Standing O’s for C.O.

Fans awarded senior forward Chiney Ogwumike two standing ovations during the Stanford women’s basketball team’s 96-66 victory over the University of Oregon on Jan. 3.

The first came with 12:20 to go in the home contest. That’s when she snared the 1,267th rebound of her collegiate career to move into first place on Stanford’s and the Pac-12’s all-time rebounding lists.

In so doing, she eclipsed former teammate Kayla Pedersen, ’11. Earlier in the game, she passed another Cardinal great, Jayne Appel, ’10. In a previous game she passed her older sister, Nneka, ’12.

Since the totals for the other three players came in their last games for Stanford, it seems possible that it will be a long, long time before anyone will equal or surpass Chiney’s eventual record.

The second standing ovation from the Maples crowd of 3,495 came with 5:34 to go, when she returned to the bench to cheer her teammates for the rest of the game.

Playing 33 minutes, she finished with a total of 33 points, the fifth time this season that she has scored 30 points or more, plus 14 rebounds to register her ninth double-double of the season. For her career, she has 2,112 points, 13 points behind Jayne’s 2,125 total, which is fourth-best for Stanford.

Hot-handed Bonnie shoots 66.6 percent from beyond the arc

Junior forward Bonnie Samuelson came off the bench for 17 minutes to score 21 points, a career high and the second-most points for her team. Most of her points came from 6 of 9 shooting from behind the arc. She also was fouled while making a layup and made the free throw for her other 3 points. She and Chiney were the only Stanford players in double figures.

Bonnie led the team’s rain of 12 3’s. Also contributing were junior forward Taylor Greenfield and freshman guard Lili Thompson with two each, while redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Camp and freshman guard Karlie Samuelson had one each. Bonnie made one of her 3’s off an assist from younger sister Karlie.

All 15 players were available for action for only the second time this season. All 15 got into the game, and 12 scored. Bench players accounted for 47 of the team’s points, balancing 49 from the starters – Chiney, Lili, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef, senior guard Sara James and junior point guard Amber Orrange.

Stanford defense holds Ducks to a season low

Oregon had come into the game with the nation’s best scoring average of 105.3 points per game. The Ducks left with their lowest total of the season.

Stanford dominated the Ducks in other statistics with a 28-10 advantage in assists, led by Amber’s eight, and a 49-42 advantage in rebounds. Other stats were closer. Stanford had 15 turnovers to Oregon’s 16, while blocks (four each) and steals (11 each) were even. The Ducks had the edge in fouls – 18 to Stanford’s 21.

Stanford had a slight edge in free throw shooting percentage – 53.3 percent to Oregon’s 52.2 percent. However, Oregon made more free throws -- 12 of 23 compared with Stanford’s 8 of 15.

With its run-and-gun offense, Oregon had kept the game fairly close in the early minutes, but Chiney and company kept pulling ahead, making the score 51-34 at halftime, By then the Cardinal already had nine 3’s.

After this conference-opening victory, the team returns Jan. 5 to host Oregon State. The new academic term starts the next day.

2013 ends on winning note

The Stanford women’s basketball team rounded out its pre-conference season with an 86-54 win at Fresno State on Dec. 28. The victory upped the Cardinal record to 11-1 and allowed the team to rank No. 4 nationally for the second straight week.

It was difficult to estimate how many Stanford fans were part of the reported attendance of 4,833 because the Save Mart Center is so vast and because red is Fresno’s color, too. Nevertheless, it seemed as if Cardinal fans numbered in the low hundreds. A few of them had gathered at a nearby taco place for snacks or dinner before the game.

The game was scheduled for 6 p.m., just two hours after the start of a Fresno men’s game. Therefore, the women were given only 30 minutes to warm up after the end of the men’s game, pushing the game’s start to about 6:15 p.m.

While fans waited for tipoff, a small Carl’s Jr. blimp floated overhead, dispensing coupons.

Taylor joins starting lineup

The starting lineup was different from several previous games because senior guard Sara James was not in uniform (nor was freshman guard Karlie Samuelson). Therefore, junior forward Taylor Greenfield started in Sara’s place. She played 25 minutes and scored 18 points to go with six rebounds.

Starting senior forward Chiney Ogwumike played only 23 minutes yet scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. She upped her career total to 2,079 points, moving her into fifth place on Stanford’s all-time scoring list. Her career rebounding total rose to 1,257, putting her just six behind Jayne Appel, ’10, for second and nine behind the Pac-12 and Stanford record of 1,266 set by Kayla Pedersen, ’11.

Also in the starting lineup were redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef (5 points, seven rebounds in 27 minutes), freshman guard Lili Thompson (5 points, two rebounds in 22 minutes) and junior point guard Amber Orrange (15 points, one rebound in 25 minutes). Mikaela led the team in assists with a career high of eight, followed by Amber with six.

