Cardinal pride in San Diego

Unlike some of the other teams that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last weekend, the Stanford women easily won the right to travel across the bay for the Berkeley regional this coming weekend. The Cardinal systematically dismantled UC Santa Barbara 74-39 on Saturday and San Diego State 77-49 on Monday.

Both games were notable for stiff defense. At one point in the UCSB game, the Stanford women, wearing white to denote their higher seed and stretching out their long arms, looked like a white picket fence separating UCSB players from the basket.

After the second game, San Diego State fans were asking, “Who was that masked woman?” They were talking about forward Nneka Ogwumike, who poured in 27 points and snatched 13 rebounds, both career highs. They could only marvel when told she’s a freshman. (She wears a protective mask after her nose was broken in practice earlier in the season.) Thanks to the strong inside game, the Cardinal felt no ill effects from tallying only one 3-pointer, a season low.

San Diego State coach Beth Burns, speaking to the San Diego Union-Tribune after the game, said of Stanford, “They almost seem machinelike at times. They’re expressionless and exquisite in their precision. We had no answer for Nneka. Their length bothered us. We rushed. Before the game even got wet, we were in foul trouble.”

When fans and families gathered at the team’s hotel for a send-off before their second game, the big buzz was over the Ball State University Cardinals’ victory over defending national champion Tennessee the night before. It’s being called one of the biggest upsets in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament. I couldn’t help bragging a bit since I’m a Ball State graduate from back in the days when it was Ball State Teachers College. If Ball State were to advance to the Berkeley regional, I had visions of wearing my old Ball State sweatshirt for its game, then switching to my Stanford regalia for the Cardinal game. Iowa State put an end to that thought on Tuesday.

Several people didn’t know much about BSU, which is in Muncie, Ind. It got its name from the Muncie-based company that makes Ball canning jars. The five Ball brothers donated the campus land to Indiana in the early 20th century and gave generously to the college through the years. The family still ranks as one of the university’s top donors. Two other generous donors are well known alumni David Letterman of TV fame and Jim Davis, creator of Garfield the cat.

And here’s to the Stanford band, tree, cheerleaders and Dollies, all of whom were forgoing part of their spring break to boost the team. They add so much to the fun and excitement of tournament play for both the players and the fans.

Random observations from LA

The Cardinal made it all seem so easy as the team cruised to the Pac-10 title by defeating each of its three opponents by at least 25 points. The wide margins of victory gave head coach Tara VanDerveer a chance to rest the starters and allot valuable playing time to the bench. It was heartening that all 12 players saw action and did well in the three games.

Before the first game on Friday, I happened to go to the Wilshire Grand Hotel to see where the team was staying. As luck would have it, the bus was there, ready to take the players to the Galen Center. Also there were the band, the tree, the cheerleaders and the Dollies, ready to give the team a rousing send-off.

The sophomores, juniors and seniors had been through this before, most notably in Spokane and Tampa last year – at least in my experience. But it was all brand new to the four freshmen, who seemed thrilled – jumping up and down and hugging each other on the hotel stairs outside as the band played.

The scene was similar before the championship game on Sunday, but this time the Fast Break Club, family members and other fans were there to cheer the team along with the band, tree, cheerleaders and Dollies. As the players, coaches and support staff came down the escalator in the lobby, fans formed an aisle and cheered. Freshman Nneka Ogwumike stopped to sign the backs of two girls’ T-shirts.

The USC players also were going to their bus, so they were cheered, too, as was head coach Mark Trakh, who cringed but smiled.

Once again the Cardinal players assembled on the front steps as the band played and cavorted. Most of the players just smiled and clapped to the music, but senior Morgan
Clyburn and junior JJ Hones joined the Dollies in a do-si-do and sophomore Jeanette Pohlen and senior Jillian Harmon performed some very cool dance moves. Finally, it was time for “All Right Now” as the players filed into the bus and departed.

