. All this came during “the most competitive schedule ever,” she said.

The team went to its third consecutive Final Four and played in its second national championship game in three years. Along the way it amassed a 36-2 record overall, with both of its losses coming to UConn. The first was an away game in December, when the score was 80-68. In the national championship game in San Antonio on April 4, the score was 53-47.

Both times Stanford led at the half, and the December score marked one of the lowest margins of victory for the two-season undefeated Huskies. The score in San Antonio was UConn’s lowest margin of victory this season and the first that wasn’t by double digits. And lest we forget, Stanford is the last team to have beaten UConn, defeating the Huskies in the semi-final game at the Final Four in Tampa Bay in 2008.

Tara interspersed praise for each player with thanks to everyone from the Stanford administration and her coaching staff – Amy Tucker, Kate Paye and Bobbie Kelsey – to the medical staff and all the other people who help the team, coaches and women’s basketball program in general to be so successful. She commended her coaching colleagues as “the very best at what they do,” including teaching, scouting and recruiting. She then called each class to the front and introduced the players.

Freshmen – forwards Mikaela Ruef & Joslyn Tinkle.

Mikaela, who is “very intelligent,” proved valuable in practice, learning the opponents’ plays. Now “the challenge is to be consistent,” she said.

Joslyn, who missed some games after a foot injury early in the season, was “the top big off the bench.” She credited the Montana native with versatility and great instincts and said “the Big Sky is the limit” for Joslyn.

Sophomores – forwards Sarah Boothe & Nneka Ogwumike, guards Grace Mashore & Lindy La Rocque

Sarah was red-shirted this season after foot surgery. However, she eventually became able to practice and “did a great job for our team in practice every day.” She pushed everyone to do well, and “I haven’t coached anyone who loves basketball more than Sarah,” the coach said.

Grace “stepped up her play in practice” and helped the team prepare for its opponents.

Lindy “contributed more behind the scenes in practice.” She also was the one who, in casual conversation with Tara, suggested the play that led to Stanford’s 55-53 victory over Xavier (more on that later) to clinch a trip to the Final Four.

As for Nneka, “how far (she) has come since last year’s banquet,” Tara said. She led the team in scoring with 704 points, in rebounds with 376 (a season record), in free throws with 172 and in field goal percentage, .598, garnering an armful of conference and national honors along the way. Not only that, “you’re just scratching the surface of what you can be,” Tara told her.

Juniors – forwards Ashley Cimino & Kayla Pedersen, guards Jeanette Pohlen & Hannah Donaghe, red-shirt guards Melanie Murphy & JJ Hones

Although Mel and JJ are seniors academically, each has another year of eligibility after red-shirting with knee injuries. They’re still having knee problems. JJ, on crutches, recently had microfracture surgery, while Mel will undergo the same procedure soon.

Ashley “contributes in practice by knowing what we’re doing,” Tara said.

As for Jeanette, “Everyone who watches ‘Sports Center’ saw Jeanette’s coast-to-coast” play that defeated Xavier in the final 4.4 seconds of the regional final in Sacramento. “It may rank as the all-time best play in Stanford women’s basketball history,” Tara said.

And even though Jeanette was named the team’s most improved player last season, “she really improved this season.” She led the team in 3-pointers with 71 and in assists with 167. She also was “an underrated defensive player” with a team-leading 44 steals.

Hannah was on the sidelines until mid-January after tearing her ACL late last season. Now that she’s able to play, “We need what Hannah does,” Tara said. The speedy guard has a great jump shot, the coach said, comparing her to Krista Rappahahn, ’06. “Be healthy, Hannah,” she said.

“Kayla led us in so many ways,” the coach said, starting with minutes played – 1,274. She was second in free throws with 130, in 3-pointers with 55, in assists with 101, in rebounds with 362 and in total points with 599. Like Nneka, she also was accorded an array of conference and national honors.

Mel “had an excellent fall,” then missed some games because of injury, Tara said, but she’s “vice president of the charge club. Get well, Mel.”

Referring to JJ, Tara said, “It would be great to have her back pain-free, too. She’s a very heady player.” In addition, she showed “such great compassion and sportsmanship” in her defining moment during a home game against Pepperdine. When a Pepperdine player went down with an apparent knee injury, JJ left the bench and helped her off the court. Despite her own injuries during her Stanford career, JJ’s motto seems to be Winston Churchill’s – “Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.” Tara added, “I’m not giving up either.”

Seniors – Forwards Michelle Harrison & Jayne Appel, fifth-year guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude

Standing in front of framed jerseys with the players’ numbers – 5 for Michelle, 2 for Jayne and 21 for Ros – Tara cited some of their collective accomplishments during the past four years. In addition to the three trips to the Final Four, they amassed a total of 133 victories and three seasons with 30+ victories, a first for a senior class, and they endured only one loss at Maples over the entire four years.

Michelle “is the hardest worker in practice. She pushes herself in practice and played in any position we needed,” Tara said. The art major also is a talented artist. For her senior project, she did a black-and-white drawing of the face of Tara’s 13-year-old golden retriever, Scout, framed it and gave it to Tara, who seemed quite touched.

