March 28, 2016

Great to be One of Eight

By Su Schaffer:

It was the end of a long season. We didn't play our best. We lost to a very good team. But we didn't hang our heads, because we did what 431 other teams didn't do — we made it to the Elite Eight.

Out of 439 Division I teams, we finished in the top eight. So tell me, at the beginning of this season did you think we would do that? In the middle of our season, did you think we had that potential? At the beginning of the NCAA's did you think we had a prayer of that? How did that happen??

Stanford excels again and again, against seemingly crazy odds, because we have Tara and Tara has a terrific staff. Professional teams are mostly about star players. College teams are about coaches who develop adolescent talent into mature players ... who take the kid who didn't have to put together all the moves because she was the tallest, or fastest, or most aggressive on her high school team ... and who pull them up to the next daunting level.

We have watched this happen year after year. We are diehard fans who cherish every moment of the season. We watch Marta develop, we appreciate that soft touch that Bird has on her three's, we recognize how many little things Karlie does to always keep Stanford in the game. Each of our 14 players has her own story, her unique contribution.

Those stories and contributions build over the season. Crazy losses, crazy wins. And, for this fan, another wonderfully crazy season.

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