On Saturday, the Fast Break Club had a pre-game social at McKay’s restaurant in the Radisson Hotel next to the Galen Center. Led by grad Heather Owen, working in the sports development department, this event was highlighted by the presence of six other alumnae: Clare Bodensteiner, Vanessa Nygaard, Sarah Dimson, Tara Harrington, Katie Denny and Chelsea Trotter.

Although I don’t have actual numbers to back this contention, it seemed that Stanford had the largest contingent of fans at the games. The USC section seemed a bit sparse for the first games, perhaps because the school’s men were busy winning their Pac-10 title a few miles away at Staples Center. The USC crowd was larger for the women’s title game after the No. 6 seed had pulled off surprise wins, including a controversial 2-point upset victory over Cal the night before.

Next up for the Cardinal: UC Santa Barbara in San Diego for the start of NCAA play.

These photos of the sendoff to the championship game were taken by Dave Cortesi (click to enlarge):

Happy-sad milestones at Maples

It was an afternoon of mixed emotions March 7 as the Cardinal women defeated Arizona State 77-68. The victory vaulted Stanford into sole possession of the Pac-10 regular season title and gave it the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in LA this week. It also marked the 750th win in head coach Tara VanDerveer’s storied career.

All that was ample reason for celebration, but there was more than a trace of sadness as senior forwards Jillian Harmon and Morgan Clyburn made their final appearance at Maples. Morgan, who is sitting out the season to recuperate from foot surgery, played her role as a principal team booster, cheering from the bench. Jill fulfilled her role on the court, recording seven points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal in 36 minutes of gritty, tenacious playing time.

The post-game Senior Day ceremony also paid tribute to Jake Kelman, the KZSU sportscaster who has made home and away games come alive for radio listeners; and to unsung hero Matt McEvoy, a practice player for three years. Male practice players bring their strength, athleticism and speed to the court, helping the team to toughen its offensive and defensive skills. Jake fills in as a practice player on the road, associate head coach Amy Tucker said.

Before the game, Tara presented flowers to ASU’s seniors, who were warmly applauded. After the game, the Stanford players showed their class by going to the ASU bench to honor one of its stars, Dymond Simon, who was felled by a knee injury early in the game.

Senior Day continued at Dallmar Court as the team and fans honored Morgan, joined by her parents, brother and grandmother; and Jill, joined by her parents and brother.

It seems that both Morgan and Jill took to basketball at an early age.

Jill’s father, Randy, said that when Jill was about 6 months old, she happened to see a basketball and was fascinated. By age 4, she was shooting the ball, and in kindergarten she decided that she wanted to go to Stanford.

Morgan’s brother, Jeff, said that when she was in third grade, she broke her hand right before team tryouts. “She was not going to miss tryouts,” so her hand was wrapped in bubble wrap. Everyone could hear it popping as she played. Morgan also went to Jeff’s team practices and filled in whenever possible, setting up some sibling confrontations.

Both sets of parents thanked the fans and team for their support. Jill’s mother, Julie, said how much she has enjoyed watching Jill and Morgan become more confident and mature, acquiring traits that will help them throughout their lives.

Teammates JJ Hones, Jayne Appel and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude then told some stories about the two seniors. “Morgan and I have such a good time sitting on the bench,” said JJ, who is recuperating from knee surgery. Jayne told of the team’s trip to last year’s Final Four, when she had to go to a TV film session. Not realizing she was to be shown reading a book, she didn’t have one, but Morgan came through. “So there I was reading a biomechanical engineering book,” Jayne said, referring to Morgan’s major. “She was a leader in studying,” setting a good example for and inspiring her teammates. “We love Morgan,” Jayne said.

Both from Oregon, JJ and Jill often played against each other in high school. At their second meeting, Jill scored 37 points. On the other hand, JJ’s team beat Jill’s on Jill’s birthday. “I’m gloating,” JJ said, but the fans are singing “Happy Birthday” to Jill.