Ros, over the course of her five years at Stanford, played in the most games, 148. “Coaching Ros has been an incredible experience,” Tara said. Perhaps her greatest strength is “what she didn’t allow her opponents to do.” She was the co-defensive player of the year in the Pac-10, but “in my book, Ros is the national defensive player of the year.” Guarding each team’s top scorer, she held them all to way below their averages. “Ros just did a phenomenal job” and never fouled out.

Jayne “may have worn No. 2, but in my mind she’s one of a kind” Tara said. “Jayne leaves Stanford as a two-time State Farm All-American” and with many, many other honors. She broke Lisa Leslie’s Pac-10 rebounding record, thus ranking as Stanford’s best all-time rebounder with 1,263 and third-leading scorer with 2,125 points, behind Candice Wiggins, ’08, with 2,629 and Kate Starbird, ’97, with 2,215.

“Jayne helped put Stanford back on the map as an elite basketball program,” the coach said, citing Jayne’s career-high 46 points against Iowa State in the NCAA tournament last year. Fighting injuries toward the end of the season, “She was a true warrior. She didn’t want to let her team or her coaches down.” The San Antonio Silver Stars recognized her talents by making her their top pick in the WNBA draft earlier this month. With training camp scheduled to start soon, she was to fly to San Antonio early the next morning after the banquet.

She recently returned from Connecticut, where the USA Basketball Senior Team was training. She stayed on the sidelines, but Kayla and Nneka were in action as members of the younger Select Team, training at the same time.

Hearing from the seniors

“This is a tremendous honor just to be a part of this team,” Michelle said. “I was inspired by my teammates to work hard every day. These will be my friends forever.”

Jayne quipped, “None of us are going after Ros,” who is known for her eloquence. She then thanked the medical people who “kept me in one piece.” Pausing often to control her emotions, she said, “It’s been a tremendous ride. My teammates have meant everything to me. (They’re) the best of friends.”

“To be a part of the Stanford tradition is a great honor,” she said. Referring to her coaches, she credited Kate and Bobbie for changing the program during their three years with the team. “Amy has been more than a coach to me” by lending moral support. She accompanied Jayne and her parents to the WNBA draft earlier this month. And to Tara she said that the Final Four loss to UConn “hurt so bad because of the tradition that has been passed down. We wanted to bring you another national championship.”

Finally, she gave some advice to the freshmen: “It goes really fast, so enjoy it.”

After telling Jayne, “You took me through an emotional roller coaster,” Ros gave similar advice to all of her returning teammates: “I really urge you to cherish every moment,” starting with the next day’s 7 a.m. workout. “I think it will be a national championship team” next year, she said.

“My mother (who was briefly Tara’s college roommate) introduced me to the game when I was 4.” Now basketball “is done for me.” Therefore, “I was very aware of the finality of everything” throughout the season. “There’s nothing besides basketball that’s ever made me feel so great”, she said.

Ros credited the coaches with giving her life lessons – how to work hard, how to be consistent every day, how to be competitive and how “to push through adversity.” Not only that, “we have fun as a team,” she said, crediting Bobbie and Kate.

Recalling the season in video

Next came a video created by Bud Anderson, director of creative video, highlighting each game and each player along with the hard work that goes on in the weight room. Some of the plays elicited gasps and applause from the audience because they were so well executed.

The official program ended on a humorous note with the presentation of the team’s choice for the Lizard Lung Award, a light-hearted tradition honoring the team’s most gullible player. Sarah, who won it last year, did the honors, noting that although the award usually goes to a freshman, this year it goes to Hannah. She then cited some instances, such as Hannah wondering if she needed an Italian passport for the team’s trip to Italy last summer, what the time difference is between California and Washington State, and what all the recent fuss over Tiger Woods was about.

Hannah responded, “I actually know everything that I was asking. I just wanted to check” to see if others did.

“Hannah, you’re a very good sport and the first upperclassman to win the award,” Tara said.

The coach closed the festivities with these remarks – “We will see you next season, and bring all of your loud friends.”

Afterward, fans and players continued to mingle. Eventually, the players and coaches assembled so that fans could photograph them together for the last time.

Final Four reflections – so very close

First of all, let me express my deepest respect and admiration for the Stanford women’s basketball team, coaches and staff for everything they’ve accomplished this season. Even though the season didn’t end as they had hoped, they have every reason to hold their heads high.

In addition, my congratulations to center Jayne Appel for being drafted to the San Antonio Silver Stars. I’m sure she’ll have a successful WNBA career. She, too, has my respect and admiration for all that she accomplished during her four years at Stanford and especially for her gutsy performance throughout the NCAA tournament and at the championship game. She played through pain, but – in the unselfish manner in which she has always conducted herself – she didn’t give up. She gave her all – a true warrior.

Friendly people in San Antonio

Now some impressions of San Antonio: The weather was hot and humid, but the people were friendly. They were impressed with Stanford, especially after forward Nneka Ogwumike’s 38-point, 16-rebound performance in Stanford’s 73-66 victory over Oklahoma in the semi-final game on April 4. At lunch the next day, two restaurant employees commented on her talents and the fact that she had set a Final Four semi-final record for scoring.

Prior to that game, fans gathered at the Hotel Contessa, where the team was staying, for a social and send-off. Red-clad fans were arrayed along balconies on the second and third floors of the hotel, which has a lofty atrium and outdoor seating along the famed River Walk.

