Super team saluted on Super Bowl Sunday

Members of the 1989-90 team that won the first of Stanford’s two NCAA championships returned to Maples Pavilion on Feb. 7 to be honored and to watch the present team defeat USC 77-39. The ceremony took place right after the 1 p.m. game to allow fans to watch the Super Bowl.

“This was our Super Sunday,” head coach Tara VanDerveer told the crowd during the ceremony. “I’m proud of this year’s team,” she said, but the 1990 team showed the way with its “commitment to excellence. …It set the standards for the school.”

“This is a tremendous reunion for me. …We had a wonderful dinner last night” with both the past and present teams, she said. In the post-game press conference center Jayne Apple and forwards Nneka Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen all said that they were inspired by and learned from that 32-1 team during the dinner.

Shooting guard Jennifer Azzi, named NCAA player of the year and winner of numerous other honors, spoke for the 1990 team. “You guys are awesome,” she said to today’s players, who were seated on the bench. It’s great “to see the legacy continue,” she said. She also paid tribute to Tara, calling her “one of the greatest coaches who has ever coached the game of basketball.” Several other players praised Tara and associate head coach Amy Tucker, who was one of their coaches.

Joining Jennifer at the reunion were Andy Geiger, the athletic director who hired Tara; trainer Patty Wilson; graduate assistant Leslie Crandell; assistant coach Renee Brown; Molly Goodenbour; Dr. Chris MacMurdo; Stacy Parson; Katy Steding; Trisha Stevens; and Angela Taylor. Val Whiting was planning to attend but couldn’t get out of Washington, D.C., because of the megasnowstorm that struck the East Coast. Also unable to attend were Sonja Henning, Martha Richards, Julie Zeilstra and assistant coach Julie Plank.

Angela, who is vice president and general manager of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, spoke of Stanford as a “truly magical place. We learned how to dream and dream big,” she said to Tara. And to today’s team she said, “Great things are ahead.”

Others also spoke fondly of their Stanford experience and advised today’s team to “enjoy every minute that you have.”

Besides honoring that championship team, the game featured a major milestone when Jayne surpassed the rebounding record of 1,143 set by Nicole Powell, ’04. Jayne’s 1,144th rebound came with 7:34 to go in the first half. She finished the game with 13 rebounds for a career total of 1,153 – and counting. Jayne also chipped in 15 points, two assists and one block.

Fans were pleased to see guard Hannah Donaghe get her first playing time since tearing her ACL in practice more than a year ago. They also applauded USC’s Jacki Gemelos, an academic senior and red shirt junior who was playing in only the second game of her collegiate career (the first was three days earlier at Cal) after a series of four torn ACLs and five surgeries that started when she was in high school. She and Jayne were AAU teammates before going to college. She led USC’s scoring with 13.

Stanford’s scoring was led by Kayla with 18, Nneka with 16, Jayne with 15 and guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude with 11. Kayla also led the rebounding with 14, while Jayne and Nneka had 13 each.

The defense limited USC to 10 points – its lowest ever -- in the first half, when Stanford had 29. With 3:15 to go in the first half, USC had the same number of fouls as points – 10. USC finished the game with 18 fouls to Stanford’s 12.

10 down, 8 to go in Pac-10 quest

The Stanford women’s basketball team moved a step closer to a perfect Pac-10 season by defeating UCLA 74-53 at home Feb. 4. The Cardinal are now 10-0 in the conference and 20-1 overall.

Even though various health issues had been reported in the days before the game, everyone was dressed except for forward Sarah Boothe, who has not played all season after foot surgery. Everyone wore red T-shirts to honor the game’s sponsors, Go Red for Women and the American Heart Association, and to highlight the threat of cardiovascular disease to women.

Fans had wondered about the status of center Jayne Appel, who had a foot infection. However, Jayne not only played, she recorded her highest point total of the season – 23. She also snared 13 rebounds, giving her a double-double to go with three blocks and two assists.

Jayne’s performance, which seemed to mark a return to her All-American form, was marred with just under eight minutes to go in the second half when she was ejected for what was called a flagrant foul on UCLA’s Jasmine Dixon. It wasn’t intentional, Jayne said at the post-game press conference. Both Dixon and UCLA head coach Nikki Caldwell reportedly concurred.