Ros is a senior classmate of Morgan and Jill, but she’s coming back next year after red-shirting her sophomore year. She called Morgan “one of the best shot blockers I’ve ever seen” and noted that Jill’s team nickname is “Jill the thrill.”

Morgan told the fans she hopes to return to Stanford next fall to work on her master’s in engineering. Otherwise, she is applying for jobs as a stopgap. In an interview to be posted later this week, she said she’d like to develop cardiac devices. Jill has already started graduate work at Stanford and hopes to play internationally. She was a leading scorer on New Zealand’s Olympic basketball team this summer. Both of them thanked the fans for their support.

After dismissing the team, Tara talked about the game. “I’m really proud of our team,” she said, adding “Jayne had a fabulous game.” The junior center had 29 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and two blocks. The coach also praised sophomore guard Jeanette Pohlen for her 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal. And sophomore forward Kayla Pedersen “is so steady out there,” chipping in 8 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Some other player notes: Sophomore Hannah Donaghe will know this week when she is to have surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in practice last month. With surgery likely for later this spring, she’ll probably be able to travel with the team, Tara said.

JJ, who is expected to return to action next season, will spend next quarter in Madrid, Spain, with a Stanford overseas program, Amy said. This will be a good travel year for her since the team is going to Italy in September.

Lesson learned – never underestimate anyone

“Whew! That was too close for comfort,” was the prevailing sentiment among FBC members after the Cardinal eked out a 70-67 win over Arizona on March 5. “We were fortunate,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “It was a tough matchup for us.”

Both Tara and associate head coach Amy Tucker commented on how much Arizona has improved since Stanford played the team in Tucson earlier this season. “They shot the ball extremely well tonight,” especially in the second half, Amy said. Arizona also changed its tough defense a lot, forcing 15 Cardinal turnovers that led to 23 points.

Tara credited two sophomores, guard Jeanette Pohlen and forward Kayla Pedersen, for their excellent play. Jeanette led the team with a career-high 21 points, most of them coming from a career-high five of eight 3-pointers. Kayla contributed 16 points, including two 3-pointers. “Kayla’s on a roll,” Tara said, citing the back-to-back 20-point games she had in Los Angeles last week.

On another note, Tara said that freshman Nneka Ogwumike will wear her protective mask through the end of the season as a precaution. Her nose was broken during practice a few weeks ago. Nneka, who scored 8 points against Arizona, delighted the crowd with another feat. When the ball got stuck between the glass and the rim after a free throw attempt early in the second half, no one seemed to know what to do until Nneka left the bench, leapt up and knocked the ball loose.

Because of this tough game against the Pac-10’s now eighth-ranked team, “We will not be overconfident next week” going into the conference tournament,” Amy said. Still, the win assured the Cardinal of the No. 1 seed in the tournament and at least a two-way tie with Arizona State for the Pac-10 regular season title. The Cardinal could win the title outright with a win over the Sun Devils on March 7. “We don’t want to share it,” Amy said.

Before the coaches comments, Krista Rappahahn, ’06, told fans what she’s been doing during the past two and a half years. She’s a first-year med student at Stanford and plays coed intramural basketball with a med school team. Having just returned from a game, she was still in her team outfit, noting that the name on the back of her jersey is Rapamycin, a pun on an immunosuppressant drug used in organ transplantation.

She’s the only woman on her team. “No one wants to guard me because I’m a girl,” she said, but apparently her skills are turning some heads. “I made a bunch of threes tonight.” She also attends as many women’s games as she can, but “it’s hard to sit too close because I want to get into the game.”

Before returning to Stanford, Krista played professionally in Sweden for two seasons and lived in Stockholm, where she also did some research. Her team won the national championship in the first season. Between seasons she worked in Ireland at a camp for children with serious illnesses.

Communicating with her teammates in Sweden wasn’t difficult because they speak English well. Because it’s such an egalitarian society, though, it’s hard for people to step up and lead, a role that Krista assumed. On the other hand, American fans are more reserved than their Swedish counterparts.