The Bulldogs kept the game close for the first 10 minutes or so, but then the Cardinal pulled ahead, ending the first half with a 43-31 margin.

The margin widened in the second half, allowing head coach Tara VanDerveer to rest the starters and give everyone else a chance to play. All but two scored.

Briana scores first collegiate point

With 8:46 to go and the score at 76-48, freshman guard Briana Roberson got off the exercise bike where she was warming up and checked in for the first time since she had played three minutes late in the UConn game. This time she played seven minutes. When she made a free throw, the first point of her collegiate career, she was roundly cheered by her teammates and fans. Briana has been limited by an injury.

One major highlight of the game was the Cardinal’s season-high 12 3-pointers. Taylor and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson had four each, while Amber had three and Mikaela had one.

Although Stanford shot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc and 48.5 percent overall, free throws remained a problem. Stanford had 16 fouls, while Fresno State had 17, yet Stanford made only 10 of 18 free throws, or 55.6 percent. By comparison, Fresno State hit 13 of 16, or 81.3 percent, of its free throws. These numbers could be significant in a close game.

The rebounding margin was narrowly in Stanford’s favor, 45-40. On the other hand, Stanford had wide edges in assists, 26-4; blocks, 7-0; and steals, 7-4. Fresno had 14 turnovers to Stanford’s eight.

With the calendar turning to 2014, Pac-12 competition begins, starting with the Oregon schools at home Jan. 3 and 5.

Holiday cheer prevails as team beats Tennessee

There were plenty of presents under the Tree for the Stanford women’s basketball team and its fans when the Tennessee Lady Vols came to Maples Pavilion on Dec. 21.

First – Stanford, ranked No. 6 at the time, upset No. 3 Tennessee 76-70.

Second – Senior forward Chiney Ogwumike had a dominating game, playing all 40 minutes, scoring 32 points and snaring 20 rebounds to go with one assist, three blocks and one steal. When she scored her 14th point with about 6:38 to go in the first half, she surpassed Jeanne Ruark Hoff, ’83, to rank seventh on Stanford’s all-time scoring list. Two days later, on Dec. 23, Chiney was unanimously named espnW's National Player of the Week.

Third – All 15 players were in uniform for the first time this season. Because the Lady Vols remained within striking distance throughout the game, however, only nine players had any playing time.

Fourth – Wearing “Fear the Tree” sweatshirts, Stanford football players were in the northeast bleachers to cheer their fellow nerds and to show their moves for the Dance Cam. The men paraded onto the court during halftime with their Pac-12 Conference championship trophy and the Axe trophy, which goes to the winner of the annual Big Game against Cal.

Fifth – A reported 6,044 fans were on hand despite competition from shopping and other holiday activities. Only a smattering of them wore Tennessee orange.

The list could go on from there, but suffice it to say that this was indeed a gift-wrapped victory.

Fans get rally towels with slogan

Upon entering Maples, many fans received red rally towels with “WHOSE HOUSE? C-HOUSE” in prominent white letters.

This slogan comes from a football team tradition. As senior free safety Ed Reynolds explained at halftime, the team chants this question and response at every game, starting softly and building to a roar. He then led his teammates and fans in the chant.

C-House also is the name given to a Stanford football video series that began just before the 2013 season. C-House stands for Cardinal-House.

The gridders’ halftime appearance included comments from senior running back Tyler Gaffney, the team’s MVP. He noted that some 30,000 Stanford fans are going to Pasadena on New Year’s Day for the team’s second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the game.

Head coach David Shaw thanked Tyler for deciding to return to Stanford after a year away to play professional baseball.

Starters carry the scoring load

When the game began, head coach Tara VanDerveer used a familiar starting lineup of Chiney, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef, senior guard Sara James, freshman guard Lili Thompson and junior point guard Amber Orrange. They accounted for 65 of the team’s 76 points.

The only bench player to score was junior forward Taylor Greenfield, who played 30 minutes. She had 11 points, 9 of them from three 3-pointers. The third of those 3’s came just 3 seconds before the halftime buzzer to put the Cardinal up 37-29.

Also seeing action were redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green and freshman forwards Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson. Kailee was wearing a face mask after suffering a nose injury in the New Mexico game on Dec. 16.

Stanford’s total of seven 3’s included three from Lili, who had a career high 14 points in her 35 minutes. Amber, who had 9 points in 34 minutes, made the other 3.

Stanford never trails after opening minutes

After Tennessee had scored the game’s first 4 points, the Cardinal went to work, pulled ahead and never trailed.

Even though Tennessee had 18 fouls to Stanford’s 16, the Lady Vols were more successful at the free-throw line, making 18 of 25, or 72 percent. Stanford cashed in on only 13 of 21 free throws for 61.9 percent.

On the other hand, Stanford out-rebounded Tennessee 43-40 and had five blocks to the opponent’s two.

Stanford maintained an edge of around 8 or 9 points for most of the game, but the Lady Vols made the score uncomfortably close, 70-68, with just over a minute left.

