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
1st, 2nd, and 5th 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!