She said she’s enjoying med school but hasn’t decided what her specialty might be. She’s scheduled to work in a neonatal intensive care unit and in orthopedics.

Grace, Lindy, Kayla – Stanford’s sharpest shooters

Freshman guards Grace Mashore and Lindy La Rocque along with sophomore forward Kayla Pedersen topped their teammates at the annual Cardinal Nation Shoot-a-thon at Maples on Feb. 23.

Grace won the general competition with a total of 269 points out of a possible 300. Lindy was the top 3-point shooter, knocking in 15 within 30 seconds. Kayla was the first to make a half-court shot.

It was an informal event with fans standing along the sidelines during the fund-raiser. Fans pledged monetary amounts for each point scored by their chosen player or players. Proceeds will go toward the team’s trip to Italy in September.

During the general competition, the players paired off at baskets around the court and took turns taking 100 outside shots (worth 2 points each) and 100 layups (worth 1 point each).

Don, Bob and Peter tally the scores

Next they split into two groups, with each player given 30 seconds to shoot 3-pointers. Then the top two players from that round, Lindy and sophomore guard Melanie Murphy, shot for top honors. Lindy’s 15 bested Mel’s 13.

To complete the evening, the entire team took turns at shooting from the half-court. It took several rounds, but Kayla finally sank her shot, earning cheers all around.

Grace tries a half-court shot

One pleasing surprise was that senior forward Morgan Clyburn participated. Still recovering from extensive foot surgery last year, Morgan is out for the season. However, she had just been cleared to jump, allowing her to join the team for this event. Paired with freshman forward Sarah Boothe during the general competition, Morgan showed she hadn’t lost her shooting touch. She tied for third with 262 points and made 10 3-pointers.

Sophomore guards JJ Hones, recovering from ACL surgery, and Hannah Donaghe, awaiting knee surgery, stayed on the sidelines. The barefoot JJ had fun scooting around in an office chair, and then pushed the crutch-using Hannah to center court for team pictures. Junior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude was absent because she was tending to family business, said assistant coach Bobbie Kelsey. She’ll shoot for her points later.

Here are the point totals from the general competition:
Grace, 269
Sarah, 266
Morgan, senior Jillian Harmon, sophomore Ashley Cimino, 262 each
Kayla, 260
Lindy, junior Michelle Harrison, 259 each
Freshman Nneka Ogwumike, 250
Sophomore Jeanette Pohlen, 246
Junior Jayne Appel, 234
Mel, 217

Altogether, they amassed 3,046 points. The total amount raised will be tallied later.

Harriet won the "Guess who'll sink the half-court shot" contest

FBC’s most spirited fan

Don Anderson, whose Photo Journal graces the FBC Web site, has been honored as the winner of the Fast Break Club’s Fan Spirit Award for 2008-09. He received the award Feb. 21 after the Oregon game.

According to the biographical information that accompanies his emotion-capturing photos of games, he is a retired health care consultant. Besides shooting for the FBC, he photographs for Bootleg, creates photo documentaries of theatrical presentations at Gunn High School in Palo Alto and does photographic projects for Momentum for Mental Health, a South Bay nonprofit.

The entire team attended the tent to help honor the FBC executive board, committee members and locker sponsors for Fan Appreciation Day. There even was a belated birthday gift for Scout, the older of coach Tara VanDerveer’s two golden retrievers.

FBC membership totals 584, said Eileen Roche, director of women’s basketball operations, adding that the FBC Web site is the envy of teams across the country. Besides cheering the team at games, FBC raises money for its activities. Proceeds from the wine tasting last fall, the auction earlier this winter and the shoot-a-thon on Feb. 23 will go toward the team’s trip to Italy, which starts Sept. 14, said associate head coach Amy Tucker.