Joined by the Tree, the cheerleaders and Dollies, the band played for about 10 minutes until the team began to assemble. Forward Joslyn Tinkle arrived first, waving to her family and taking photographs. As her teammates joined her, the fans chanted, “Just two more wins.” The band continued to play as someone carried a box of Easter baskets to the bus.

Three whistles and a drum roll led to “All Right Now,” with the players doing a little dance before high-fiving the fans who formed an aisle as they walked to the bus. Once all were aboard, the bus took off, escorted by two motorcycle officers with lights flashing and sirens sounding.



The semi-final game against Oklahoma

The Alamodome atmosphere was noisy and electrifying as the fans of Stanford, Oklahoma, Baylor and Connecticut milled about wearing their teams’ colors. Being relatively close to San Antonio, Oklahoma and Baylor seemed to have the largest turnouts, but UConn drew a large crowd, too. Mostly seated behind the Stanford bench, Cardinal fans filled about two sections and made plenty of noise.


One nice feature of the Alamodome is that in addition to showing how many points and fouls each player had, the Jumbotron showed her rebounds and the percentages for each team’s shooting, 3-pointers and free throws. Displays at each end of the arena recorded assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.

However, before and after each game and during halftimes, there were long lines at the concession stands, souvenir stands and women’s restrooms.

Few Stanford and Oklahoma fans left after their game. They were eager to see the matchup between undefeated UConn and Baylor with its 6'8" freshman, Brittney Griner. Stanford players arrived about 10 minutes into the game and sat where the band had sat. Of course they were loudly cheered by their fans. They stayed for the rest of the first half of this highly physical game, then left. UConn won, 70-50

A day off for sightseeing

Monday was a day off, a chance to go sightseeing along the River Walk and at the Alamo. While strolling along the River Walk, Stanford fans waved and smiled at each other. When my walk took me past the team hotel, I saw Joslyn, who was wearing her practice uniform, sitting with her family under an umbrella at an outside table.

That evening, most fans were caught up in the men’s Final Four championship game between Butler and Duke. It was an exciting, tight game that came down to a missed Butler basket at the buzzer before Duke finally won. Most non-Duke fans were hoping for a repeat of “Hoosiers” as the Indianapolis team nearly pulled a major upset.

On to the championship game

Tuesday, April 6, was game day – Stanford vs. UConn for the national championship. Once again Cardinal fans assembled for a rally, this time at the Rio Rio Cantina restaurant near the team hotel. When the band and its contingent arrived, the Tree guy was wearing a “Fear the Tree” T-shirt.

The restaurant was decorated with red and white balloons and banners provided by staff members from the Stanford athletic department. Staffer Heather Owen, ’98, served as emcee.

After enjoying Tex-Mex appetizers and other refreshments, the fans walked to the hotel for the send-off. As the band played, the players came down to the lobby, where forward Ashley Cimino had been chatting with her family. There were lots of hugs among other families as her teammates joined her.

Standing outside the entry, all the players smiled, clapped and took pictures as the band played. Fans chanted “One more win” as the players posed for pictures. They joined in on another chant, “This is our year. This is our team.” Forward Sarah Boothe pretended to conduct the band for the team’s traditional entry fanfare, and all the players joined the band as it spelled out Leland Stanford Junior University, etc. Then, once again, the smiling players danced to “All Right Now” before heading for the bus and their police motorcycle escort to the Alamodome.



Hopeful at the half

The game was preceded by an impressive flag presentation by military personnel from nearby bases. At the half, they stood along the sidelines as Vice President Joe Biden shook hands and chatted with them. His presence explained the added security such as metal detectors at the entry gates.



Since UConn was the first No. 1 seed and Stanford was the second No. 1 seed, the Cardinal wore their red road uniforms for the first time in either the Pac-10 or the NCAA tournament. The first half was an exceptionally low-scoring affair. Neither team had much luck shooting, but Stanford led 20-12 when the buzzer sounded, giving its fans reason for cautious optimism.

The second half saw UConn begin its rally. The Huskies perhaps had an advantage because Jayne fell awkwardly and aggravated her ankle injury. She hobbled to the bench for retaping and, we learned later, a pain shot, and returned to the game a few minutes later. She gritted it out but finished the game scoreless for the first time in her college career. Still, she had seven rebounds and two assists in her 30 minutes of playing time. When she was on the court, she diverted defensive attention from her teammates and no doubt inspired them with her toughness.

The final score was 53-47 in UConn’s favor. It was the closest margin of victory in the Huskies’ 78-game winning streak and its first by single digits – stark evidence of how close Stanford came to claiming the championship trophy.

After the game, I drowned my sorrow in chocolate ice cream at Amy’s Ice Cream (the name has a familiar ring) at the Alamo Quarry shopping center north of downtown. Two men who are fans of the Southern Methodist University women’s team and who had been at the game struck up a conversation. Both said they believed the outcome might have been different if Jayne hadn’t been injured.

That was the consensus of the dozen or so fans I chatted with at the airport the next day. And we all agreed that things are looking good for a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance next year.

In the meantime, we enjoyed a great ride this year thanks to an exceptional group of young Stanford women.