That’s when Amber made one of her signature drives to the basket, scored and was fouled. Her successful free throw, followed by two from Mikaela and one from Chiney put the game on ice for the Cardinal.

Now the team has a short break before returning right after Christmas to prepare for its game at Fresno State on Dec. 28. That will be its last non-conference game before Pac-12 competition starts Jan. 3 with a visit from Oregon.

Chiney joins exclusive group of Stanford greats

Barely a minute and a half had elapsed when Chiney Ogwumike scored her fifth point of the New Mexico game on a free throw. Thus the senior forward became only the fifth Stanford women’s basketball player in history to score at least 2,000 points and make at least 1,000 rebounds in her career.

By the time the Dec. 16 home game was over, she had scored a total of 32 points and led the Cardinal to a 75-41 victory. Playing only 23 minutes, she also had seven rebounds and four blocks.

Besides Chiney, the 2,000/1,000 club includes Chiney’s sister Nneka, ’12; Jayne Appel, ’10; Nicole Powell,’04; and Val Whiting, ’93.

During her time in the game, Chiney scored almost at will as her teammates repeatedly passed the ball to her near the basket. The Lobos couldn’t stop her.

No other double figures

No one else managed to score in double figures. The closest were junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Bonnie Samuelson, who had 8 points each off the bench

Two consecutive 3’s in the second half boosted Taylor’s total. Playing in only her second game this season after recovering from an injury, Taylor looked more confident than she had in some games in the latter part of the 2012-13 season.

Bonnie’s point total included one 3. Also scoring once each from behind the arc were redshirt sophomore guards Alex Green and Jasmine Camp. Alex finished with 6 points, while Jasmine had 3.

Redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef had a team-high 10 rebounds plus 2 points.

Blocking, stealing help with defense

One statistic of note is that the team blocked 12 shots. Chiney led the way with four, followed by Mikaela with three and freshman forward Erica McCall with two. Junior guard Amber Orrange, freshman guard Lili Thompson and freshman forward Kailee Johnson had one each.

The team also had six steals, with one each by Mikaela, Lili, Amber, Alex, Kailee and junior forward Erica Payne, also playing in only her second game this season.

For the game, the team shot 50.8 percent with 29.4 percent on 3’s and 75 percent on free throws. Offensive rebounding proved to be somewhat problematic with Stanford snaring 12 and New Mexico 20.

The three of the five starters – Chiney, Mikaela and Amber – combined for 40 points, and the bench contributed 35. Starters Lili and senior guard Sara James had no points.

From the start, the game was never in doubt thanks to Chiney, a stout defense and an injury-depleted opponent. The halftime score was 40-21.

With victory assured about halfway through the second half, head coach Tara VanDerveer had the luxury of leaving Chiney on the bench. Thus the coach gave the team’s best player a chance to rest and avoid injury while other post players got more playing time.

These factors are important because the Cardinal, ranked No. 6 in the latest AP poll, will face a far more formidable opponent, No. 3 Tennessee, at home at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

Tribute to Tara: 902 and counting

After a long road trip followed by 16 days off for finals, the Stanford women’s basketball team returned home to Maples Pavilion and defeated Gonzaga 73-45 on Dec. 14.

In the process, the team handed head coach Tara VanDerveer her 902nd career victory.

Because win No. 900 came against Florida Gulf Coast while the team was in Mexico for a tournament, the major celebration was saved for home court. It started when fans entered Maples and received signs and eyeglasses commemorating 900 wins.

At the request of their head coach, Kelly Graves, the Zags remained in their seats after the game while the video board flashed highlights of Tara’s career. In the meantime, the Stanford players donned red T-shirts emblazoned with “900.”

Tara gets her own jersey

As the Stanford players and staff looked on, Stanford president John Hennessy and athletic director Bernard Muir unveiled a framed white Stanford jersey with Tara’s last name and the number 900.

Taking the microphone, Tara introduced her mother, Rita, who had surprised her with a visit the night before. Tara then thanked the president and athletic director for their support and added, “I just want to keep it going.”

She said that the framed jersey would hang in her office, and she joked that it was the only way she would get a Stanford jersey.

After acknowledging her staff, she said, “It’s a little hard for me to wrap my head around 900.”

“Let’s get some more,” she concluded.

On behalf of her teammates, senior forward Chiney Ogwumike echoed the sentiment. “Here’s to 900 more.”

Win No. 800 was three years ago

Chiney and her two classmates – guards Sara James and Toni Kokenis (recently medically retired) – plus red shirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef were all on the team for Tara’s 800th win, which came on Dec. 22, 2010, when Stanford traveled to the University of San Francisco and won 100-45.

Those on hand who had contributed to the 800 wins included USF head coach Jennifer Azzi and associate head coach Katy Steding (now at Cal). They were in the first class that Tara recruited to Stanford after she arrived on the Farm in 1985. They went on to help Stanford win its first national championship in 1990 and played for Tara on the undefeated U.S. Olympics team that won the gold in 1996.