Amy also gave an update on the condition of sophomore guard Hannah Donaghe, who tore not only her left ACL, as previously announced, but also her MCL. She sustained the injury during a practice when she caught the ball and landed wrong when trying to maneuver with it. There was no contact with anyone else. “It’s just one of those strange things,” Amy said. Hannah will have surgery after the swelling subsides. In the meantime, she’s getting lots of advice from teammates who also have had ACL injuries. “Hannah has a great attitude,” Amy said. Whether she’ll be able to travel to tournaments with the team will depend on what her doctors say, Tara said later.

After the fan appreciation festivities, Tara allowed the team to leave, then said to the audience, “You had to be a great fan to stay (for the game) today.” Even though Stanford won 68-49, “today was a challenge,” she said. When the Ducks pulled ahead to 12-6 about 7 minutes into the game, Tara pulled the entire starting five and sent in the top five bench players. Led by freshmen Nneka Ogwumike and Sarah Boothe, those players went on a 25-2 run, greatly pleasing the coach. She gradually returned the first five to the game and started the second half with them. “We started better in the second half,” she said.

“We didn’t have that kind of depth last year,” she said. Still, “we need all 12 healthy players. We don’t have a big margin for error,” she said, noting how young the team is with only one active senior – Jillian Harmon – on the roster. Still, “I have great confidence in our team,” she said. “They’re a great bunch of young women.”

Asked about the team’s struggles with 3-pointers, she said such shots are “almost like the cream. We’re a skim milk team.” The shot “will be there when we need it.”

Although the coach praised several players, she singled out junior center Jayne Appel, who had an uncharacteristically low 4 points. “I think Jayne is an All-American,” she said. Jayne has the stats to back that contention. Tara also praised freshman guard Lindy La Rocque, who will probably be remembered throughout her career for the dive she made to retrieve the ball and, still on her stomach, pass it to Jill for an easy layup in the Cal game Feb. 14. “Her ticket is being scrappy,” Tara said. “We call her Little General. She’s gaining confidence, and she’s a terrific team player.”

Fans have appreciated that everyone on the team is a team player. Sophomore forward Kayla Pedersen summed up that attitude in response to a question about her favorite part of the game of basketball. Her answer: “Playing with my teammates and spending every day with them.”

Fast Break Feud

In his first year as videographer for the women’s basketball team, Bud Anderson has become known for clever, creative videos. FBC saw another side of him Feb. 19 when he played game show host after the team’s 72-43 win over Oregon State.

After associate head coach Amy Tucker divided the room into cardinal and white halves, Bud explained the rules to the first two contestants.

One rule was that each contestant had to kiss Bud's cheek. The contestants responded with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

The contestants answered trivia questions about the Cardinal. The questions ranged from the easy – what’s the name of the group that dances at games (the Dollies) – to the more difficult – what two players are tied for most points in a game and how many points (Candice Wiggins and Kate Starbird, 44 points).

“Our team plays ‘Family Feud.’ too,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said. It gets very competitive before each game. Amy expanded on that in an e-mail: “The questions are based on the information in the scouting report, statistics and video from our opponent,” she wrote.

Besides showing his emcee skills, Bud talked about his work and praised his associate, intern Sarah Boruta, who films all practices and coordinates game films. “She works 60-70 hours a week,” he said.

Although Bud sometimes hires other people to help with filming, he challenged FBC members to count how many cameras were used in a video with five angles of Tara playing her grand piano at home while her two golden retrievers lounged on the hardwood floor next to her. The correct answer was one, thanks to his ingenuity and his editing program, Final Cut Pro, which he demonstrated.

Bud has musical talents, too. He’s a member of Hookslide, a men’s quartet that sings professionally and that has sung at Stanford events. (One of his videos on the Stanford You Tube site shows forward Michelle Harrison singing the National Anthem with the group at a men’s basketball game.)