Immediately after the game, there was some question about whether Jayne would be allowed to play in the Feb. 7 game against USC. After reviewing the situation later in the evening, Pac-10 officials ruled that she could play.

The Maples crowd was not happy about seeing Jayne go to the locker room, but guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude rallied the team to continue playing well, head coach Tara VanDerveer said. Ros also contributed 14 points, two rebounds, and three assists in 39 minutes of playing time.

Other major contributions came from forward Nneka Ogwumike with 15 points and seven rebounds; forward Kayla Pedersen with seven points, 15 rebounds, two assists and a block; and guard Jeanette Pohlen with 10 points, two rebounds, a team-high eight assists and two steals.

The stat sheet reveals some other facets of the game: Stanford had 10 fouls compared with UCLA’s 26. Thus Stanford outscored UCLA 27-7 at the free-throw line – thereby accounting for a 20-point free-throw advantage in its 21-point victory. Stanford also had the advantage in rebounds, 46-38; assists, 16-9; blocks, 6-2; and 3-pointers, 3-2. UCLA had a 7-2 edge in steals, but had 16 turnovers to Stanford’s 15.

“That was an extremely physical game,” Tara said. “That’s what it is in the NCAA tournament. … This is a great win for us.”

The post –game speaker was Paul Ratcliffe, head coach of the Stanford women’s soccer team. Ratcliffe’s team amassed a 25-0 record going into the championship game of the NCAA tournament, but it fell 1-0 to North Carolina. “It was a tough game,” he said.

He said the women’s basketball team is helpful in his recruiting because potential players are fully aware of its success. “There’s such a tradition of excellence” at Stanford, he said. “Only the best want to come here.”

Forging ahead at 40

Stanford’s 83-62 victory over Arizona on Jan. 30 was big in several ways:

1. It was another win, giving the women’s basketball team a perfect 9-0 record in the first half of Pac-10 play and 19-1 overall.


2. It was the team’s 40th consecutive win in Maples.


3. Even though the team was down 42-40 at the half, it stormed back to outscore Arizona 43-20 in the second half.


4. The bigs came up big. Together they contributed 74 points with 27 each from Kayla Pedersen and Nneka Ogwumike, eight from Jayne Appel, 10 from Joslyn Tinkle and two from Ashley Cimino. With Mikaela Ruef in the mix, they also pulled down 37 of the team’s 52 rebounds (to Arizona’s 22). Kayla and Jayne led the rebounding with 13 and 12, respectively.

The bigs also had the edge in the team’s eight 3-pointers, with four for Kayla and two for Joslyn. Guards Jeanette Pohlen and Lindy La Rocque had one each.

There were some other factors of note. For example, rather than the usual home white uniforms, the team was wearing its road red uniforms to call attention to the earthquake disaster in Haiti. Jayne and Joslyn, who could be mistaken for sisters, went a step further with red ribbons in their hair, while Lindy sprayed red on one side of her hair.


Following the game, the team joined the Fast Break Club at Dallmar Court for Fan Appreciation Day. Guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude spoke for the team in thanking the fans for their loyalty. “I definitely take notice of the same people coming in at the same time” in their own pregame routines, she said. The team appreciates the fans’ noise, the stomping and everything they do in support of the Cardinal, she said.

WBB is unique among all Stanford sports because of its active boosters, said Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations. The FBC has grown to 753 members, an increase of 173 from last season, she said. Their support extends beyond merely rooting for the team to raising money. The wine tasting raised more than $1,700 while the auction pulled in more than $30,000, she said.

Some of the players answered fans’ questions. Guard JJ Hones said the team came back from the halftime deficit because “We took our time and got stops.”

Center Sarah Boothe, who has not played after foot surgery at the end of last season, said, “I’m doing quite well.” She practices with the team, playing the role of the opponent Jayne is likely to face. Asked about Sarah’s purported reputation for physical play, Jayne shrugged, “I’m pretty used to it from Boothe,” she said.

“She’s full go,” associate head coach Amy Tucker said of Sarah. “We’re very excited about her for next year.” “We’re not pushing Sarah to come back,” Tara said later. “She’s very talented. She’s a fabulous player.”

