The Coach as a Cheer Leader – How to Respond to Tough Losses

 

Warren Grimes

I’m a career teacher.  I’ve learned that enthusiasm is a key to good teaching.   If I announce that today’s class will be a yawner, students won’t be optimal learners.  Being a cheer leader is even more important for a coach.  Win or lose, staying optimistic and focused is vital if the coach hopes to motivate players to continue to work hard and develop their skills. 

In the past two weekends, Stanford split games, winning two against relatively weak opponents, and losing two hard-fought games against more elite teams.  The losses came against Duke (home) and Syracuse (away).  Both losses were deflating, in part because anyone watching those games could see the intensity of Stanford players.  That was evident, for example, in the rebounding statistics.  Stanford outboarded Duke 43-37 and had a 40-32 advantage against Syracuse.  Stanford players played with heart and focus and still came up short.

So what does a coach say to her team after difficult losses?  Anyone who has watched a losing coach’s press conference knows the drill.  The coach talks about what players can learn from the game and how to improve for the next one.   The goal is always to get the team to peak by season’s end. 

So is this Stanford team getting better?   There are obvious signs that it is.  Take rebounding.  Stanford continues to win rebounding battles, but with a difference.  Coming off the bench, Alexandra Eschmeyer had 11 boards against Wake Forest and 6 against Duke.  And the guards are seizing opportunities to grab loose balls while the bigs are blocking one another out.  Shay Ijiwoye has darted in from the perimeter to grab 5 boards against both Wake Forest and Boston College.  Chloe Clardy had 4 boards each against Duke and Syracuse.

Another example of improvement is Lara Somfai.  She had an off game against Duke, shooting 1 for 9 and playing less than 17 minutes.  Perhaps learning to take what the defense gives you, Somfai scored a team-high 17 points against Syracuse.  If the Syracuse defense is focusing on Nunu Agara, take advantage.  Somfai did exactly that.

Freshmen, with more to learn, generally have the fastest learning curve.  Hailee Swain had 15 points, 7 boards, 2 steals and an assist against Boston College.  The coaches deservedly gave her the most minutes of any player.  The next game against Syracuse was not so good – 0/6 shooting and 1 rebound in 22 minutes.  Swain will learn from these back-to-back experiences.  Her evolution will be critical for Stanford’s late season performance.

Alexandra Eschmeyer is still up and down as a freshman performer, but she too is showing signs of being a force.   Against Duke, she played 28 minutes, scored 10 points, had 6 rebounds, and is credited with 5 solo or assisted blocks. 

Meanwhile, the trio of juniors, Nunu Agara, Chloe Clardy, and Courtney Ogden, now occupy the top three spots in season scoring.  To make the offense more potent, each of those three and other players, including the three top-ranked freshmen, must learn how to seamlessly and quickly take what the defense is giving.  A lot of teams have followed NC State in clogging the middle.  Syracuse did that and occasionally used a zone.  By season’s end, the team needs to respond to defensive strategies quickly and without a word spoken.

Stanford now stays in the Bay Area for a road game against Cal and two tough at home matchups against Louisville and Notre Dame.  Here’s to continued improvement and some wins!

Blow-Out Loss -- Then the Best Win of the Season: Stanford in North Carolina

 

Warren Grimes

Coach Paye tells us she really likes this team.  A lot of coaches say that, but some really mean it.  After the bounce-back weekend for this Stanford team, of course Paye means it.  The thing about liking your team is that it’s a mutual kind of thing.  If a coach likes her team, it’s going to be reciprocal.  This Stanford team plays hard for themselves and their coach because the environment is one of mutual respect and appreciation. 

The North Carolina road trip began with a major slap-down, a 74 to 46 loss against NC State.  It was a cold shooting night for Stanford – just 30% overall with 15 straight misses in the second half.  Against a sagging NC State defense, three-point shooting would have been a remedy.  From distance, however, the team converted just 17% of its 23 attempts.   Stanford was decisively out boarded and had only 7 points from the bench.  One reason for that was the absence of Chloe Clardy on concussion protocol.

While the NC State game was being played, Clardy was on a plane to North Carolina to rejoin the team.  Her return was a good sign, and Stanford showed up ready to play on Sunday.  The North Carolina Tarheels did not sag on defense, creating a markedly different challenge.  While Stanford trailed for most of this game, they fought throughout and never trailed by more than 7 points.   They won the fourth quarter, and had a shot at winning in regulation (Clardy missed a last second contested layup). 