Contributors included Tara’s two assistant coaches, Stanford graduates Bobbie Kelsey (now head coach at Wisconsin) and Kate Paye.

Then there was the woman who has been associated with Tara the longest time – associate head coach Amy Tucker. She played at Ohio State for two of Tara’s five years as head coach there, was a graduate assistant coach for her for a year and an assistant coach there for another year. When Tara left Ohio State for Stanford in 1985, Amy joined her as an assistant coach.

Chiney didn’t play in that USF game because she had tweaked her ankle in the morning, but she high-fived the bench for each 3-pointer. She made that trip 11 times, thanks to four 3’s by Sara and one each by Toni and Mikaela, among others.

Balanced scoring by starters, bench

Fast-forward 102 victories to the Gonzaga game: Chiney, Sara and Mikaela all started, joined by junior guard Amber Orrange and freshman guard Lili Thompson.

The five of them scored a total of 42 points, while bench players contributed 31.

This time there were eight 3’s, with two each by Sara, redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Camp and freshman forward Kailee Johnson. Amber and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson had one each.

Chiney led the team in scoring with 19 points. Also in double figures were Kailee with a career high 11 and Amber with 10.

Two juniors see first action

In addition to the victory, fans had two more reasons to celebrate. Junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne returned to action for the first time this season. Taylor played a total of 11 minutes, scored 4 points and made two rebounds. After making her first basket on an inbound pass with 10:47 to go in the second half, she ran up the court with a big smile.

Erica, who had just been cleared to play earlier in the week, entered the game with slightly less than two minutes to go. She and sophomore forward/center Tess Picknell, who played about four minutes, were the only two Cardinal players who didn’t score.

All told, 14 of 15 players were in uniform. Freshman guard Briana Roberson, still rehabbing from an injury, was suited up but didn’t play. Freshman guard Karlie Samuelson was in street clothes. It’s hoped that she’ll return for the Tennessee game at home on Dec. 21, Amy told the Fast Break Club after the game.

A fan at the gathering commented on the fine play of Kailee and fellow freshman forward Erica McCall, who had 5 points and seven rebounds. Amy responded that when the freshmen arrived for summer school, Bonnie, Sara, Taylor and Erica Payne weren’t able to play. Since those four often play the 3 position, Kailee and Erica M. got a lot of time in that spot.

Still, “we’re excited to have them back,” Amy said of the four upperclassmen.

Video salutes Nicole Powell

Yet another woman who contributed to Tara’s 900 wins was Nicole Powell, ’04, who’s in her first year as an assistant coach at Gonzaga after playing professionally for the WNBA and overseas.

“Fans, today we welcome back one of Stanford’s all-time greats,” announcer Betty Ann Boeving said shortly before tipoff. With that, the video board showed highlights of Nicole’s Stanford accomplishments, followed by a prolonged ovation.

An earlier video honored the Stanford football team for winning the Pac-12 conference and the right to play in its second consecutive Rose Bowl game on Jan. 1. “See you in Pasadena,” it concluded.

A subsequent video featured women’s basketball highlights. It ended, “Tradition never graduates.”

Tara enthusiastic about freshmen

Head coach Tara VanDerveer is apparently more than just pleased with the five freshmen on the Stanford women’s basketball team.

“All of our freshmen are spectacular,” Tara told fans after the team’s 66-48 home victory over UC Davis on Nov. 17. “They’re really fabulous young players.”

Nevertheless, they’re still adapting to collegiate basketball, especially as it’s played at Stanford. “We’re not running a lot of plays” because there are so many young players. “They have to learn the system and study scouting reports,” Tara said.

Even as the team evolves, at least two of the newcomers are happy to be at Stanford. Freshman forwards Erica McCall and Kailee Johnson both had a chance to speak to fans at the Behind the Bench session, and both were enthusiastic.

“I love it here so far,” said Kailee, who comes from Portland, Ore. Although it’s too early to decide on a major, she said she’s interested in business and might major in science, technology and society.

“All the freshmen have bonded,” said Erica, who hails from Bakersfield, where her father, Greg, is coach of the CSU Bakersfield women’s basketball team. He was at the game. Her older sister, DeWanna Bonner, is on the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and is playing in Russia during the offseason.

Both freshmen mentioned how much they value the mentoring of the older players.

Unlike past overseas trips, this year the freshmen could join the team on its summer trip to Italy. “The food was amazing,” and the team got “to play with the best players in the world,” said Erica, who is leaning toward psychology or sociology as a major.


Two freshmen start

Erica was part of the starting lineup for the first time, joining freshman guard Lili Thompson along with senior forward Chiney Ogwumike, redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef and junior point guard Amber Orrange.