Guard Melanie Murphy, who has missed several games because of varied injuries said, “I’m trying my best to stay healthy and get better.” Guard Hannah Donaghe hasn’t yet played this season following knee surgery, but she has been dressed for recent games. “My knee is feeling great,” she said. The problem this time is blisters, Amy said.

The team then honored the FBC executive board and committees, handing out T-shirts to committee chairs and autographed team posters to committee members. “We have a great board,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said, adding that Stanford leads the Pac-10 in both victories and attendance. “Every game is Fan Appreciation Day,” she said.

The annual Fan Spirit Award went to Douglas Lee and Kelly Noonan, who have been loyal boosters for many years. Their names will be added to a silver trophy honoring the late Margie Santillan, an avid fan.

Tara then dismissed the players, but their day wasn’t over. They were headed for lifting and conditioning in the weight room at the new Arrillaga practice facility next to Maples. They’re in there at least twice a week, but they don’t lift before a game. Those who don’t play many minutes do extra conditioning to stay in shape. “So much goes on behind the scenes,” Tara said. “Our team is totally committed” to getting better. “It’s really fun to see the improvement.”

“You saw some really good play today,” the coach said, citing defense and rebounding in the second half.

Because Stanford is so dominant in the Pac-10 and in national rankings (No. 2 to UConn), all of its opponents “bring it for us,” she said. Every team has talented players, and “it’s good for us to play against really good players.” Still, “we’re able to wear them down.” Nevertheless, “We have to be aggressive.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming home stand against the LA teams, Tara said, “Next weekend is huge.” She also noted that after the USC game on Sunday, Stanford’s 1990 NCAA championship team will be honored in Maples. Besides players from that team, other alumnae will attend.

Slow start, fast finish against Arizona State

The Arizona State Sun Devils managed to do something on Jan. 28 that no other team, not even UConn, had been able to do all season: It led the Stanford women’s basketball team at the half, 29-25. ASU’s lead had been even greater than that earlier in the half, but Stanford began inching upward.

Just slightly more than three minutes into the second half, forward Kayla Pedersen hit the basket that put Stanford ahead 32-30, and there was no looking back. The final score was 71-48. Kayla also led all scoring with 23 points, to go with seven rebounds, but it was a solid team effort that put Stanford in control.

The game illustrated another Cardinal trait: When one usually high-scoring player gets in trouble, others take over. Such was the case this time when forward Nneka Ogwumike had to spend 17 minutes on the bench because of fouls, thus limiting her scoring to 8 points to go with seven rebounds, an assist and two steals. Nneka had scored 30 points and snared a school record 23 rebounds in Stanford’s 100-80 defeat of Oregon there on Jan. 23.

With Nneka sidelined for so long against ASU, her fellow bigs, Kayla and center Jayne Appel, helped to pick up the slack. Jayne, who has steadily improved as her surgically repaired knee has healed, had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds plus a block and a steal.

Guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, who has shown up big in recent games, rose to the occasion again with a career-high 19 points (including three 3-pointers), three rebounds and an assist. And as has been her trademark throughout the season, she dominated defensively. Head coach Tara VanDerveer said in the post-game press conference that not only is Ros the best defensive player in the Pac-10, she’s possibly the best defensive player in the nation.

“Our defense really amped it up in the second half,” associate head coach Amy Tucker told the Fast Break Club after the game. That was good because, “We didn’t match their physicality or their aggressiveness” in the first half.

“It was interesting,” Tara said in an understatement. “I’m really proud of how our team stayed together.”

Michelle Smith, who covered women’s basketball for the San Francisco Chronicle, talked about the challenges she has faced in the nine months since losing her job in one of a series of cutbacks at the paper. “Every day is something new,” she told the FBC. In creating her Internet site, Left Coast Hoops, she’s had to learn new skills, such as how to write an ad contract.

After the college basketball season ends this spring, she might cover the WNBA. “I’ll figure it out,” she said. She also writes for Fan House, an AOL feature.

As for this year’s Stanford team, it has, “a good vibe. This is a pretty poised team.” She expects it to go to the Final Four along with UConn and Tennessee, but she couldn’t venture a guess on who will fill the fourth slot.

As a side note, she mentioned that her 16-year-old daughter, Annie, is one of the Irish dancers who are popular halftime entertainers at Stanford games. She’s one of the taller ones in a lime green dress, Michelle said.