Sendoff to San Antonio

“Hopefully the third time’s the charm.” Fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude summed up the goal of the Stanford women’s basketball team on April 1 as it got ready to leave for San Antonio and its third consecutive NCAA Final Four.

“We’ve got high expectations,” she told the crowd of about 100 fans along with the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree as well as TV cameras. Just then a campus fire truck rolled by, tooting its horn, and the crowd began chanting, “Two more wins.” That’s all it will take – victories over Oklahoma and the winner of the UConn-Baylor game – and the Cardinal will bring home the coveted trophy.

The afternoon sendoff began with a serenade by the band as the coaches and team began to assemble after a final practice in Maples. Two people held up a banner reading, “Public Safety wishes the Stanford women’s basketball team the best of luck at the NCAA Final Four tournament.”

Videographer Bud Anderson served as an emcee, saying “We are very excited to be here today.” He asked the crowd for its help in filming a video of some informal Stanford vs. Oklahoma contests, such as the coolest band, best cheerleaders, best fans, best cheer (“Go, Stanford!”) and best mascot (“Go, Tree!”). He had to scratch his head at best musical, though. “We don’t really have that,” he said. Rodgers and Hammerstein apparently didn’t get this far west.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer told the fans that when she got home Monday night after Stanford had won the Sacramento regional with a 55-53 last-second win over Xavier, her dogsitter had put up a big sign, “Jeanette for president.” Guard Jeanette Pohlen may be a bit young for that job, but she certainly won Stanford hearts March 29 when her full-court dash and successful layup made her the Cardinal heroine.

Even though Stanford has been to the Final Four for the past two years, “It does not get old,” Tara said. “It gets better and better.”

“Our team has worked extremely hard to get here,” she said, thanking everyone for their support. “We’re not just going to Texas for barbecue,” she concluded.

After the band had ended the short ceremony with “It’s All Right,” the players mingled with the fans. Ros and forwards Joslyn Tinkle and Nneka Ogwumike were among those interviewed by TV reporters. Tara gave some last pats and treats to her two friendly golden retrievers, Buddy and Scout.

Then the band, etc., filed into one bus, while the team and its entourage boarded another before driving off to the airport for a 4 p.m. charter flight to San Antonio, where we hope the team will prove that the third time is indeed the charm.

Here's a video of the team sendoff rally from Stanford News Service.

Storybook ending for Stanford

The Stanford women’s basketball team is on its way to the Final Four in San Antonio after pulling off a nearly improbable 55-53 win over Xavier on March 29 at Sacramento’s Arco Arena.

Unlike most of the other teams that Stanford has defeated in its 35-1 season, Xavier kept the score close most of the game, and its taller post players made life difficult for the Stanford threesome of center Jayne Appel and forwards Kayla Pedersen and Nneka Ogwumike.

Stanford led 26-24 at the half, which was far from stellar for the Cardinal. Just before the start of the second half, I told myself, “They can play better.”

It wasn’t a whole lot better in the second half, though, especially after Jayne fouled out. At that point, a fan sitting near me yelled, “Do it for Jayne.” It’s well known that the senior wants a national championship.

Then, with the scored tied 53-53 with only seconds to go, Kayla rebounded the second of two easy shots that Xavier missed and immediately called a timeout. That’s when the “schemers” (Georgia coach Andy Landers’ label for the Stanford coaches after his team’s 73-36 loss two nights earlier) called what turned out to be the perfect play.

Kayla inbounded the ball to guard Jeanette Pohlen under the Xavier basket. With only 4.4 seconds to go, Jeanette drove down the court and made the winning basket just in time. If she hadn’t made it, the game would have gone into overtime. Instead, jubilation broke out on Stanford’s half of the court, and Jeanette was swamped by her joyous teammates.


After the awards ceremony and the traditional net-cutting, the players rushed over to the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree and grabbed the cheerleaders’ pompons to salute and celebrate with their most loyal student supporters.

As with the Georgia game, two booster buses traveled to Sacramento for this game. My seatmate this time was Jimmy Viglizzo, better known as Jimmy V, owner of the popular sports cafe where the Stanford women and other teams have their training table.

He said that he had made good on his promise to serve the players salmon filet and filet mignon if they went to the Sweet 16. After that meal, he promised them steak and lobster if they made it to the Final Four. They should be eating mighty well one day this week after he has the fresh lobster tails flown from Australia.

Along with wine, beer and water supplied by Stanford, people on our bus could enjoy wine that the generous Jimmy V shared.

On the way there, fans on our bus could watch a video about how the legendary basketball film “Hoosiers” was made. This was followed by a grainy black and white film of the true-life game that inspired the film. In 1954, the team from tiny Milan High School in Indiana scored a miraculous upset over longtime hoops powerhouse Muncie Central for the state championship. That game is regarded as one of the best ever in my native Hoosier State, where I like to say that basketball is the state religion.

Stanford’s defeat of Xavier is far from that kind of legend, but Jeanette’s final drive for the winning basket certainly will go down as one of the all-time great moments in Cardinal basketball history. As my bus was returning to Stanford, I heard one fan yell, “Pohlen for governor.” Now there’s a thought.

San Antonio, here we come.

