Doreena Campbell, UCLA
Cassie Harberts, USC
Soana Lucet, Arizona
Darxia Morris, UCLA
Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Stanford
The notes also report, "Today’s attendance of 2,618 was the largest since 2008." Well, yes, that's the largest since the tournament was last held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. This is the attendance at each women's basketball championship game in the tournament's 10-year history:
| Year | Location | Attendance |
| 2011 | Staples | 2618 |
| 2010 | Galen | 2432 |
| 2009 | Galen | 1509 |
| 2008 | HP Pavilion | 4521 |
| 2007 | HP Pavilion | 3579 |
| 2006 | HP Pavilion | 4073 |
| 2005 | HP Pavilion | 4015 |
| 2004 | HP Pavilion | 3501 |
| 2003 | HP Pavilion | 3415 |
| 2002 | Mac Court | 5349 |
From those figures, I would guess that the carryover from the men's championship game (attendance 12,074) was no more than a couple of hundred. I estimate that there were about 800 Stanford fans (i.e., fans wearing red) present.
Michelle Smith has this to say about the tournament format:
Was the Pac-10’s format change a smashing success? No. Was it an improvement? Too soon to tell. Here’s guessing the Pac-10 tries this format one more year with the new 12-team conference before the new media deal kicks in and larger-scale change takes place.The Pac-10 has uploaded a gallery of photos from the championship game. It includes many good game photos, as well as photos of:I have my vote of course. Move the whole tournament to Las Vegas. It’s done wonders for the WCC. It is a destination site that would bring large travel parties (excuse the pun) from around the conference. It would inject energy and excitement into the format. Just a thought…
A pregame ceremony in which ten girls, each representing a Pac-10 school, were presented with a basketball by each of the ten starting players.
The so photogenic Nikki Caldwell
Coaches & bench celebrating a Toni three-pointer
The postgame awards ceremony
FanFest events after the game
The Pac-10 Player of the Year and her proud parents
That's just a small sample — click here to see the entire gallery.
The Pac-10 has failed to make the postgame press conference available on YouTube. I know it was available live, but I can't find it now. If you know the link, please post it as a comment to this blog.
Finally (for today), an account of the Klang-Klang-Klang Play from long-time Cardinal fan Warren Grimes:
With just over 4 minutes left in the Pac-10 title game against UCLA, Stanford had clawed its way back to a 51-48 lead on 2 quick transition baskets by Stanford guard Toni Kokenis. Now Stanford had the ball again, trying to hold or increase its lead. What happened next is the stuff of . . . well, . . . maybe not legends, . . . but at least it’s worth a quick story.Kayla Pedersen fed the ball to Toni Kokenis, deep in the corner. Kokenis launched an arching three point shot as Stanford fans held their collective breath. The shot bounced high off the back rim ... no way, I thought. But when it came back down, it bounced high again, this time more promisingly off the front rim. Better, I thought. Then it bounced twice more tepidly before falling into the basket. Stanford fans were ecstatic. Stanford now had a six-point lead and the clear momentum to win this game.
The suspense from this klang-klang-klang play was palpable. What great theater. While no one could claim that the shot wasn’t more good than bad, the suspenseful bouncing gave it the look and feel of a lucky play that might have been influenced by air currents in the arena or the stiffness of the rim.
Then I got to thinking. Was this really an unscripted, lucky play? A few minutes earlier, Stanford had the ball out-of-bounds under its own basket. There were only three seconds on the shot clock. As Jeanette Pohlen waited to inbound, suddenly Nneka Ogwumike appeared miraculously under the basket and all alone. The pass went quickly to her and in a flash Nneka had converted. Was this UCLA’s bad defense? Was it luck?
Not on your life! This was a carefully rehearsed inbounds play for last second conversions. It was straight out of the Stanford Playbook and it worked to perfection. So what about the Klang shot? Was that also a scripted play? I was not sure, but I had my suspicions.
Why was it that seconds before Toni Kokenis launched the shot, one of the coaches was holding up a “Klang” sign? Why was it that the players and coaches were looking bored during the suspenseful shot, some of them yawning, others looking at the latest colors from John Pohlen’s collection of nail colors? Why was it that they were all acting like they had seen this dozens of times before? And why was it that Toni, after shooting the ball, had grabbed her cell phone to text a friend?
Even referee Melissa Barlow had figured it out. As the ball was bouncing on the rim, she took the time to stroll over to the monitors to see how much TV time she was getting.
Looking at all the circumstances, it was clear that the Klang play, like Lindy LaRocque’s much heralded dive and slide play from the Cal game three years ago, was a carefully rehearsed standard from Stanford’s playbook.
After the game was over, I was able to confirm this in conversations with players and coaches. To be sure, Tara VanDerveer was not forthcoming. When asked, she replied only: “We don’t discuss our playbook.”
But others were more helpful.
When I confronted Toni, she said that she had indeed been practicing the shot, but was disappointed at the results. “I only had time to text one friend,” Kokenis complained. “Could it be your texting skills?” I asked. “You can be sure I’ll be in the gym working hard on the texting stuff next week,” she offered.
Associate Coach Amy Tucker agreed that the shot had not worked as planned. “Toni was easily getting 8 to 10 bounces off the rim when she practiced last week.” Tucker confirmed. “Something was wrong – I think the ball must have been under-inflated.”
Assistant Coach Bobbie Kelsey saw it differently. “The rims at Staples are compromised,” said Kelsey. “Kobi Bryant has been hanging on those rims way too much.”
Assistant coach Kate Paye still saw the “Klang” play as auspicious. “It has great potential,” said Paye. “We can use it, as we did in the game, to take time off the clock. Or, if we are short of timeouts, we can launch the shot, then call the team over for a huddle while the ball is still bouncing.”
I was impressed. Another great example of Stanford thoroughness. Later, as I went to a watering-hole for some post-game refreshment, I saw a slumped figure walking unevenly out of the bar. Could that have been USC men’s coach Kevin O’Neil? I wasn’t sure, but went on in and took a seat at the bar. Out of respect for the Klang play, I ordered one of those Mexican drinks rimmed with salt. As I lifted my glass, I saw out of the corner of my eye the slumped figures of Fox Sports commentator Jim Watson and referee Melissa Barlow. They looked a bit down.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Watson said his job may be on the line. “I had no idea the ball would bounce so long,” he said. “I missed an opportunity to make some brilliant comments, show some footage of Condoleezza Rice in the stands, or even take a break for a couple of commercials.”
I turned to Barlow. “Stanford took advantage of me,” she said. “The next time they try to pull that * * * *, I’ll walk squarely in front of the camera and call them for delay of game!”
1 comment:
Warren,
This is hysterical!!! Thank you so much.
Post a Comment