Substandard Stanford win over Washington

The Stanford women’s basketball team’s 66-51 defeat of Washington at home on Jan. 16 left fans unsettled and the coaches scratching their heads over what head coach Tara VanDerveer termed lackadaisical play.

On paper, it should have been an easy win. However, Tara was able to use only seven players because the Cardinal let a 35-21 advantage in the first half slip to only a 31-30 edge in the second. That was enough to win, but not enough to satisfy Stanford fans.

With a wider lead, guard Hannah Donaghe could have played for the first time since knee surgery last winter, associate head coach Amy Tucker told the Fast Break Club after the game. She was dressed for the Washington State game for the first time and has been practicing with the team.

In Stanford’s defense, the team was playing without starting guard Jeanette Pohlen, who aggravated her sprained ankle in the Washington State win two days earlier, and best off-the-bench guard, JJ Hones, who’s resting her swollen knee. Lindy La Rocque replaced Jeanette as a starter, joining the other starting guard, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude. Melanie Murphy then became the off-the-bench guard, but she has a sore knee, too, and hasn’t been practicing.

With JJ and Jeanette out, others had a chance to step up, but “that didn’t happen,” Amy said. “We didn’t compete. We weren’t tough,” she said, citing “uninspired play and lack of aggressiveness.”

“It’s good you can play a game like this and win,” she said, but the team can’t play like this and expect to get to the Final Four for the third straight year. “We set the bar to our standards. … There was nothing about this game that the coaching staff can be excited about,” she said. “We have way too many turnovers,” many of them unforced, caused by such problems as poor passing and poor decisions.

“That was torture” were Tara’s first words to the Fast Break Club. Like Amy, she lamented the turnovers and lack of aggressiveness. “We were less than scintillating today.” (On the other hand, Marian Cortesi hits the highlights in Stories of the Season.)

“We set a really high standard not just for winning but how we play,” Tara said. “We are definitely not peaking early.” It’s uncertain whether JJ and Jeanette will be able to play when the Cardinal visit the Oregon teams this week, she added.

In my report on the Washington State game, I was remiss in not mentioning the impressive performance by the women’s gymnastics team at halftime.

Also, fans are wondering about the “Put a ring on it” T-shirts that were given to students that night. A student told me that the words come from a Beyoncé song and refer to hopes that the WBB team will finish the season with championship rings.

Guards gain one, lose two in win over Washington State

Stanford’s guard situation remained in flux after the women’s basketball team’s 80-43 home victory over Washington State on Jan. 14. Nursing a sore knee, JJ Hones was on the sidelines from the start, along with forward Sarah Boothe, who hasn’t played all season because of a foot injury. Then Jeanette Pohlen reinjured her ankle early in the second half and missed the rest of the game. “It’s pretty swollen,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game.

On the plus side, Hannah Donaghe was back in uniform for the first time since tearing an ACL in practice nearly a year ago. She didn’t play, but it was great to see her warming up with her teammates. “Hannah’s getting close to coming back,” Tara said.

Also on the plus side, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude had another big game after playing a key role in the team’s close win, 65-61, at UCLA last weekend. Against WSU, Ros had 11 points – including three 3s -- seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in addition to her usual tenacious defense. “Ros is feeling a sense of urgency,” Tara said, with a maximum of only nine more games (assuming two in the first NCAA round) at Maples left for her and center Jayne Appel.

The absence of Jeanette and JJ meant more playing time for Melanie Murphy and Lindy La Rocque. Mel, whose knee has been iffy and who was wearing black sleeves on both legs, played 16 minutes and contributed two points, two rebounds and an assist. Lindy was in for 24 minutes and accounted for five points, two assists and a steal. That steal was a nifty one. She intercepted a pass in Washington’s back court, ran the ball all the way back to the Stanford arc and nailed a three. You can see it in the game highlights video. “Lindy did a nice job for us,” Tara said.

Grace Mashore came in for the last four minutes and contributed one rebound and the 3-pointer that was Stanford’s final basket. Before leaving the game, Jeanette had played 11 minutes, scored five points (including a three), grabbed one rebound and made three assists.

Because of the guard situation, “we had some interesting combinations out there,” Tara said. In addition, the Cardinal’s wide scoring and rebounding margin gave several bench players more action than usual, a valuable experience. “We want to play more people,” Tara said. It’s fun to note that yet another post player, Ashley Cimino, showed that she can hit from the outside as she tossed in a three late in the game – much to everyone’s delight. It was the first of her college career. She also had four rebounds in five minutes of play.