Elite performance in Sacramento

Although the Stanford players insist it wasn’t easy, they made it look that way as the team marched into the Elite Eight via a 73-36 victory over 5-seeded Georgia in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball regional at Arco Arena in Sacramento on March 27.

The crowd was dominated by Stanford fans, more than 100 of whom had arrived on two booster buses. During the long drive, these fans could enjoy wine, beer or water provided by Stanford and – on my double-decker coach – served by Gayle Mulvey, athletic department receptionist. Some fans also brought snacks to sustain themselves before the buses arrived at the pre-game social.

There they found a large, red-clad crowd enjoying themselves at umbrella-shaded tables on the front patio of Bella Bru Cafe, which served a tasty buffet.

The informal event was capped off by a surprise appearance by the band, Dollies, cheerleaders and Tree. They entertained the fans for 10 minutes before playing “It’s All Right” and running back to their own bus. Their antics drew the attention of the mall’s patrons. Even firefighters in a fire engine slowly driving through the parking lot seemed fascinated.


Then it was back into the buses to head to the arena, pick up tickets and go inside for what turned out to be an entertaining game if your favorite color is cardinal red.

After a slow start, Stanford dominated on both sides of the ball. The score at the half was 37-15. By the time the score hit 66-30 with 6:16 left, the starters were on the bench. When the game was over, all 14 uniformed players had seen action.

The only scary moment came near the end when forward Michelle Harrison crumpled onto the floor under the Georgia basket. After a few minutes, she was able to walk to the bench. It was later reported that she had been accidentally elbowed in the face and that the injury wasn’t serious.

The Georgia band was mostly brass, and its favorite, oft-played song was “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” mostly the chorus part – “Glory, glory, hallelujah.” The final strains at the end of the game, however, sounded more like a dirge than a marching song.

Speaking of songs, news that Baylor had knocked off Tennessee earlier in the day meant not only that a No. 1 seed had been upset, but that we won’t have to hear endless repetitions of “Good Old Rocky Top” if Stanford makes it to the Final Four.

The only obstacle between Sacramento and San Antonio now is Xavier, which knocked off Gonzaga 74-56 in the second game. Most Stanford fans seemed to be rooting for the scrappy Zags, but Xavier’s size was just too much.

During the first half of that game, Stanford players joined family and friends, who gave them big hugs, in the section behind what had been the Stanford bench. Their arrival also was cheered by fans, as was their departure at the half. In the meantime, associate head coach Amy Tucker and assistant coaches Kate Paye and Bobbie Kelsey sat at tables on the opposite side of the court scouting the game. Head coach Tara VanDerveer was in the stands right behind them.

Fans applauded the Gonzaga cheerleaders’ intricate formations, but people sitting near me on the homeward bus pondered the significance of Xavier’s mascot, especially since the team’s nickname is the Musketeers. Some likened it to a blue blob, while others said it was a blue amoeba.


One fan turned to her Blackberry and unearthed amusing opinions about the mascot. The consensus name seemed to be the Blue Blob, but the Web search showed that the mascot sometimes appears as the Red Blob, and sometimes it’s a swashbuckling d’Artagnan from “The Three Musketeers.” Which one shows up for the Stanford-Xavier game March 29 may or may not be a moot point.

The buses got back to campus shortly before 1 a.m. – a long day for the sleepy but happy fans.

One other musical item of interest – It probably was pure coincidence, but as my bus crossed over the Carquinez Bridge on the way to the game, the sound system quietly played ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” the same tune heard during the Cardinal’s open practice preceding the first two rounds of the tournament in Maples Pavilion. Now we can hope that the team keeps dancing all the way to San Antonio.

Fantastic farewell to Maples

As the elder stateswoman of the Stanford women’s basketball team, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude has led her teammates all season as they made their initial entrance. On March 22, the fifth-year senior guard expanded that role to score a team-high and career-high 26 points in the Cardinal’s 96-67 defeat of Iowa in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Not only that, Ros opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, then went on to electrify the crowd by scoring five more in succession, leading the Cardinal to a 61-34 advantage at the half. She went on to record one more 3 plus two other baskets and a free throw as well as one rebound, five assists, one block and one steal in 33 minutes. When she went to the bench for the last time with about six minutes to go in the game, the near-capacity crowd gave her a roaring ovation to go with a hug from head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Senior center Jayne Appel also played her last Maples game and was loudly cheered after scoring 16 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The other three starters also scored in double figures – forward Nneka Ogwumike with 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and one block; forward Kayla Pedersen with 11 points, six rebounds and two assists; and guard Jeanette Pohlen with 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

In addition to Ros’s seven 3’s, Jeanette contributed three and Kayla had one – a total of 11 3-pointers -- in an all-around dominating game that saw all 14 uniformed players in action.

Thus the team enjoyed its second straight season -- 46 home games – with nary a loss at Maples. That means that the four sophomores and two freshmen have never experienced a home loss in their college careers.

Stanford had advanced to this game by defeating UC Riverside 79-47 in the first-round game March 20. In that game, Nneka led Cardinal scoring with 19 points, followed by Jeanette with 16, Kayla with 15, Jayne with 7 and Ros with 5. The team’s 3-pointers came from Jeanette with four, Ros with one and guard Lindy La Rocque with one. Once again, everyone had a chance to play.