In overtime, playing without Nunu Agara, they got the edge and then converted free throws to seal a 77-72 victory.  Agara had foul trouble, was limited to 6 points and 4 boards, and played only 18 minutes.  The win was genuinely a team win, with 9 players playing meaningful minutes.  Ogden had a team high 21 and made lots of critical shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.  Somfai had 13 points and 8 boards.  The third and fourth highest scorers came from the bench – Clardy had 12 points (and a team high 9 boards) while Alex Eschmeyer added 10 points in just under 8 minutes.  Her role was pivotal with Agara on the bench in most of the fourth quarter and overtime.  Overall, the team shot 45% and 35% from distance.  Stanford guards had 18 of the team’s 40 rebounds.  That had to be more than an accident -- the coaches gave the guards a green light to find the gaps between bigs busy blocking one another out.  What a difference from NC State.

Yes, this was a big win, on the road against the 17^th ranked team in the nation.  It was a depressing loss for former Stanford player, point guard Indya Nivar, who led the Tarheels with 3 assists and 4 steals.  North Carolina had leads of 7 points several times and led for almost 34 minutes of this game.  In the fourth quarter and overtime, they could not match Stanford’s intensity and team chemistry.

In a tie game that goes to overtime, every play by every player can be pivotal.  A fair account of this win, however, is not complete without mention of Shay “The Disruptor” Ijiwoye.  She had a very positive stat line: 5 boards, 4 points, 1 assist and 1 steal.  The 5 boards are impressive for the smallest player on the team, but stats don’t tell the full story for this player because her disruptive role often doesn’t show in statistics.   My favorite play?  Late in overtime, Ijiwoye came storming in from the perimeter to grab an offensive board from the bigs on both teams, put up and missed a follow-up shot, then grabbed her own board only to be double-teamed by Carolina players.  She fought off both, barely managed to get the ball to Talana Lepolo, who fed Ogden on the perimeter.  At this point, Carolina defenders were distracted.  Ogden had an open lane for a left-handed layup, giving Stanford a four-point lead that the team padded with last-minute free throw conversions.  That was it.

Yes, Ijiwoye is just one of the nine players who made a difference in this upset win.  But Shay is quick, strong, has hops, and, most of all, non-stop intensity.  She's an important part of Stanford chemistry that makes this team a contender. 

December Report: Courtney Ogden, Consistency, and a Coalescing Team

 

Warren Grimes

December began with a tough loss to Tennessee but ended on a high note for this young Stanford team.  Stanford won three games against serious opponents, all former Pac 12 rivals (California, Washington, and Oregon).   It ended with an 82-50 win over a good but overmatched Cornell team.

More than anything else, the last four games showed the emergence of Courtney “Smooth-Operator” Ogden.  Her game has long shown promise.  Ogden was a Pac-12 honorable mention all-freshman her first year.  She saw more time including a late season start in her sophomore year.  But Ogden really emerged from the shadows against Cal when she had her 25-point career day.  In the last four games, Ogden has averaged 18 points, more than any other Stanford player. 

Coach Paye says that Ogden is in basketball heaven because she has permission to launch any open shot.  Ogden has moved from 5^th to 4^th in season scoring totals and, if she can continue at this level, will move still higher.  More than just the point totals, the real promise of this player is her ability to score in a variety of creative ways, play defense, and generate turnovers.   Watching Ogden maneuver with confidence to create shots brings back memories of another high-scoring Stanford forward – Haley Jones.  Ogden’s emergence as a junior is well timed to give Stanford a more diversified offense entering the conference season.

In each of the three games against former Pac-12 opponents, Stanford needed inspiration going into the fourth quarter.  To find this, the coaches chose to call not Ghost Busters, but the “Disruptor,” a.k.a. Shay Ijiwoye.  Shortest member of the team, yes, but no player is taller in spirit.  Ijiwoye is strong, quick, and highly motivated.  She defends, steals, and scores breakaway layups, and does this in a manner that inspires teammates.  Ijiwoye has 11 steals this season, well behind Chloe Clardy’s 25.  But on a per minute basis, Ijiwoye has .09 steals per minute to Clardy’s .06.   Ijiwoye also manages to generate opponent turnovers even when she is not credited with a steal.  On defense, she can alternate between in-your-face guarding and backing off an opponent to unexpectedly leap to deflect an attempted pass.