Sports writer Michelle Smith was to have been the post-game speaker, but she was ill and couldn’t make it. Consequently, assistant coaches Kate Paye and Bobbie Kelsey spoke for a while. Both gave quick summaries of their activities after graduating from Stanford. They had started on the Farm the same year, but Bobbie red-shirted as a freshman because she had injured her knee during her senior year in high school. Kate said that during that first year, Bobbie asked to borrow her car one weekend while the rest of the team went on the road. After the weekend, Bobbie commented that the car hadn’t driven well and made funny noises. Kate discovered that the emergency brake had been on the entire time.

Several fans groused about the announcement that ringing little bells after forward Joslyn Tinkle scores violates NCAA rules against artificial noisemakers. “Sorry about the bells. Nothing I can do about the bells,” said Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations.

Despite all the contributions mentioned already, and despite continued outstanding play by the three starting bigs – Jayne, Nneka Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen – Tara wasn’t entirely happy with the game. “We had some slop in the first half,” the coach said, adding that “the second half got better.” She was especially unhappy with some of the passes.

Asked about whether the team is influenced by its No. 2 ranking in the nation, Tara said, “We don’t talk about it.” Rather, “we have to improve.” One way to do that is to study videos. “We do a highlight film after every game,” she said. Because of the way it’s programmed, Tara or anyone else can zero in on a player whenever she’s in the game. There’s no need to fast-forward. “Video is a great tool.”

Although some fans have been concerned that Jayne’s point production isn’t as high as it was last season, Tara was quick to point out that “Jayne is all about our team.” She missed six months for knee surgery after last season, but “she’s doing well” and working hard. “She gets clobbered a lot” under the basket,” but she’s an unselfish player who willingly passes the ball to a teammate. “I love coaching her,” Tara said.

The highlights video on the FBC site also shows another facet of Jayne’s game – setting screens, such as the ones that helped Ros make 3-pointers. That’s something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. The stat sheet does show that Jayne played 28 minutes, scored 14 points, snared nine rebounds, blocked six shots, and had four assists and four steals. Moreover, “Jayne is moving back (from the basket to score). She’ll be hitting a three before she graduates,” Tara said.

We’ll look forward to that.

Fans worry after victory over Cal

We fans of Stanford women’s basketball are a spoiled lot. The team has been ranked #2 in the nation since the start of the season, the record is 10-1, and the only loss was to #1 UConn – by just 12 points, UConn’s lowest margin of victory.

Now the Cardinal has just defeated Cal by 21 points, 79-58, at home on Jan. 2 – and we’re worried. We want perfection, and there were some troubling aspects to the game. This was especially true in the first half, when the Cardinal shot 30.8 percent, missing too many easy baskets.

Some of those misses were by star center Jayne Appel, but she made up for it in the second half, ending the game with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

“I don’t know that we’ve seen the real Jayne yet,” associate head coach Amy Tucker told the Fast Break Club after the game. “Her knee (on which she had surgery after last season) has been sore the past two days, but traditionally she finishes well,” she said. “We know Jayne can play better.” It’s a matter of getting her knee better.

Perhaps more troubling is that neither of the starting guards, Jeanette Pohlen and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, scored. However, Jeanette tweaked her ankle in the second half and had to go to the locker room for taping before returning to action. Ros, who had four rebounds, two steals and an assist, helped keep Cal’s best player, senior Alexis Gray-Lawson, under control, limiting her to 9 points.

On the brighter side, guard JJ Hones, who has had knee trouble, came off the bench again and contributed 5 points, five assists and a steal. Freshman forward Joslyn Tinkle continued to make progress, adding 7 points and three rebounds in just 14 minutes. (Some fans have taken to ringing small bells when she scores.)

Guard Melanie Murphy, who also has had injury trouble, came in to score 11 points along with two rebounds and an assist. She initiated the game’s most exciting fast-break moment, a no-look pass to forward Nneka Ogwumike, who promptly made the basket. “I like how Mel came in,” head coach Tara VanDerveer told the FBC.

Nneka continued to play in stellar fashion with 24 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Right behind her, forward Kayla Pedersen recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds and a steal.