Playing for 17 minutes, Erica had 5 points and six rebounds. Lili had 2 points and a rebound in 18 minutes. Kailee came off the bench for 13 minutes and had two rebounds.

Also coming off the bench was freshman guard Karlie Samuelson, who played 33 minutes, tying with Chiney for the second-most minutes. During her time on the court, she scored 8 points and had four rebounds.

The other freshman, Briana Roberson, was in street clothes, along with junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne.

“We’re really excited about how our young players are doing,” Tara said after the game, adding that “our older players are getting healthy.”

She had extra praise for Lili, who “is having an outstanding beginning to her career,” and for Karlie, who “played like a senior out there today.”


Chiney records another double-double

As usual, Chiney led all players with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Amber was next in scoring with 10 points and four rebounds in a team-high 38 minutes.

Playing 22 minutes, Mikaela contributed 8 points and eight rebounds. Less than five minutes into the game, though, she hobbled off the court. She went to the locker room and returned to action several minutes later with her ankle taped.

One apparent concern overall is that the team made only 13 of 24 free throws, or 54.2 percent. “I’m really disappointed with our free-throw percentage,” Tara said. She added that the team is working on rebounding missed free throws.

Three-point shooting was deficient, too, only three of 17, or 17.6 percent. Karlie had two and her older sister, junior forward Bonnie Samuelson, had one.

On the other hand, 3-pointers helped to keep UC Davis in the game. The Aggies’ eight 3’s accounted for half of their final score.

“Kudos to Davis,” Tara said, saying that the team does a good job and that it runs the Princeton offense well.


Team to take to the road

It will be nearly a month before the Cardinal return to Maples. At 6 a.m. Nov. 22 the team will depart for its game against Texas on Nov. 23, said Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations.

After that game, the team will fly to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for the Hardwood Tournament of Hope and successive games against Purdue, Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State from Nov. 26-28.

Then it’s back to campus and preparations for the end of the term before facing Gonzaga at home on Dec. 14.

In the meantime, Eileen is trying to gauge interest in a booster bus to the Cal game on Feb. 2. She has reserved a bus and wants fans to e-mail her at eroche@stanford.edu by the end of November. Otherwise, she’ll release it, she said.

It’s home sweet home for the Cardinal

Even though it might have looked that way on paper, the Stanford women’s basketball team’s 86-51 home victory over Cal Poly on Nov. 15 was more than just the Chiney Ogwumike show.

The senior forward scored a career-high 36 points in 30 minutes, plus 11 rebounds for her 61st career double-double. However, she had plenty of help along the way with 10 of the 12 available players adding to the total.

After returning to the bench for good with 6:28 to go in the second half, Chiney still wasn’t quite done. As redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green stood in front of the bench to inbound the ball, Chiney gave her some last-minute instructions.

Redshirt senior forward Mikaela Ruef was second in points scored with 9. However, her biggest contributions came from other stats, such as her career-high and team-high 14 rebounds. She was a regular rebounding machine. She added a team-high seven assists, most of them on nifty passes to Chiney. She also had one of the team’s five steals in her 27 minutes.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer reconfigured the starting lineup slightly, inserting freshman guard Lili Thompson in place of Alex, who had started the two previous games.

Otherwise, Tara stuck with the rest of her starters: Chiney, Mikaela, junior point guard Amber Orrange and freshman forward Kailee Johnson. Chiney, Mikaela and senior guard Sara James were the captains.

Junior forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne along with freshman guard Briana Roberson were on the bench in street clothes.

Also unavailable were the band, Tree, cheerleaders and Dollies. Perhaps they were at the soccer field to support the women’s soccer team, which had the same start time for its first round of the NCAA tournament. The Cardinal won the match 1-0.

The WBB game started slowly and sloppily with an unusual number of Cardinal turnovers, some of them caused by Cal Poly’s alert defense. The home team had 11 turnovers in the first half but only four in the second.

The visitors outscored their hosts for about the first five minutes of the game. During that time, Chiney did most of the Stanford scoring. For example, at the 10:30 mark, when Stanford trailed 13-11, she had 9 points.

After that, though, the Cardinal began showing more cohesion and amassed a 23-15 lead with 7:39 to go in the half. The lead was 41-25 at halftime. By then, all available players had seen action.

During the first half, the women’s swimming and diving team was introduced. The team won the 2013 Pac 12 championship and ranks No. 4 nationally. In return for the crowd’s recognition, the women tossed mini-balls into the stands.

It was victory balls flying into the stands at the end of the game as the WBB team celebrated success in its first home game of the season and upped its record to 2-1.

Excluding the slow start, it was an all-around win for the team as it outrebounded Cal Poly 47-36 and scored more points in the paint, 46-22.

Bench players added 22 points to the final score, led by freshman forward Erica McCall with 8 for third on the team. Freshman forward/guard Karlie Samuelson chipped in with 6 thanks to two 3-pointers.