Ijiwoye has been a regular in the rotation but unexpectedly did not play in three consecutive games (against CSU, Tennessee, and California).  Whatever the reason, she came back with a purpose to be a difference-maker against Washington, Oregon, and Cornell.  One perhaps unexpected strength of Ijiwoye’s game is her ability as a rebounding guard.  Her 10 boards give her .084 boards per minute, above Talana Lepolo’s .044 pace and on a par with the taller Hailey Swain’s .088 boards per minute.

One feature of this season’s team is the consistency in the starting lineup.  Perhaps a slight difference from her predecessor, Coach Paye has started the same players in every game but one.  Against Washington, Nunu Agara did not start or play because of an injury.  

The two freshmen in the starting lineup, Lara Somfai and Hailee Swain, have had to deal with turnovers, but have shown marked improvement since the Tennessee game.  Meanwhile, Somfai is the leading rebounder, specializing in defensive boards.  When foul trouble has not limited her minutes, Stanford has consistently out-boarded opponents.  Somfai is also the team’s leading shot blocker and third leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points per game.  She again received the ACC freshman of the week designation this week, the third time she has won it by herself or with another freshman.

Hailee Swain is not far behind.  She’s close to a double-digit scoring average (9.6 per game).  Her three-point shooting has been a disappointment so far but Swain’s ability to defend, steal and create show great promise.  Swain is likely to be a major player in Stanford’s fast break offense and a creator when the shot clock is winding down.

Indeed, the entire team shows signs of coalescing.  Fourth quarter performance against each of the three Pac-12 rivals was impressive.  Stanford will be the underdog in its upcoming road games against North Carolina State and North Carolina.  Regardless of rankings, no opponent can afford to take Stanford for granted.

 

 

Courtney Ogden Electrifies Maples: A Career Day Against a Very Good Cal Team

 

Warren Grimes

The Cal Bears are a blossoming women’s basketball team.  That’s somewhat surprising, given that their starting lineup consists of four players not on last year’s team.  Two are freshmen. Tayor Barnes played for 38 plus minutes scoring 16 points and Aliyahna Morris played for 37 minutes contributing 12 points.  Both freshmen are three-point shooters.  Two more starters are transfers.  Sakima Morris is a 6’5” big who transferred from South Carolina. Morris was a defensive presence who, once she got position, was almost impossible to stop on offense.  And Miracle Sheppard came to Cal from LSU, playing for 30 minutes and scoring 9 points. 

How good is Cal?  Well, they scored 69 points against a stingy Stanford defense.  That’s the largest amount Stanford has allowed against any opponent this season.  Tennessee bested Stanford but could only put up 65.   Cudos to Charmin Smith for recruiting this team and getting them to play together.   Smith must deal with the NIL world of transfers but seems to do it well.  Like Stanford, Cal is a young team with great growth potential.  They are going to make life difficult for ACC opponents.

Stanford prevailed over Cal despite a five-point deficit early in the fourth quarter.   Courtney Ogden was a standout in this Stanford victory.  Her career-high 25 points, supplemented by 7 boards, 2 assists, and 0 turnovers, came with 36 minutes on the floor, the most of any Stanford player.   Ogden may have benefited because the Cal defense was focused on others (Agara, Clardy, and Somfai are Stanford’s top scorers this season) but give Courtney credit for exploiting whatever the defense gave her.  Ogden scored from everywhere, including an early-game three-pointer.  She followed up with lots of creative drives to the basket converting both uncontested layups and contested shots that resulted in an “and-one.”  My two favorite shots were a runner, launched with touch in the last seconds of the first half, and a falling back jumper that commentator Mary Murphy called a WNBA shot.  Another strength of Ogden’s game was her efficiency.  She converted on 10 of 12 shots from the field and made 4 of 5 free throws.  This came during a game when her mates were missing a lot of close in shots (Stanford shot just 44% for the game).

So why is Ogden’s performance important?  Diversity is essential for a great team.  When the defense focuses on interior mainstays like Agara and Somfai, the team needs options.  Both Agara and Somfai can shoot threes, so they can clear out to allow a player like Ogden to move and create.  Ogden’s game could also be a model for a player like Hailey Swain, who has speed, quickness, and the ability to create.  Finally, Ogden may be finding her voice as a team leader.  That too should contribute to making Stanford a top ten team.