Also on the bright side, the team made 80 percent of its free throws (the goal is 75 percent, Tara said) and outrebounded Cal 49-41. Furthermore, 13 players were suited up, and 13 got into the game. We haven’t seen that for a while. “I’m really happy to get more people in,” Tara said. They keep each other accountable, she said. Only guard Hannah Donaghe (knee) and center Sarah Boothe (foot) weren’t in uniform, but they’re both practicing.

Speaking to the FBC, Hannah said, “My knee is doing well. I scrimmaged the last two days in practice.” She was pretending to be Cal guard Layshia Clarendon, a freshman who drew raves from TV announcers Jim Watson and Mary Murphy during the game.

“Be her all the time,” assistant coach Bobbie Kelsey said to Hannah. “Don’t be sweet Hannah.” Speaking from her own experience, Bobbie said that returning from a knee injury is almost as much psychological as it is physical. The plan is for Hannah to be eased into action “sooner than later.”

Answering fans' questions, Hannah, a junior, said she’s majoring in earth systems, which she described as a mix of environmental science, geology and other disciplines. Because she’s from Atascadero, she wanted to stay in California for college. She looked at UC Davis, where her older sister plays basketball, and at UCLA, but “nothing could compare with Stanford” for academics and basketball, she said.

Talking about the game, Tara said, “We just missed some easy shots.” At one point, the Cardinal missed 14 in a row, but “they don’t get down on themselves.”

Something that the team has been working on is taking charges, meaning an opposing player charges into a Cardinal defender and is called for a foul. “We have a charge club,” Tara said.

Looking back at the UConn game, Tara said, “Playing there was a great experience for our team. Our team was very poised,” but made some defensive mistakes such as not boxing out well. “It was a Final Four atmosphere…. We’re very disappointed that we didn’t play better. … We have to improve.”

Now that Pac-10 play has started, “We are the big target,” she said. “Our team has to come out and be more aggressive” when it journeys to Los Angeles to play UCLA and USC next weekend.

Keeping the team healthy is a top priority. For example, “we train on bikes” instead of running, Tara said. The players also watch a lot of video of themselves. “Our players are very committed.”

They didn’t get much of a holiday break. They played at UConn on Dec. 23 and had to be back on campus Dec. 27. However, they got into the holiday spirit of sharing. Instead of having a gift exchange among themselves, they contributed some of their meal allowance to help a needy family have the Christmas it might not otherwise have had, Tara said.

After returning from the 68-46 win at Fresno on Dec. 30, the team celebrated New Year’s Eve with a party at the home of Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations.

Home sweet victory

Even though only seven actually got into the mix, “Every player on our team was part of this success,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said Dec. 19 after the Stanford women’s basketball team downed rival Tennessee 67-52. The Lady Vols arrived with a 9-0 record and a No. 3 national ranking, while Stanford was 8-0 and No. 2, so one undefeated team had to fall – and it wasn’t the Cardinal.

“We have a great team,” Tara told the Fast Break Club. She talked about how hard everyone works in practice, thus making everyone better. “They are mature. We create (opportunities) for each other. This team is a very unselfish team,” she said. “They’re really happy for each other when they do well.” That unselfish nature showed up on the stat sheet, which credited Stanford with 14 assists while Tennessee had only four.

“It was pretty hard to nitpick today,” Tara said, citing the team’s rebounding advantage of 44-34 over Tennessee. That was an improvement from the Duke game earlier in the week, when Duke became the only team to outrebound Stanford so far this season.

Associate head coach Amy Tucker said that after that game, Tara installed a new drill. “Tara is known for making up drills,” she said. It involved Tara and Amy shooting the ball for a player, who then had to go up for the rebound while battling assistant coaches Kate Paye and Bobbie Kelsey, both wielding heavy pads. Once the player had made the rebound, she had to go up against the pads again to try for a layup. “It was brutal,” Amy said.

Amy brought guard Jeanette Pohlen with her and opened the floor for questions. The first one asked if the gathering of both teams in a circle after the game was planned. “It was a spur of the moment thing,” Jeanette said, adding that one of the Tennessee players said a short prayer. After that, the Stanford players walked around the court to wave at the cheering crowd.