He composes the music for the women’s videos and sings all six parts himself, mixing them at home in the morning. As for his ideas, “A lot of it comes off what the girls do,” he said. For example, guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude volunteered that she can say the “Peter Piper” tongue-twister at supersonic speeds, contributing to one of the popular “Totally Useless Talents” videos shown at games. He previewed two more, one showing guard Jeanette Pohlen juggling three balls and the other showing guard JJ Hones pretending to spray her hair.

Switching to somewhat more serious, but still fun, topic, Tara assessed the Cardinal’s 26th consecutive home victory: “This was a really important game for us,” she said, adding that Oregon State is “a very physical team,” but “we ran really well.”

“How about Jayne (Appel, center) running the floor, and Nneka (Ogwumike, forward)? Our kids love to play that way,” she said. She also credited Jeanette, who has taken over at the point after JJ suffered an ACL injury early in the season, for pushing the ball well. She added, “JJ’s doing very well.” She can start riding the exercise bike, and she made some good observations to the team during halftime.

Even though the team was coming off an impressive win over rival Cal last week, “We never try to get too high or too low,” the coach said. Instead, the team focused on its next game in this week’s practices. The one big downside was that sophomore guard Hannah Donaghe tore her left ACL in the Jan. 18 practice. She used crutches at the game or sat on the bench with her leg elevated, still cheering the team. She’ll have surgery in four to six weeks, Tara said.

Also on the health front, Tara was pleased that Jeanette could play so well despite sustaining a Mercedes logo-shaped cut on her forehead that required nine stitches near the end of the Cal game. Wearing a wide sweat band over her forehead, she started the Oregon State game and played a team-high 26 minutes. Tara also said that Nneka hopes to stop wearing her mask next week. It protects her broken nose, an injury sustained in practice.

As the Cardinal pulled ahead of Oregon State, Tara rested the starters and called on all of the bench players. They responded by increasing the lead, a good sign for the team. They have a good feel for where they’re supposed to be and where everyone else is, Tara said. Solid bench play means that the starters can play even harder knowing there are capable subs, she said.

Cardinal rain on Cal’s parade

The rains held off as hundred of fans lined up outside Maples Pavilion a half-hour before the gates opened on Valentine’s night. They continued to hold off as Fast Break Club members left the post-game tent in Kissick. But inside Maples, the Stanford women’s basketball team rained – and rained hard – on Cal’s parade to the Pac-10 season title.

The Cardinal used a second-half surge, along with gritty defense and some sparkplug plays, to knock off Cal 58-41 to share first place with six games to go before the Pac-10 tournament. “It was a great win for our team,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “Cal is an excellent team, much better than last year,” but “our conditioning paid off for us” in the second half when the Bears seemed to run out of gas while the Cardinal were rejuvenated.

Associate head coach Amy Tucker was the first to head over from the locker room. One of the first questions she fielded concerned the status of sophomore guard Jeanette Pohlen, who collided head-on with Cal’s Natasha Vital late in the second half. Jeanette suffered a cut on her forehead and had to be helped off the court. “She’s getting stitches right now,” Amy said, adding that Jeanette’s mother was with her.

The team’s emotional leaders, junior center Jayne Appel and senior forward Jillian Harmon, pitched in 22 and 18 points, respectively. “Jill’s a rock,” Amy said. “We count on her for her gritty, hard play.” Tara added, “Jayne really stepped it up.”

But what had the fans buzzing was the spark provided by freshman guard Lindy La Rocque, who “gave us a tremendous lift,” Amy said. “I’ve never seen a dive quite like that,” she said, referring to Lindy’s diving under a Cal player to go after a loose ball and then – still on her stomach – pitching it to Jillian, who went in for the layup. “It really turned the game around,” Tara said, noting that Lindy also made an important 3-pointer during her 18 minutes of play. To top it off, she led the team in steals with three.