With its two wins at Maples, Stanford advances to the Sweet 16 in the Sacramento regional, playing No. 5 seed Georgia on Saturday, March 27, and – assuming a Cardinal victory – the winner of the game between No. 7 seed Gonzaga and No. 3 seed Xavier on Monday, March 29. Booster buses are scheduled for both games. See details elsewhere on this site.

Dancing queens

Maples Pavilion is ready to go, and so, apparently, is the Stanford women’s basketball team as the first round of the NCAA tournament begins today. Stanford, the second #1 seed overall, plays host to #16 seeded UC Riverside at about 7:30 p.m.

A handful of fans got to see the team prepare for its meeting during a one-hour open practice March 19. The overall impression was one of a relaxed yet energetic, enthusiastic, well disciplined team.

Clapping as they entered the gym, the players almost immediately launched into passing drills, encouraging each other the whole time. Even though everyone was focused and businesslike, there still was much smiling and laughing during the one-hour practice. This is a team that clearly enjoys playing together and cares about each other.

Anyone looking for offensive or defensive strategies would be disappointed. Head coach Tara VanDerveer wasn’t about to tip her hand. Instead she and her coaching colleagues had the players working on basic skills – free throws, layups, 3-pointers, shorter-range shots, rebounds, passing and fast breaks – no scrimmages.

Sometimes all 15 players practiced together. Other times, they split into groups with the 1’s, 2’s and 3’s at one end of the court and the 4’s and 5’s at the other.

It was good to see sophomore center Sarah Boothe in action. She hasn’t played since foot surgery last year, but she has been able to practice. She seemed to run the floor well and to hit her shots.

Besides the fans, observers included TV commentator Mary Murphy and other media types. Wayne Tinkle, father of freshman forward Joslyn Tinkle, watched for a while with some other men in Montana T-shirts. His University of Montana team had lost a close game in the first round of the men’s tournament at HP Pavilion in San Jose the night before.

The practice was accompanied by music chosen by Tara. The only song that was familiar to these ears came near the end -- ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” a fitting choice as the Cardinal get ready for the big dance.

Making history

The Stanford women’s basketball team powered its way through the Pac-10 tournament at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, defeating Arizona 72-52 on March 12 and Cal 64-44 on March 13 before toppling UCLA 70-46 on March 14 to take home the championship trophy. Thus the Cardinal became the first team to go undefeated during the Pac-10 season and then win the conference tournament.

Now the players have their eyes on an even bigger prize, the national championship. Just four more wins will send the team to the Final Four in San Antonio. The march starts at about 7:30 p.m. March 20 when No. 1-seeded Stanford faces UC Riverside at home in Maples Pavilion. Assuming a Stanford win, the next opponent would be either Rutgers or Iowa on March 22 at home Winning that game would mean the Sweet 16 and a bus ride to presumably two more games in the regional at Sacramento’s Arco Arena the following weekend, March 27 and 29.

Besides bringing home the Pac-10 trophy and net as a team, Stanford collected individual honors. Forward Nneka Ogwumike was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Center Jayne Appel and forward Kayla Pedersen were named to the all-tournament team. Just before the Cal game, Jayne was honored as the Toyo Tires Pac-10 Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Toyo Tires also donated $1,000 to the Stanford women’s basketball scholarship fund in Jayne’s name, according to a Pac-10 press release.

The tournament actually began March 11, when the four bottom seeds played. Between those two games, Jayne and Nneka joined two players from each of the other nine teams to sign autographs for young fans. In the meantime, Stanford videographer Sarah Boruta worked on her laptop as she sat on the floor behind the video cameras in the stands, presumably preparing a scouting video of Arizona’s 2-point victory over Washington State. Sarah spent most of the tournament in that spot.

Friday’s festivities began with a sendoff from the Marriott Hotel downtown, where all of the teams were staying. Only a few fans were there, including Nneka’s father, Peter, who took pictures with his camera phone as the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree performed.

Because of a sprained ankle, Jayne didn’t start in the game against Arizona. Freshman Joslyn Tinkle got the nod instead. Jayne got into the game during the second half and played for about 10 minutes, contributing 7 points, three rebounds and a block.

Stanford was a perfect 9 for 9 from the free-throw line during the first half even though some Arizona fans, presumably students, ran back and forth in the stands behind the basket while Stanford players were at the line. Obviously their strategy didn’t work. In response, a few Stanford band members made some distracting motions behind the Arizona basket.

There were a few more fans at Saturday’s sendoff, and several hotel employees used their camera phones. After about a 15-minute serenade by the band, guard JJ Hones led the team off to the bus.

As she had done at the Arizona game, Jayne spent part of the warm-up time riding an exercise bike next to the Stanford bench. The Tree showed that he can do more than dance by playing drums with the band for a short time before resuming his usual persona.

Joslyn again got the start for Jayne, who came in with about 14 minutes to go in the first half. She played a total of 19 minutes and scored another 7 points to go with two rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals.

All 14 dressed players (center Sarah Boothe hasn’t played all season after foot surgery) got into the game. They included freshman forward Mikaela Ruef, who recorded the first 3-pointer of her college career.