As for the game itself, “they played what we expected them to play,” Jeanette said. Amy credited Kate for her scouting job. The Stanford players understood their opponents’ favorite moves and tried to take them away. “We knew their plays” so well that the bench players were calling them out as they unfolded, Amy said.

Several fans lauded the Cardinal defense, which led to a 30-18 score in Stanford’s favor at the half. Another fan asked Jeanette what differences she saw between this year’s Tennessee team and last year’s, which defeated Stanford in Knoxville. “I saw a different team in us,” she said.

Amy then recognized Jeanette’s parents, John and Cindy Pohlen. They not only attend every game, they accompanied Jeanette and forward Kayla Pedersen to Serbia, where their USA team won a gold medal during the summer. The Pohlens also were among the parents who went on the Stanford team’s trip to Italy in September.

The Tennessee game drew the largest attendance so far this season – 6,809 – close to a full house. “The crowd and the excitement were just great,” Tara said. “Today was our day. We are very excited about our team.”

The Cardinal women will face UConn on its home court, where the crowd will be heavily pro-Husky. “We’ll be challenged (to show our poise) on the road,” Tara said.

With undefeated No.1 UConn, the reigning NCAA champion, looming only four days away, “I got work to do this afternoon,” Tara said, referring to preparing for that much-awaited clash.

Looking ahead even more, Jenny Claypool, Stanford director of championships, led off the tent by talking about the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament March 20 and 22 at Stanford. Thus Stanford will play at home, but season ticket holders can’t be sure that they’ll have their usual seats because 100 tickets have to be reserved for each of the three other teams. Tickets for those who have already bought them will be mailed after Feb. 1, she said.

Where Stanford would go for the regional, assuming it wins the first two games, won’t be known until after the brackets are announced in mid-March. Stanford fans are hoping to go to the closest regional venue, Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Good work -- now work some more

The 71-55 win over No. 7-ranked Duke was a good reason for the No. 2-ranked Stanford women’s basketball team and its fans to celebrate on Dec. 15. “This is one of the most athletic teams we’ve played,” fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude told the Fast Break Club after the game.

“I’m tired. That felt like a heavyweight fight,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “This was a big win for our team. This is a really special team,” she said, praising Ros and fellow guard Jeanette Pohlen for their defense. “We want physical play,” she said. It will help prepare the team for not only the Dec. 19 home game against No. 3 Tennessee and the Dec. 23 away game at No. 1 UConn but also all other games, including the NCAA tournament.

“They (Duke) were probably surprised at some of the calls,” she said. She was referring to Duke’s amassing 23 fouls compared with Stanford’s 11. The disparity was especially apparent in the first half. With only 2:58 remaining, Duke had nine fouls, while the Cardinal had only two. Overall, Stanford outscored Duke 19-7 at the free throw line.

One fan asked Ros if the team had practiced boxing. She laughed and said, “You battle back. Your team sticks together and you have each other’s backs. You have to be aggressive” and take good shots without rushing. “We bought into our schemes. Bobbie did a great job scouting,” she said, referring to assistant coach Bobbie Kelsey.

While Stanford had fewer personal fouls, a good thing, it also had fewer rebounds, a bad thing. The team was outrebounded – 44-39 – for the first time this season. Even worse, Duke had 25 offensive boards compared with Stanford’s 11. “We know we have some things to work on,” associate head coach Amy Tucker said. Still, “it was a great win.”

Forward Michelle Harrison was back in uniform after missing the DePaul game because of a mild concussion. Center Sarah Boothe (foot) and guards Hannah Donaghe and Melanie Murphy (knees) were still in warmups.

Looking ahead to the Tennessee game, Tara said her players would study the videos and look for ways to improve their rebounding. They’ll need all the boards they can grab because Tennessee is “a really tough team,” Tara said.

This was the first FBC gathering in Maples, according to Amy. “We really appreciate the energy in the building tonight,” Ros said. The official attendance was 4,719, the highest so far this season. A few minutes later, Ros asked the fans to sing “Happy Birthday” to guard Lindy La Rocque, who was standing on the sidelines with teammates.