Besides Lindy’s dive, fans were abuzz about junior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude’s defense against Alexis Gray-Lawson, limiting her to just 4 points. That’s the same Alexis Gray-Lawson who rattled off 37 points when the Bears beat Stanford 57-54 at Cal last month. “Ros really D’d it up on her,” Tara said. “I guess she doesn’t own us anymore.” Ros “was really fired up,” Amy said.

Another factor in the Cardinal victory was that assistant coach Kate Paye “scouted their plays really well,” Tara said. Consequently, Stanford was well prepared, she said, crediting the bench players for their invaluable role in the week’s practices. “This was a great win for our program,” she concluded.

Out of the spotlight, but still smiling

Junior center Jayne Appel has become a fixture at post-game press conferences, joining a teammate alongside head coach Tara VanDerveer. She’s almost always there because she’s the Stanford women’s basketball team’s leading scorer and rebounder.

That wasn’t the case Feb. 1, when UCLA’s hounding held her to 6 points, well below her average of 14.9 per game. Therefore, while forwards Jillian Harmon (17 points) and Kayla Pedersen (13 points) joined Tara in the media spotlight, associate head coach Amy Tucker brought Jayne to the FBC tent. “She was available today,” Amy said.

On the court, Jayne is as tough as they come, battling under the boards and intimidating opponents with her 6’4” height and her quickness. Off the court, she seems modest, almost shy, with a sweet smile. She saw limited playing time in the first half because she was tagged with two quick fouls. “You keep playing through them” and try to avoid them, she told an FBC fan.

Just like the teams, the referees have a half-time meeting with a referee coordinator to assess how they’re doing, Amy said. Sometimes they make adjustments as a result.

“It’s mentally more difficult” to be an upperclassman, Jayne said, because “there are more eyes on you.” She also knows she has a responsibility to help younger teammates improve their game. For example, when freshman guard Lindy La Rocque wasn’t exactly where she should have been during one play, Jayne spoke to her about it on the court. (During her freshman year, 2006-07, Jayne was tutored by Brooke Smith and Kristin Newlin, the team’s senior post duo.)

Although recent games have been physical, “these games aren’t as physical as the games in the pre-season” and in the NCAA tournament, she said, citing the team’s hard-fought victory over Pittsburgh last year.

Something else that was different about Jayne’s game against UCLA is that she was wearing a black sleeve on one knee. “It’s just a little sleeve to keep it warm,” she said.

Something that wasn’t different was her unselfish play. She and guard Jeanette Pohlen led the team in assists with six each. Jayne also hauled in five rebounds and recorded one block and one steal. “Jayne’s having an absolutely fabulous season for us,” Amy said.

After such a physical game, Tara said she was glad the team would have Monday off. She also was pleased that the team took such good care of the ball (only 13 turnovers to UCLA’s 19) and rebounded well (46 to UCLA’s 34). She credited good conditioning for the team’s fast pace. “Our pace is our offense and our defense,” she said.

It’s hard to imagine that Stanford could win when both Jayne and Jeanette (10 total points, but 0-7 on three-pointers) had off days, but other players stepped up, she said, citing Kayla and freshman forwards Nneka Ogwumike and Sarah Boothe. “Lindy had a big 3 for us,” she said. Nevertheless, “I hope some people shoot free throws tomorrow,” she said, after the team made only 10 of 22. The team’s goal is to make at least 75 percent of its free throws.

The nationally televised game was not “our best game of the season,” but NCAA officials responsible for tournament seeding “saw us win,” Tara said. “We missed open shots, but we did a lot of good things.”

Point guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude’s “shooting percentage is not what it needs to be, but her defense really helps us,” the coach said. “We need everyone to feel a sense of urgency like Jill. She’s being a great leader of our team. She’s all Pac-10 right now.” She added, “I’m enjoying how Jill’s playing her senior year. What a great kid she is. I expect her to keep doing what she’s doing.”

For the team overall, “I see big improvements since we played Cal” and lost, Tara said. Nevertheless, “we don’t have a big margin for error. There are no gimmes.”