Threes also came from Kailee, Lili and junior forward Bonnie Samuelson, all with one each, for a team total of five.

In her post-game comments to the press, Tara said she’s still shopping “for players who are going to step up and make plays.”

She probably hasn’t hit on the perfect combination yet, especially with Taylor and Erica P. still out. However, she does have a good selection, especially as the five freshmen mesh more completely and as the team develops its on-court chemistry.

There were signs of both in this game with some nicely executed plays and fast breaks that had the crowd cheering.

Exhibition victory bodes well for season

Even though it had only 10 players for its 79-47 exhibition victory over Vanguard on Nov. 3, the Stanford women’s basketball team offered some tantalizing hints at what might lie ahead for the 2013-14 season.

The team lacked the services of freshman guard Briana Roberson and four upperclassmen – senior guard Sara James along with junior forwards Taylor Greenfield, Erica Payne and Bonnie Samuelson.

Sara was a starter toward the end of last season. In her place, head coach Tara VanDerveer inserted redshirt sophomore guard Alex Green into the starting lineup along with the other three returning starters: senior forward Chiney Ogwumike, fifth-year senior forward Mikaela Ruef and junior point guard Amber Orrange. They were joined by freshman forward Kailee Johnson. Chiney and Mikaela are this year’s co-captains.

Freshman guard Karlie Samuelson was first off the bench, followed by freshman forward Erica McCall, freshman guard Lili Thompson, redshirt sophomore guard Jasmine Camp and sophomore forward/center Tess Picknell.

Everyone scored and rebounded, but Chiney led the way with 27 points and 15 rebounds in 21 minutes. Her contributions were nearly equaled by Kailee and Erica M., who teamed up to score 27 points (13 and 14, respectively) and to snare 13 rebounds (nine and four, respectively).

No one else scored in double figures, but Mikaela had nine rebounds and two assists, including a nif play when a streaking Chiney passed the ball to her, and she in turn tipped it directly back to Chiney for the score. Amber had a team-high six assists.


Starters get to relax

At the half, the score was 41-21 in the Cardinal’s favor.

Therefore, Chiney returned to the bench for good with 14:57 to go in the second half. The other starters soon followed, leaving the game in the able hands of Erica M., Lili, Tess, Jasmine and Karlie.

An exhibition game doesn’t count toward season records. Nevertheless, I would guess that more than 1,000 fans were on hand at Maples on a lovely fall afternoon, the first day of Standard Time. They got to see the new signs adorning the hallways.

Somewhat unusual for an exhibition is that the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree were there to support the team. That often doesn’t occur until season games start.

Defense takes advantage of new rule

Statistically, one encouraging sign was that the team committed only three turnovers, while Vanguard had 14. Some of Vanguard’s turnovers were the result of a pesky Stanford defense that led to shot clock violations and failures to cross the center line in the required 10 seconds. The latter rule is new this year.

Stanford started the game with intense pressure in the back court when Vanguard had the ball, forcing it to take time out at the 19:03 point. The pressure later led to a turnover, but Stanford didn’t apply much full-court pressure thereafter.

Still, the defense was stalwart with both Kailee and Tess recording a block. The team had five steals, including two by Lili and one each by Chiney, Amber and Jasmine.

Karlie showed that she shares older sister Bonnie’s penchant for shooting 3-pointers. Only one of her nine attempts was successful, coming at 9:26 in the second half, but many came close. One assumes that more will find their mark once she becomes more comfortable with the pace of college play. Kailee hit on one of her 3-point tries.

Talking with fans during the Behind the Bench after the game, Tara said, “We’re really excited about our team, and I think you see why.”

Tara introduces players

She then introduced the entire team, starting with the five freshmen:

Kailee: “She’s going to be great addition.”
Karlie: “She does a lot for us.”
Lili: “She has shown us some great things.” Tara added her parents, who were at the game, had recently moved to California from Texas.
Erica M.: “She really helps us inside. She’s a warrior.”
Briana: “She’s really close to playing” the 1 or 2 spot.

Tara praised the team’s “great upperclassmen who are great leaders,” starting with the seniors:

Chiney: “What a tremendous player Chiney is.”
Sara: She has been rehabbing.
Mikaela: She’s getting her master’s degree in engineering. She’s also “much more of an offensive weapon this year.”

Tara also introduced senior Toni Kokenis, the guard who took medical retirement because of concussions but who remains with the team. “Toni helps our young players,” the coach said.

She called Tess “one of our most improved players. She’s making really nice plays.”

Amber “plays really hard” and is a great defender, but she’s able to get more rest thanks to the emergence of strong backups at the point.

One of those backups is Jasmine, who’s “playing great defense.”

Bonnie is close to returning to action. Erica P. is a “vocal leader, a real high energy player.” Although she hasn’t been cleared to play, she has been working on her shot and helping the freshmen.

Taylor, who was wearing a boot, “had a little bit of a setback.” When she does practice, “she does a great job of getting the ball inside.”