Both Ogden (POW) and Lara Somfai (FOW) received conference awards for their performances last Sunday.  Somfai had another double-double (12 points and 13 boards).  She also converted 2 of 3 three-point shots.  Somfai’s outside shooting will be critical if a defense collapses in the middle.  Meanwhile, Somfai has now caught and surpassed Agara in total rebounds.  She also had 3 blocks and 2 block assists against Cal.

Stanford seems to have settled into an eight-player rotation in hotly contested games.  Chloe Clardy comes off the bench but typically gets more minutes than some of the starters.  She had 13 points against Cal, including 3 of 4 three-point shots.  The other two off the bench have been Alex Eschmeyer and Mary Ashley Stevenson. 

With all the young talent on this team, nothing is chiseled in stone.  Enjoy the run and expect the unexpected.  A tough game against another very good team, Washington, is next.

The Season Gets Serious -- Where Is This Team?

 

Warren Grimes

Last season, Stanford started out well, winning against weaker opponents and coming close to upsetting LSU on their home court.  Then things got tough.  Stanford had a losing record in the ACC and failed to make the Big Dance.

This season, Stanford has had another strong start, losing only in competitive games against FGCU and Tennessee.  The ACC season begins later this week against Cal, a team that bested Stanford twice last year.  Uncertainty and tough games ahead, but I’m betting on Stanford bettering last season’s conference season by a significant margin. 

One reason for optimism: Stanford has two freshmen in the starting lineup that should have a rapid learning curve.  Coach Paye has shown confidence in Hailee Swain and Lara Somfai, keeping them in the starting lineup through mistakes and learning issues. 

Somfai has already impressed with her interior toughness.  She’s the team’s second leading rebounder (averaging 8.6 per game) and third leading scorer (10.7 per game).  Somfai had foul trouble against FGCU and Tennessee.  When able to stay on the floor, she is a beast on the boards, gathering 16 against CSU.  Staying near the basket on defense, Somfai has specialized in defensive boards, leading Agara 69 to 54 in this category. 

Both Somfai and her fellow starting freshmen Swain are shooting below 20% from the three-point line, something likely to improve with experience.  Swain is the real deal, showing that she can play big when it matters.  Against Tennessee, Swain converted her only three-point attempt and contributed 14 points (tied for team high) while adding 7 boards and 3 assists.

Juniors Nunu Agara, Chloe Clardy, and Courtney Ogden are the 1^st, 2^nd, and 5^th leading scorers on the team.  All three of them are converting 3-point shots at 30% or higher.  Agara is the leading offensive rebounder while Clardy, coming off the bench, is a leader in assists and steals.  Clardy scored the winning basket in a last second drive to the hoop against CSU. 

There are a lot of other moving parts to the puzzle that will carry Stanford against ACC opposition.  Tennessee won against Stanford because they forced 30 turnovers that generated 25 points.  Cut down those numbers by a third and Stanford could easily have bested Tennessee.  Talana Lepolo had 3 assists, and 2 steals against only 2 turnovers against the Volunteers.  I’m excited to see whether and how three other talented freshmen can contribute, including Alex Eschmeyer who is shooting threes at 40% and is a leader in blocks, Carly Amborn, who is shooting 100% on threes (6 for 6), and Nora Ezike, who got limited minutes because of an injury but has ample talent to be a major contributor.

Bring it on!

It’s Not Just Defense: Stanford Unveils New 98-Point Offense

 

Warren Grimes

Coach Paye has repeatedly reminded us that defense and rebounding are the keys to success.  Good point.  The team has compiled a 7-0 start by allowing opponents an average of just 48.7 points per game.  It has also doubled the rebounds of several opponents and has an average 16.3 boards per game advantage over opponents.  There is, however, more to the story.

Against Lehigh, a tournament team last year, Stanford won by 55 points.  Part of this formula was holding the Mountain Hawks to just 43 points.  Also important was the 98 points that Stanford scored.  Yes, that point total was sparked by turnovers and good defense, but there was also the matter of a great offensive performance.

Nunu Agara was a standout.  She had a season-high 24 points while converting every one of her 10 shots (one was a three-pointer).  Agara is not only back; she’s better than ever.  Previously against UC Davis, Agara had 16 points and 16 boards.  Her intensity and focus has now given her the team lead in points per game (14.9) to go along with her leading rebounds per game average (8.7).