Besides celebrating the win over Duke and Lindy’s birthday after the game, fans honored the Stanford football team at halftime. Wearing red jerseys with their numbers, the team sat in the northeast corner of Maples during the first half, then gathered on the court for the fans’ cheers and high hopes for the Sun Bowl game against Oklahoma on Dec. 31. The cheers were especially loud for running back Toby Gerhart, who was runner-up in the closest Heisman Trophy voting ever. After most of the players had filed off, a few stayed to compete for bragging rights in a half-court shootout. Those rights went to kicker Nate Whitaker.

Doggone good fun at DePaul game

The Stanford women’s basketball team treated fans to another display of its prowess by defeating visiting DePaul 96-60 on Dec. 13. Besides all the game highlights, which are described in Stories of the Season, the fans welcomed the return of the agility dogs from Ace Dog Sports at halftime. Ranging from a Great Dane to a teacup poodle, the 12 dogs raced through tunnels, leapt over barriers and swiveled around poles as their owners ran with them. As they were last year, they were a huge crowd pleaser.


Besides the resounding victory, the game was notable for center Jayne Appel snaring her 1,000th rebound to join the illustrious company of Nicole Powell, ’04 and Val Whiting, ’93. Also on the plus side, freshman forward Joslyn Tinkle returned to action after missing several games with a stress reaction in her foot.

On the minus side, forward Michelle Harrison was sidelined again. She had missed several games with back spasms before returning. This time the problem was a concussion. It seems her head had an unexpected encounter with Jayne’s elbow in practice. She hopes to be back soon. Guard Hannah Donaghe (knee) and center Sarah Boothe (foot) are still unavailable.

After the game, fans ambled over to the annual Fast Break Club auction, the booster club’s biggest fundraiser.

In keeping with the theme of “Back in the Saddle,” auction volunteers wore Western garb and Dallmar Court was adorned with “Wanted” posters of each team member. For example, there were “Wanted – for long-range shootin’, Lightnin’ Lindy La Rocque, $$ Reward $$” and “Wanted – for bustin’ a move, Jeanette Pohlen, Bojangles, $$ Reward $$.”

As the players arrived, they willingly signed autographs. One enterprising young fan had Jayne sign his red victory ball.

A life-size black horse was stationed near the auctioneer’s stage. Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations, said that it was delivered to the WBB office unbeknownst to the coaches, who were more than a bit taken aback when they first saw it. It took five people to get it back downstairs, she said. On the horse’s saddle was a poster with the players’ numbers.

Next to the horse stood a life-size cutout of Dale Evans (Mrs. Roy Rogers) in her younger years. Hannah and forward Kayla Pedersen posed for a picture with it. Joslyn, who hails from the Big Sky country of Montana, got into the spirit of things by donning a cowboy hat lent to her by a fan.

The first item for the live portion of the auction was a football signed by football coach Jim Harbaugh and star running back Toby Gerhart. Sarah served as the auctioneer, starting the bidding at $200. It eventually went for $700 at Sarah’s urging.

Next up was a colorful team quilt made by Beverly La Rocque, Lindy’s mother. Lindy, wearing an ice pack on her hip after being knocked to the floor by an intentional foul, did the auctioneering honors. Held up by Sarah and Jeanette, “the quilt is authentic, handmade,” Lindy said. “It has all our pretty faces on it”. She added that there would be only one this year. The bidding was so intense for last year’s quilt, which sold for $800, that her mother agreed to make another one for the same bid.

Dale Schroedel of San Francisco won this year’s quilt with a bid of $975. In the meantime, the players agreed to autograph it for her.

Guard Mel Murphy, who later sported an elf hat, auctioned off a game jersey worn and autographed by Jayne. Bidding started at $100 as Mel reminded the crowd that Jayne could be “the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. She has a bright future.” Two bidders went back and forth, eventually raising the price to $700. At that point, head coach Tara VanDerveer stepped in and said she’d make sure that each of them got a Jayne jersey for $700.

A chance to sit on the Stanford bench when the team hosts UConn next December sold for $500. A Final Four chair from St. Louis, autographed by the players, went for $500.

As the auction wound down, Dana Stewart, fundraising chair, announced that Tara would host a second Piano and Pie afternoon ($75 a person) at her home next spring.

Hats off to everyone who helped make this auction such a success and so much fun by soliciting donations and organizing everything. All the proceeds go toward the team. Last year’s auction, for example, helped finance the team’s trip to Italy in September.

(See Don Anderson's Photo Gallery for a slideshow of auction photos.)