So many applicants, so few slots

Some 30,348 high school seniors have applied for admission to Stanford next fall. That’s a 20 percent increase over last year and the largest applicant pool ever. However, fewer than 8 percent of them will be allowed to fill the 1,670 slots available for the class of 2013. And unlike the situation at many other universities, no slots are ever reserved for athletes. Therefore, the coaches of Stanford’s 35 varsity sports can only hope that the athletes they’d been recruiting and coveting successfully get through the admissions office’s rigorous review process.

That’s the bottom line, according to Kiyoe Hashimoto, assistant dean of admissions, who spoke to the Fast Break Club after the women’s basketball team’s victory over visiting USC. Kiyoe serves as the admissions office’s liaison to varsity sports. She and her 27 colleagues also divide applications geographically, so in addition to athletes, she reviews applicants from other countries and Massachusetts.

Kiyoe works closely with the coaches and emphasizes two major themes – communication and trust. Although some applicants are still awaiting acceptance, others, including most athletes, know their status because she reviews their transcripts fairly early in the process because of NCAA deadlines for letters of intent. In fact, assistant head coach Amy Tucker, who coordinates recruiting for the women’s basketball team, already had some high school juniors’ transcripts for Kiyoe to read.

Kiyoe and her colleagues want to make sure that the athletes can make an informed decision before committing to Stanford. They don’t want to lead them on if they won’t be a good fit for the university. Likewise, they don’t want the coaches to expend time and money recruiting these athletes. That’s where communication comes in.

Trust between her office and the coaches means that “we trust that they’re bringing us the best student athletes out there,” she said. The coaches have to trust that her office will select student athletes who are right for Stanford.

In reviewing applicants, admissions officers look at grades, the kinds of classes such as advanced placement or honors, and scores on standardized tests for the first cut. The common application used by Stanford and hundreds of other schools also requires the applicant to write an essay and receive recommendations from two academic teachers. On top of that, Stanford’s supplemental application asks questions about books read, favorite music and historical events that the student would have liked to witness. Then it calls for three more essays.

“It’s a holistic process. It’s not just about the numbers. We’re looking for intangible qualities” such as intellectual curiosity and humor, she said. They want to know if the student is a nice person and if he or she is a team player.

Each application is read by three people. The first might be someone who’s familiar with the student’s geographic area. Kiyoe is the second reader. The third reader is the dean of admissions and financial aid.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer noted that when she applied for her job at Stanford, her first meeting was with the dean of admissions. “We work very closely with the admissions office,” she said. “They know what they’re doing.”

She also confirmed Stanford’s unwavering policy that athletes must go through the admissions process just like anyone else. She recalled the time when the office rejected a prized recruit, but when she asked the admissions officer about the rejection, she was told, “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” End of discussion.

Turning her comments to that night’s 81-53 win over USC, Tara had nothing but praise for freshman forward Sarah Boothe, who had a career-high 16 points to go with six rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in 19 minutes of playing time. “This was a breakout game for Sarah,” she said, noting that Sarah’s mother was at the game. It was the first time she had been at a game to see Sarah playing in a Stanford uniform. She also planned to use the weekend to go shopping with Sarah and decorate her room, which had been provided with only the necessities when Sarah’s father accompanied her to campus from their home in Gurnee, Ill., last fall.

Tara also complimented Sarah’s teammates, especially guard Jeanette Pohlen, who “did a really nice job for us.” The coach also was pleased that “we rebound, we run,” but there were too many turnovers – 22. “That gives us something to work on in practice,” she said. She attributed part of the reason for Sarah’s progress through the season to junior center Jayne Appel, Sarah’s fellow post player. “Jayne helps Sarah,” she said.

Besides the play of Sarah, Jeanette and Jayne, Tara cited solid contributions by forwards Kayla Pedersen, Jillian Harmon and Nneka Ogwumike, along with guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude. She said she’s hoping at least one more player will step up consistently.