Of course, it wasn’t just Agara.  Four other players were in double digit territory, including fellow junior Mary Ashley Stevenson (10 points).   The other three were freshmen: Lara Somfai added 15 points; Hailee Swaine had 12 and Carly Amborn had 10.  I liked the more diverse nature of Swaine’s points, with drives that ended with creative shot making and a stop-and-pop jump shot. 

By far the most surprising addition to double digit scoring was Carly Amborn, who played just over seven minutes in the fourth quarter.  Amborn may have discovered the missing 11th commandment: Thou shalt not miss!  She has yet to miss a shot this season.  She’s made all five of her three-point shots and all six of her free throws.  Two-point shots?   Hasn’t taken any, but why bother.  Amborn also contributed 4 boards and an assist in the 7 minutes she played.  Yes, some of her floor time was against Lehigh reserves, but this sort of performance should win her more floor time.

Lara Somfai is the team’s second leading rebounder and third leading scorer, and she continues to get better.  Alexander Eschmeyer led the team in rebounds against Lehigh and is tied with Somfai in blocks (7 each). 

The bottom line on the offensive display against Lehigh was fast break points, the crisp interior passing and improved three-point shooting (54% for the game).  Five different players converted three-pointers, with Chloe Clardy and Amborn getting two each.

Then there’s the Stanford depth, something that will be needed when Stanford plays two games in two days this weekend in Las Vegas.

Road Trip: Junior Jubilee

 

Warren Grimes

In a preseason statement to the press, Coach Kate Paye, after praising the talented incoming freshmen, said that the team, when the going got tough, would still rely on its veteran players to get it done.   That statement was prescient for the two-game road trip to the Northwest.   The veterans, particularly four junior players, played a huge role in victories over Washington State and Gonzaga.

Let’s start with Chloe Clardy, a player who has yet to start a single game this season.  Don’t be fooled.  Clardy comes off the bench to be, arguably, the most productive player on the team.  Clardy leads the team in minutes (30 min. per game), in scoring (13.2 per game), and in three-point conversions.  That’s just for starters.  Clardy has more than twice as many steals as any other teammate.  She’s a close second to Talana Lepolo in assists.  And she’s shooting free throws at 87.5%.  How many times have you seen statistics like that for a player that isn’t in the starting lineup?

If you are an opponent, Clardy will break your heart.  Against Gonzaga, a lurking Clardy stole an inbound pass and immediately put in an under-the-basket, falling-down shot that sparked a late first half turnaround for Stanford, closing a 12-point Gonzaga advantage to just 2 points at the end of the half.  Clardy scored a team-high 20 points against the Zags.

The list of juniors who excelled on this road trip goes on.   Nunu Agara showed fire and intensity in putting up a double-double against the Zags.   She had 16 points and 11 boards to go along with 2 blocks and 3 steals. Her focused second-half performance was vital to Stanford overcoming a deficit and pulling away to a comfortable margin.

Next on the list is Courtney Ogden.  It’s worth recalling that Ogden was the highest ranked high school recruit (5 stars) in her Stanford freshman class.  Always competitive, Ogden began showing moxie at the end of last season, earning a starting position in the final game.  This season, Ogden started all 5 games but had so-so stats for the first two games.  That changed against Cal Poly where a more intense Ogden appeared.  She had 12 points, 5 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals in that game.  That more motivated Ogden reappeared against Gonzaga with 14 points and 6 boards accompanied by a block and a steal.  Ogden showed shot-making creativity in several drives to the basket. Over the last three games, Ogden is averaging double digit scoring (10.3 per game).

The last junior to make a major contribution was Mary Ashley Stevenson whose unselfish but intense play led to 24 minutes against Washington State and 31 minutes against Gonzaga.  She contributed points, boards and assists in both games.  Collectively these four juniors contributed 54 of the team’s 65 points (83% of the team’s total) against the Zags.

Meanwhile, the freshmen aren’t going away.  Hailee Swain led the team with 10 points against Washington State.  Inspired by their junior teammates, interior players Lara Somfai and Alexandra Eschmeyer can only get better.

After Three Games, Balance, Depth and Some Questions

 

Warren Grimes

Stanford has won its three opening games.  All were home games against talented but unranked opponents.   The average margin over these three opponents was 33.6 points.  In the most intense of these contests, Santa Clara managed to hold Stanford to a single digit lead until the final 4 minutes of the game. 