The Cal game was marred by a scary scene in the second half when Cal senior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson fell onto her back and head after trying to shoot near the basket. She lay motionless on the court for about 15 minutes before being wheeled off on a gurney, accompanied by her mother. Later, after she had been evaluated at a hospital, it was reported that she had suffered a sprained neck and would be OK.

The final sendoff on Sunday attracted a larger crowd. As the band played – as only the Stanford band can play – UCLA players and coaches had to thread their way through Stanford players and the band to reach their bus. It’s not certain what they were thinking.

The Stanford players’ reaction was readily apparent, though, as they smiled and pumped their arms during the fanfare that preceded a mini-dance to “It’s All Right” and the trek to the bus.

For all its goofy antics, the band has proven to be a loyal backer of the team, enthusiastically following it through tournament play. I marvel at these musicians’ stamina, for they seem to get almost as much exercise as the team during the course of a tournament game day, yet they’re just as energetic at the end of the game as they were at the sendoff several hours earlier. They’re also vocal rooters during the games.

Jayne started against UCLA and played 28 minutes, amassing 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. The contributions of other players have been enumerated elsewhere on this FBC site, but guard Melanie Murphy deserves additional recognition for serving as a sparkplug off the bench. She has been hampered by various injuries throughout the season, but during this tournament she played a total of 52 minutes and seemed to get better with each game. She’s a playmaker who gets the ball to open teammates and doesn’t hesitate to shoot it herself if that’s the right thing to do.

At the end of the championship celebration, as players, coaches and staff members took turns cutting off a piece of the net, head coach Tara VanDerveer broke with tradition. Instead of making the final cut to remove the net, she gave that honor to fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, who triumphantly held the net aloft.

Now that the ticket has been punched, shall we dance?

Bus keeps going to victory in Berkeley

“Jayne drives the bus.” That’s what head coach Tara VanDerveer often says about the offensive strategy of the Stanford women’s basketball team.

Well, when a sprained right ankle kept senior center Jayne Appel from behind the wheel when Stanford visited Cal on March 6, forwards Kayla Pedersen and Nneka Ogwumike took over, driving the Cardinal to a 63-48 victory. They scored a combined 45 points – 23 from Kayla, 22 from Nneka – and led Stanford to its first unbeaten Pac-10 season since 2002. They also led the team in rebounds with 10 by Kayla and 14 by Nneka.

A bus figured into the day in another way because 50 fans took a chartered bus from Stanford to Berkeley, thus avoiding traffic and parking hassles and enjoying the camaraderie. The fun started when Marian Cortesi, who authors Stories of the Season on this Fast Break Club site, gave everyone homemade brownies as they got on the bus.

Then her husband, Dave Cortesi, who serves as the FBC’s travel chair, added to the fun by showing a video of Stanford’s memorable 98-87 victory over Maryland in the 2008 NCAA regional in Spokane, thus earning a trip to the Final Four in Tampa. That time the Stanford bus was driven by then-senior guard Candice Wiggins, who poured in 41 points, aided by 23 points from then-sophomore guard JJ Hones. Kayla, then a freshman, had three 3-pointers. Even though the sound wasn’t working, it was easy to see how well the team played.

(Not so trivial question: What team was the last to beat Connecticut and when? The answer: Stanford, 82-73, in the first game of the Final Four in Tampa.)

Another perk of taking the bus to the game was that those fans had comfortable reserved-seat tickets, a real luxury at Haas Pavilion, where most seats have no backs.

The fans’ seats were across from a section filled with people wearing red T-shirts handed out by Jayne’s parents and emblazoned with “House of Jayne.” They also received placards with a head shot of Jayne. Those people were her relatives and friends, there to honor her at her last regular-season game. We can hope to see them again in two weeks when Stanford hosts the first round of the NCAA tournament, presumably with the Cardinal as a top seed.

Since it was Cal’s Senior Day, Jayne and class of 2010 teammates JJ, guard Melanie Murphy and forward Michelle Harrison, along with fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, were given flowers. Then Cal’s three seniors – Lauren Greif, Natasha Vital and Alexis Gray-Lawson – were escorted in by their families for the crowd’s accolades. However, Haas’ sound system was so distorted that it was difficult to hear what was said.

With Jayne at the end of the bench next to sophomore center Sarah Boothe, who hasn’t played all season following foot surgery, freshman forward Joslyn Tinkle got the first start of her college career. The tip-off was loud, with Cal fans waving the rally towels placed on most seats (mine will be put to good use at home). Cal scored the first four points, but Kayla tied the score at 6-6 about five minutes into the game, and then put her team ahead for good with another basket two minutes later.

Stanford fans had another reason to cheer just a minute later when the Stanford band and the Tree put in their first lively appearance.

The score was 26-19 at the half. Uncharacteristically, Stanford had made no 3s during that half. Joslyn supplied both of Stanford’s only 3s in the second half and wound up with eight points and nine rebounds.

Returning to Stanford, the bus riders heard a recording of the band playing “It’s All Right,” before fan Deb Gumbley announced the stats, reading from her electronic device. The bus got back to Stanford about 3:40 p.m., giving fans plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the day.

