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 (10 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.