This young Stanford team has balance and depth.  Seven players are averaging 17 or more minutes on the floor.  Four players have double digit scoring averages, including freshmen starters Lara Somfai and Hailee Swain.   No one is dominating scoring stats.   Somfai leads the way with a double-double average (14.3 points and 10.3 boards), followed by veterans Nunu Agara (13 points), Chloe Clardy (12.7 points) and freshman Hailee Swain (12.3 points).  Just below the double-digit threshold are Talana Lepolo (8.7 points) and Alexandra Eschmeyer (8 points).

Although this margin will likely fall as stronger opponents are scheduled, the team is averaging 19 more boards than its opponents.   Two of the top three rebounders are freshmen: Somfai is averaging 10.3 followed by Agara’s 7.3 and Eschmeyer’s 6.7.

Two of the team’s top performers have come off the bench in all three games.  Chloe Clardy has more total minutes than anyone else (29.5 average), is third in scoring, leads the team in steals, and is tied for the lead in three-point conversions.  Clardy is a personal favorite – smooth and relentless.  Eschmeyer is also coming off the bench to be an interior force who has converted from the outside (2 of 3 three-pointers so far).  Eschmeyer failed to score in the Cal Poly game but still contributed (3 boards and 3 impressive assists). 

Another strong point so far is the team’s 81 percent free throw shooting.  I expect this team to draw its share of fouls, so conversions will be vital for success.  Stanford also has go-to players who can create as the shot clock winds down.  Nunu Agara is a proven asset but is now joined by freshmen Hailee Swain and Lara Somfai.

There are still questions.  The team has played multiple minutes with three guards on the floor (Lepolo, Swain and Clardy).  That offense should work well depending on the opponent.  Against taller teams, a different lineup may be needed.  At 6’1”, starting forward Courtney Ogden showed moxie at the end of last season but has started slowly this season.  She came alive against Cal Poly scoring 12 with 7 rebounds.  Her defensive skills, height and flexibility on offense are vital parts of the starting lineup.  Ogden is second on the team in blocks (after Eschmeyer).  To be a top team, Stanford needs consistency from Ogden. 

There is still much improvement to be had, including from players who have yet to leave a significant mark.   Freshman Carly Amborn has played less than 9 minutes so far, but she’s 3 for 3 from three-point range.  Will she win more playing time against zone defenses?

The biggest question facing  this young team is how they will perform on the road against tougher opponents.  That question will be answered shortly as Stanford heads north to play Washington State and Gonzaga.

Building a Great Team: Getting the Most From What You Have

 

Warren Grimes

Imagine a school for coaches.  Students attend this school to hone their coaching skills.  Each might be given a group of young athletes with the challenge of developing them into a great team.  A student’s success would be measured by how well their team performed.

The challenge that Kate Paye and her staff confront in guiding the diverse and talented members of this young Stanford women’s basketball team would be a great exercise for the students at the school. Of course, there is no such school.  Last Wednesday, however, we were given a window into the team-development process in Stanford’s exhibition game victory over Cal State LA.  The exhibition game reveals some of the coaches thinking about who the strong players are and how to fit the pieces together.

As outsiders, we learned in the exhibition game which players got major minutes.  The starters were three veterans and two freshmen: Talana Lepolo and Hailee Swain at the guard positions, Courtney Ogden and Lara Somfai as forwards and Nunu Agara as a center/forward.  Four other players came off the bench to get extensive minutes: freshman Alexandra Eschmeyer and veterans Chloe Clardy, Shay Ijiwoye, and Mary Ashley Stevenson.  For now at least, while not foreclosing others, the coaches are banking on this group of nine.

The overall goal of the process is getting the most from what you have.  The most minutes were given to veterans Clardy (28 minutes), Agara (25 minutes) and Lepolo (24 minutes).  Roughly 20 minutes of playing time went to each of three freshmen (Eschmeyer, Somfai, and Swaine).  A closer look suggests how the coaches hope to exploit the inherent strengths of these players.

Exploiting the Speed, Defensive Skills, and Offensive Potential of Stanford Guards

In a post game press conference, Coach Paye spoke of a strong four-guard rotation.  Indeed, this is an exceptional group, made up of freshman Swaine and veterans Lepolo, Clardy, and Ijiwoye.  Defense, speed, and transition appear to be high on the list of the coaches’ strategic goals.