Alex, who missed all of her freshman year and part of her sophomore year with injuries, has “worked really, really hard,” thus adding “more depth and athleticism” to the corps of guards.

Coaches get a nod

Tara also introduced the returning coaches – associate head coach Amy Tucker and assistant coach Kate Paye – along with new assistant coach Tempie Brown, who was formerly at Michigan State University. She “adds a lot to our program.”

Tempie replaces Trina Patterson, who left the Farm after two years to coach at Old Dominion University in Virginia, her home state, where she has an ill parent.

Also new to the staff is strength and conditioning coach, Brittany Keil. “She picks up where Susan left off,” Tara said, referring to Susan Borchardt, now working for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.

“This is going to be a great season,” Tara said. “This has been a great team to work with,” but “there are things we can do better.”

“We’re playing a tremendous schedule. We are looking forward to a fabulous season.”

After the relative ease of this home exhibition game, things get tough right away. The team travels east to face Boston College at 10 a.m. Saturday followed by defending national champion and perennial powerhouse UConn at 4 p.m. Monday. The latter game will be televised on ESPN2.

First taste of what’s to come

Fans of Stanford women’s basketball got a preview of the team at an open practice Oct. 19, Homecoming Day.

The event was advertised for 9:30-11:30 a.m., but practice was already under way when I arrived at 9:15. Joined by three male practice players, the team was involved in half-court scrimmages. During that time, junior guard Amber Orrange had several nice assists to senior forward Chiney Ogwumike.

R/s sophomore guard Alex Green scored several times, as did Amber and r/s sophomore guard Jasmine Camp. Senior guard Sara James had at least two 3’s, while freshman guard/forward Karlie Samuelson had one.

While their teammates practiced, four players were on the north end of the court working out with strength and conditioning coach Brittany Keil. They were junior forwards Bonnie Samuelson and Erica Payne along with freshman guards Briana Roberson and Lili Thompson.

Senior Toni Kokenis sat on the bench, encouraging her teammates. The guard recently took medical retirement after several concussions, but she remains with the team.

In the meantime, Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations, passed out rosters that included a pronunciation guide for some of the names.

Practice gets into game mode

After the half-court scrimmages, practice became a full-court, 40-minute, two-half game with three referees. Assistant coach Tempie Brown coached the red team, which included the three men along with Alex, junior forward Taylor Greenfield and sophomore forward/center Tess Picknell.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer, associate head coach Amy Tucker and assistant coach Kate Paye coached the white team. Starters for that team were fifth-year senior forward Mikaela Ruef, Chiney, Jasmine, Amber and Karlie, but there was liberal substitution throughout the game. In addition, some of the women were switched to the opposing team during the game.

My very unofficial scorekeeping shows Chiney leading the scoring with 32 or 33 points. She didn’t seem to be the primary offensive focus during the first half, but the ball wound up in her hands and into the basket a lot more in the second half.

Freshman forward Kailee Johnson had 12 points, followed by freshman forward Erica McCall with 11. Taylor and Sara each had 10. Tess had 8, Amber 7, Karlie 6, Alex 6 Mikaela 5 and Jasmine 3.

Three-pointers – again unofficial -- came from Sara with three, from Alex and Taylor with two each and from Jasmine, Kailee and Amber with one each.

The new rule allowing only 10 seconds to get the ball across the center line didn’t seem to be a problem thanks to speedy point play by Amber, Alex and Jasmine. The two teams also had some nifty fast breaks.

Alumnae observe practice

While the players were practicing, several alumnae watched from the sidelines. They included Nneka Ogwumike, ’12; Ashley Cimino, Hannah Donaghe and Jeanette Pohlen, all ’11; Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, ’10; and Morgan Clyburn, ’09. Also with these more recent grads was Kerry Blake, ’11, who was the team manager for four years.

Thanks to Marian Cortesi, who took a magnifying glass to her photos to read name tags, alums from earlier years included Mary McCready,’75; Meg Metzger, ’83; Emily Wagner Gallagher,’89, Jeanne Osmera Lowell, ’89; Ann Adkins Enthoven, ’92; and Bethany Donaphin, ’02. And of course Kate is a Stanford grad, class of 1995.

The alums joined the team and staff at a post-game circle. Tara asked the grads to introduce themselves. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be heard in the stands.

After that, it was photo time.

Although it’s far too early to make any definitive judgments, especially since two veteran players and two of the five freshmen were sidelined, it does appear that the team has good depth.

Chiney is the undisputed leader, and the other three returning starters – Mikaela, Sara and Amber – look to be in fine form.

Fans will have a better chance to become acquainted with the team at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 when Vanguard visits for an exhibition game. The game will be followed by a behind-the-bench session.