Part of my enjoyment was watching a tape of the game. Jayne was shown talking and laughing with Sarah before the tipoff. After the game, Jayne, who had injured her ankle in practice four days earlier, told commentator Mary Murphy that she believes she could have played against Cal and that she expects to play at the Pac-10 tournament in LA next weekend.

In their post-game interviews, both Nneka and Ros stressed how important Jayne is to the team and how much they wanted to win the game for her and to wind up undefeated in Pac-10 season play. They and their teammates succeeded. Now it’s on LA, where we hope to see Jayne driving the bus again.

Stanford’s seniors – More than a touch of class (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1)

After watching the Stanford women’s basketball team defeat Oregon State 82-48 and celebrating Senior Night at Maples Pavilion on Feb. 20, fans continued their homage to the seniors at a packed Dallmar Court.

It was another chance to savor the five seniors’ last regular season game at Maples (two more games are surely in the offing for the first round of the NCAA tournament at Maples in March) and to hear more from the players, their families, their coaches and teammates.

In the spotlight were center Jayne Appel, forward Michelle Harrison and guards JJ Hones and Melanie Murphy, along with fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude.

Joe Appel, Jayne’s father, talked about her process of choosing a college. “We traveled all around the country,” he said. At one time, both associate head coach Amy Tucker, who coordinates Cardinal recruiting, and another well-known head coach were in the stands as Jayne was playing. "Amy was watching Jayne, but the other coach was on the phone,” he said. That’s one reason why Jayne chose Stanford. Since then, “I’ve had the best fun watching you watching Jayne,” her mother, Pam, said to the fans. Two of Jayne’s three brothers also were at Senior Night.

Mel’s mother, Rochelle, thanked everyone who looked after Mel. “I really appreciated that you looked out for her when I couldn’t,” said the Brooklyn resident.

She also revealed the secret of motivating Mel. When Mel was in second grade, she didn’t want to work on multiplication tables until her teacher set up a multiplication competition in which the prize was a cookie. Mel won the cookie. “If you want Melanie to do anything, have her compete for a cookie,” Rochelle Murphy said.

Guard Jeanette Pohlen related a freshman-year experience with Mel, who was a sophomore. Because Mel had torn an ACL, she was driving a golf cart around campus and became a chauffeur for the freshmen, who can’t have cars. “We would go for an adventure every night,” Jeanette said, citing Cold Stone Creamery and Stanford Shopping Center as destinations.

One rainy night, Mel was trying to maneuver between the numerous posts along Stanford pathways as Jeanette held her bicycle on the side of the cart. With the tight fit between posts, the bike wound up very much the worse for wear, but “it was a great experience to start off my freshman year,” Jeanette said.

“I feel like I knew Ros before she was born,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said, noting that she and Ros’s mother, Pat Gold, were roommates for a while in college.

Pat Gold and Ros’s father, Austin Onwude, weren’t able to attend the game, but they were represented by Rich and Nancy Lobell, whom Ros considers her California parents. Ros credited her mother with introducing her to basketball when she was 4 years old. Over the years, she also made many personal sacrifices so that Ros could stay with basketball. It was she who brought Ros to the attention of Stanford coaches. “Basketball has been a blessing for me,” Ros said. As for her teammates, “They’re more than teammates. They’re my friends,” she said, adding that the coaches have been most helpful during her five years at Stanford.

During Michelle’s freshman year in high school, Stanford was the first school to send her a recruiting letter. Stanford wasn’t on the Utah resident’s radar screen at the time, but her mother, Judi Harrison, urged her to consider the possibility. “You guys make it worth it,” Michelle said to her teammates. “My family has been my strongest support,” she added. Michelle’s two older sisters also were at the event. One of them, Kara, was her AAU coach.

Like Mel and her classmates, JJ thanked the coaches for all they had done for her and the team. Her father, Dan, spoke of the “tremendous sense of pride” he felt to be sitting with the seniors and their families. “This sport has brought our family closer together,” he said. With him were JJ’s mother, Susan, JJ’s sister, Kelsey, who plays volleyball at the University of Oregon, and an aunt. The Hones family lives in Oregon.

Jayne credited her parents for helping her get through the recruiting process. She also credited her teammates for the hard work that has helped make the team so successful. She singled out sophomore center Sarah Boothe, who hasn’t played this season after undergoing foot surgery. Sarah has been practicing, however, and “has been working her tail off every day,” Jayne said.

Tara noted that Jayne had just joined exclusive 2,000/1,000 Stanford club after surpassing 2,000 career points in the game that night. Jayne had already snared more than 1,000 rebounds. With her in this club are Val Whiting, ’93, and Nicole Powell, ’04. “Jayne in her way makes everyone better. She is unstoppable. (And) as great a player as she is, she’s a better person,” Tara said.

She had similar praise for all of the honorees and thanked them for their dedication and hard work. It’s not easy to be both an athlete and a student, especially at Stanford, where academic standards are so high, she said.

Even though Ros and all four members of the class of 2010 were honored, Jayne and Ros are the only ones leaving the team for sure. The other three have another year of eligibility. No decisions about returning will be made until later this year, Tara said in a news conference after the Oregon State game.

In the meantime, Jayne, JJ, Mel and Michelle wanted to have this Senior Night together because they came to Stanford together. And together they and Ros have created many happy memories for themselves and everyone who follows Stanford women’s basketball.