Swaine is a top ten high school recruit with exceptional speed and a flair for defense.   In the exhibition game Swaine used her quickness to score the game’s first points and a total of 8 points in the first quarter.  On defense, Swain had 2 steals.  Swain’s shooting percentage could improve – she missed some creative breakaway shots.  Speed disciplined by a determined finish should solve this problem.  Swain has great potential to be a go-to player and a defensive leader.    

Chloe Clardy was not in the starting lineup, but she ended up playing a game high 28 minutes.  That was well deserved, and not unanticipated.  Clardy was the team’s top scorer in the ACC portion of last year’s schedule.  In the exhibition, she scored a team high 20 points along with 6 boards, 2 assists, a steal and a block.  In her junior season, Clardy is on course to be one of Stanford’s all-time great guards.

Lepolo was an underrated high school recruit who as a freshman earned the starting point guard position because of her court vision, leadership, and passing skills.  After an off-year hindered by injuries, she’s back in her final year and competitive as ever.  She was given 24 minutes for good reason. 

Ijiwoye is a favorite because of her fire and quickness.  The shortest player on the team at 5’ 6”, she is one of the best rebounding guards (she had 5 boards in just 13 minutes in the exhibition).  She had 3 assists and 2 steals to go along with her two points. Ijiwoye is everywhere and a spark plug.

Exploiting the Talent, Size and Unselfishness of Stanford Interior Players

Looking at the interior, Stanford has more height and prowess in the interior than last year.  Three veterans are back, starting with junior Nunu Agara, a preseason ACC all conference pick.  Agara is powerful and quick, a very difficult one-on-one assignment for opponents.  She can score with power inside and shoot from the outside.

Courtney Ogden and Mary Ashley Stevenson are veterans who can shoot, rebound, and defend.  They have real game experience and will be part of the interior rotation. 

Additional excitement comes in the form of two high school All-Americans in the freshman class.  Lara Somfai is strong, athletic, and gifted.  At 6’3”, she has a good handle to drive the basket, can shoot the three-point shot, and can battle on the interior.  In 21 minutes of exhibition play, Somfai got a double-double (13 points and 10 boards).  Agara will no longer be the only strong rebounding presence.

More help comes from Alexandra Eschmeyer.  At 6’5”, she can shoot the three ball and score on the inside.  Eschmeyer used her 20 minutes of exhibition play to score 8 points, grab 5 boards, and demonstrate passing skills to assist on 3 baskets. 

All these inside players are unselfish and excellent interior passers.  The more dominant Stanford’s interior game, the more opportunity there will be for perimeter shooting (something not yet clicking in the exhibition).

Exploiting the Intangibles of Individual Players

Lexie Hull is one of my favorites of the past.  Speaking of intrasquad games, Coach VanDerveer once remarked that the team that had Lexie Hull always won.  Hull could score, rebound, and defend (she was a theft artist), but wasn’t usually the best in any of these categories.  What really set Hull apart was focus and competitiveness.  In the 2021 national championship run, Stanford had Kiana Williams, Haley Jones, and Cameron Brink, but could not have won the NCAA championship without the focused and never-say-die contribution of Lexie Hull (another soft-spoken exceptional and essential player on that team was Anna Wilson).

The intangibles that Hull brought to the game are part of the chemistry of this year’s squad.  Look at Shay Ijiwoye’s spark plug contributions in 13 minutes in the exhibition.  Or look at Talana Lepolo’s quiet leadership in her 24 minutes.  She took only one three-point shot (and made it), had 7 total points and 3 boards, and is credited with only one assist.  Hardly mind-boggling stats, but Lepolo is one of these players that seems to make everyone around her better.  She makes few mistakes (no turnovers in the exhibition). 

The coaches who observe daily practices are in the best position to assess these intangibles--and put these players on the floor to help build a winning team.

The Preseason: Rank Rankings Should Not Undermine Legitimate Excitement

 

Warren Grimes

Stanford women’s basketball enters the upcoming season without a top 25 preseason ranking.  That’s not unexpected.  ACC coaches picked last year’s team to finish in 7^th place. The team managed only an 11^th place finish.   They struggled to maintain an above .500 winning percentage, saw a long streak of NCAA tournament appearances end, and lost twice to Cal.  I still loved that team for its moxie and fight.  Stanford lost its top three scorers from the previous year and suffered a mid-season injury to its top scorer and rebounder (Nunu Agara). 