Homecoming festivities

While the team was practicing in Maples Pavilion, band music was sounding from an adjacent playing field. That’s where several hundred alums of the Stanford band were rehearsing their halftime show paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the band as we know it today. Also on hand were dozens of present and past Dollies and even some past Trees.

After practice, areas near the stadium were abuzz with tailgates and other gatherings prior to the marquee weekend event: the football game against UCLA, which the Cardinal won 24-10 on a picture-perfect autumn day.

Players prepare for Italy, new season

As if preparing for the upcoming season and getting some needed classes under their belts weren’t enough, players for the Stanford women’s basketball team have some additional incentives to attend summer school.

The biggest and best is that the team is taking a 10-day trip – Aug. 27-Sept. 5 – to Italy. Visiting Rome, Florence and Venice, the players will combine sightseeing and competing as they face three Italian teams. “Italy is a good carrot,” said associate head coach Amy Tucker.

Women’s basketball in Italy is somewhat different from the setup in the United States. The Italians play on club teams, which are rated A1 and A2, according to ability. The Stanford women will play one or two A1 teams plus one or two A2 teams, Amy said.

With professional players who are usually older than collegiate players, A1 teams provide “excellent competition,” Amy said, adding that these players also have full-time jobs.

Because the team is going overseas, it is allowed to practice for two hours each during the 10 days before leaving, Amy said.

When the team took its last overseas trip, also to Italy, four years ago, freshmen weren’t allowed to go. That meant that Joslyn Tinkle and Mikaela Ruef had to stay behind. Joslyn graduated in June, but Mikaela is still with the team because she red-shirted one year, so she gets to go this time.

Thanks to a rule change, so do the five incoming freshmen.

In addition, this is “the first summer that coaches are allowed to work with players” for two hours a week, Amy said.

Everyone’s in the area

Therefore, the entire team is in the area and is available for practice. The freshmen and some of the others are taking classes, and some returning players have lent a hand at hoops camps run by head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Junior forward Erica Payne has an internship, as does senior guard Toni Kokenis, who is working in physical therapy.

Amy had no comment about whether Toni would play in the upcoming season. Because of an undisclosed medical condition last season, Toni did not play after the Feb. 3 game at Oregon State.

Likewise, Amy had no comment about redshirt freshman forward Aly Beebe. Recovering from a knee injury, Aly didn’t play last season. It has been hoped that she would be ready to play this season.

Freshmen please the coaches

The coaches are pleased with the five freshmen. On the roster they’re listed as forward Kailee Johnson, forward Erica McCall, guard Briana Roberson, forward Karlie Samuelson (sister of junior forward Bonnie Samuelson) and guard Lili Thompson.

Amy classifies them as three guard-wings and two power forwards.

“They’re doing awesome. They’re going to help us tremendously,” Amy said. She expects some of them to be in the top rotation when the season starts. For now, they’re helping to make practices more competitive, she said.

Going to summer school also “is a great opportunity to get a couple classes under their belts” and to adjust to the campus, college life and college-level playing, Amy said. “It’s a big change for them.”

As for the returning players, “Everyone has improved from the spring,” Amy said.

New faces on staff

The staff has undergone some changes, too. Tempie Brown has replaced assistant coach Trina Patterson, who left to become an assistant coach at Old Dominion University in her home state of Virginia. “Tempie is doing great,” Amy said. She’s still getting settled, but she has been working with the team and recruiting.

Tempie has had 14 years of coaching experience and comes to Stanford after four years at Michigan State.

Also new to the staff is performance coach Brittany Keil, who comes to Stanford after five years at Holy Cross, where she had played basketball for four years.

“We’re really pleased with Brittany,” Amy said. She has been working with the players on strength and conditioning.

Coaches keep extra busy

While the players have been going through their academic and athletic paces, the coaches have had duties beyond coaching. They’ve helped at Tara’s hoops camps, and they’re been on the road recruiting.

“We’re getting good recruits,” Amy said.

When Amy and I talked July 17, recruiting nationwide was in the midst of a 10-day dead period, but it was to resume July 22 when Amy, Tempie and assistant coach Kate Paye would set off on the recruiting trail. Tara would stay behind to oversee practices and the third and final hoops camp.

July 17 was also when Stanford announced that Hall of Famer Tara had signed a contract extension beyond her current contract, which runs through the 2014-15 season. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

The coaches and players will get some time off between the end of the summer quarter and the start of their Italian trip. They’ll get some more time off between the end of the trip and the start of the fall quarter. New undergraduates report to campus Sept. 17. Classes start Sept. 23.

Optimism for 2013-14

Amy said she wasn’t sure when the team’s 2013-14 schedule will be released. However, the coaches are optimistic about the upcoming season, which starts in November.

In the meantime, the summer “is all bonus time. Ten extra practices (for Italy) can only be helpful,” Amy said. “We feel like we’re ahead.”

The trip itself will give the players a chance to compete against someone other than themselves. It also gives them more opportunities to bond as a team, an intangible that’s important to a team’s success.