The reasons for preseason excitement include anticipated improved play from returning veterans such as Agara, Chloe Clardy, Courtney Ogden, Ashley Stevenson, and Shay Ijiwoye, the apparent recovery of point guard Talano Lepolo, and perhaps, most of all, the injection of five new freshmen, three of whom were high school All Americans.  Hailee Swaine is a top ten guard recruit who could be a team leader in scoring and defense.  The other two McDonald’s All Americans, 6’4” Lara Somfai and 6’5” Alexandra  Eschmeyer, have inside moves, can run the floor, and shoot three pointers.  Two other freshmen could diversify the team’s offense.  Carly Amborn, at 6’2’, is an outside shooter who seems suited to the three position.  And 6’2” Nora Ezike, as a member of the Nigerian women’s under-19 team, generated excitement this summer by humiliating the Chinese team with athletic second half moves that resulted in Nigeria’s upset win.  All these players could easily become part of a late season rotation that plays 10 or more minutes per game. 

So yes, there’s sound reason for optimism and excitement.  Coach Paye says that the depth of talent on the team will lead to more competitive and intense practices.

Is any of this reflected in the preseason rankings?  Apparently not.  One recent poll selected five ACC teams in the top 20: Duke (#8), NC State (#9), North Carolina (#10), Louisville (#17), and Notre Dame (#18).  Stanford was not in the top 25.  When the ACC conference rankings come out, this pattern suggests that Stanford could be selected for, at best, a 6^th place conference finish. 

All rankings are suspect, but none more so than those made in the preseason.  Such ratings, like other ratings, are a democratic process of compiling the selections of sports writers or coaches, each of whom may know a lot more about basketball than this writer.  These experts likely know a lot about the players in conferences that they closely follow.  They may also know, from media coverage, something about the strengths of top teams in the country.  What they lack is detailed knowledge about each of the 100 plus teams eligible for consideration in a nationwide poll.

When a pundit or coach passes judgment on relatively unknown teams, the voter is likely to fall back on reputation and last year’s performance.  College teams, however, change every year.  Underclassmen develop new skills, veteran players graduate, and incoming freshmen add to the mix.  Stanford’s WBB team for the upcoming season will have vastly different personnel from last year’s team (four players lost and five new ones added), so even those who follow the team closely would have difficulty making accurate predictions. 

As a matter of mathematics, rankings are likely to be less precise as you move from top 5 teams down the scale.  There may be only 5 teams that win 90% of their games, but a larger number (say 20 teams) that win 80% of the time.  That means more nuanced decisions to make as you move from top 10 to top 20 teams.   This effect may be exacerbated because those doing the rankings may have less knowledge of teams with fewer wins.

Finally, there is the issue of being a relatively new member of a conference dominated by east coast teams.  One could expect that writers and coaches involved in the ACC conference would tend to support other conference teams in making rating selections for a national poll.  There is a built-in bias to support fellow conference teams.  But many of these coaches and writers do not know Stanford tradition and strengths, perhaps relying instead upon last year’s results.

This bias won’t just affect women’s basketball.  Consider the current season for women’s soccer, where Stanford has started the season at a record-setting pace.  In the preseason rankings, ACC coaches picked Stanford to finish fifth, behind North Carolina, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Duke.  The season is still young, but so far, Stanford women’s soccer has vastly outperformed its ranking.  The undefeated team is averaging an impressive 5 goals per game, the most of any team in the nation.  By comparison, last year’s squad averaged just over 1.5 goals per game yet still made it to the final four in the NCAA tournament.   What a difference a season makes.  In early season games, Stanford reserves have come off the bench to average 1.5 goals per game in 40 minutes or less of playing time.  Meanwhile, Stanford is holding rivals to an average of 0.5 goals per game.  This season’s team has impressive depth and, as of this writing, is ranked #1 in the nation.  Injuries or other unknowns could undermine Stanford’s juggernaut beginning.  It is already crystal clear, however, that preseason rankings were grossly inaccurate. 

Outperforming expectations is easier when the preseason pundit pollsters have low-balled your team.    Stanford WBB can follow in the footsteps of their soccer-playing sisters in using depth, teamwork and intensity to win decisively.  Stanford’s end of season record, for both soccer and women’s hoops, will be based not on fallible preseason polls, but on what its talented players demand of themselves.  I’m excited for both teams (women’s volleyball too).