Jayne Makes Her Stanford Debut

By: Michelle Smith, San Francisco Chronicle

The Stanford women's basketball team, already well-stocked inside with the starting tandem of seniors Brooke Smith and Kristen Newlin, gets bigger, deeper and better tonight. (More ...)

Brooke focuses on the task at hand

By: Dave Albee, Marin Independent Journal

SAN JOSE - Athletes in attendance for Pac-10 Conference women's basketball media day earlier this week were waiting in a holding room at the San Jose Arena for their turn to be interviewed. But one of them wasn't wasting time. She was busy.

Brooke Smith of Stanford was sitting by herself in a corner, doing her homework reading a book on psychology. The 6-foot-3 senior center from San Anselmo isn't one to let a moment pass without somehow improving herself. Smith is in her final year at Stanford and she knows what's at stake in the long haul depends a lot on her. She's moving toward a degree in human biology and pursuing a personal goal on the basketball court she hopes will land her in Cleveland for the NCAA tournament semifinals April 1.

"I think anything less than going to the Final Four would be a disappointment," said Smith, a two-time all-Pac-10 player and All-American candidate out of Marin Catholic High. "At the same time, it's about the process and taking it one game at a time. It's about the journey." (More ...)

Candice on ESPN Preseason All-American First Team

From: ESPN.com

ESPN has named their Preseason All-Americans. Candice is on the first team. (More ...)

Stories from the Stanford Daily

Over the Hump

Experienced Cardinal squad aims high after postseason disapointment
By: Scott Bland, Stanford Daily

After three years of agonizing near-misses, the No. 4 Stanford women’s basketball team comes into the 2006-2007 campaign with the talent, confidence and focused energy necessary to finally capture their first NCAA championship since 1992.
“We’ve learned a lot about sticking with things, going through the ups and the downs,” senior forward Brooke Smith said. “Hopefully this year we can get over the hump and get into the Final Four.” (More ...)

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Crashing the Boards

Senior Brooke Smith eyes a final shot at postseason glory
By: Christian Torres, Stanford Daily

Just a few months ago, “Brooke with the hook” was dominating the court in the regional semifinal of the women’s basketball NCAA Tournament. Redshirt senior center Brooke Smith was having an epic night, scoring a career-high 35 points against Oklahoma, and in the process toppling the Sooners’ star player: then-freshman center Courtney Paris.
One game later, the Cardinal saw their Final Four dreams come to an end in the final seconds of a 62-59 loss to Louisiana State. This season, Smith is looking finish out her career at the NCAA championship game. (More ...)

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The Freshmen

By: Haley Murphy, Stanford Daily

While junior Candice Wiggins and senior Brooke Smith have been the focus of most of Stanford’s preseason excitement, four fresh faces will grace the court with their esteemed teammates. With four years of eligibility before them, the freshmen are hopeful about the season and the ways in which they will contribute to the Cardinal program. (More ...)

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No. 4 Hoops Downs LMU in Season Opener

Wiggins returns from injury and drops 16 on Lions
By: Christian Torres, Stanford Daily

At the start of its season, the Stanford women’s basketball team came through in the finish last night at Maples Pavilion against Loyola Marymount. With the Lions on their heels for much of the first half, the Cardinal finally pulled away in the middle of the second with a devastating 24-2 run, clinching an 88-61 victory in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). (More ...)

Cardinal Talented Enough for Another Deep March run

By: Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com

It's not enough to be on a pretty campus … where the weather's almost always great … and everybody is smart … and you're not far from one of the most interesting cities in the entire world, San Francisco.

… it bugs the Stanford women's hoops team that for the past three seasons, the Cardinal have been good enough … to just miss the Final Four.

… I know what the real culprit, the true hobgoblin, the undeniable karmic killer has been for the Cardinal. And it could strike again, so coach Tara VanDerveer might want to get out some voodoo dolls or something in March in hopes of swaying the selection committee.

Not in terms of seeding, because that doesn't matter. The Cardinal have proven that. All that matters is this: Stay out of the Dallas Regional at all costs. (More ...)

Wiggins Is Hungry For A National Championship

By: Lara Boyko, CSTV.com

When 5-foot-11 Stanford guard Candice Wiggins was a little girl, her mom Angela could see her future.

"My mom was probably my biggest advocate for basketball and just knew that I could stand out in the sport," Wiggins said, whose earliest memory of the game is when she only scored one basket during the entire season. "She just knew when I was eight years old that I could be great and accomplish all of this. She told me that I would make a difference in the game and erase all of the bad images of my father (former San Diego Padres second baseman Alan Wiggins). I wasn't really thinking about this at the time, so it is amazing for me to think back on how she knew all of those years ago. It is her encouragement that has made me work harder."

While she worked hard from the encouragement of her mother, Wiggins also decided to not let the hard work get the best of her. (More ...)

Loyola Marymount Post-Game Quotes

By: Mike Eubanks, The Bootleg

Stanford's 2006-07 voyage started with a bump in the road in the first mile Thursday night when the Cardinal led LMU by two points at the half and trailed early in the second half. Then a 50-15 run over the next 16-plus minutes righted the ship for a strong 88-61 win. Though the freshmen have been hyped, it was the upperclass "big three" that dominated and combined for 56 points and 25 boards. (More ...)

Stanford Women Shoot for a Goal: Final Four

By: Darren Sabedra, San Jose Mercury News

Soon after Stanford lost to Louisiana State in the NCAA tournament last March, Coach Tara VanDerveer began looking ahead to this season like a child dreams of a return trip to Disneyland.

For nine seasons, the Cardinal has tried to get back to the Final Four. This season, it might finally conquer the magic mountaintop.

How could the expectations be anything but sky high? The Cardinal returns one of the best players in the program's history (junior guard Candice Wiggins) and a post player who had a game for the ages in last season's Sweet 16 (senior Brooke Smith).

It has also added a star-studded freshman class, highlighted by the arrival of 6-foot-4 Jayne Appel from Pleasant Hill, whom VanDerveer can't seem to say enough good things about. (More ...)

Final Four is Experienced Cardinal's Goal

By: Michelle Smith, San Francisco Chronicle

On Halloween night, instead of candy, Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer gave out basketball tickets. She thinks her team is a treat, why shouldn't everyone else?

"We have been looking forward to this season for a while," VanDerveer said. "I run into people when I'm out, when I'm walking the dogs and they say, 'How's the team going to be?' and I say 'I think it's going to be a great year.' " (More ...)

20 Questions for 2006-07

By: ESPN.com
Can you handle the truth? Because our experts dug down to answer 20 of the biggest and perhaps most debatable questions that had us scratching our head as the 2006-07 season nears. With last year's super seniors gone, several notable coaching changes and lots of young stars looking to steal the show, the upcoming season is certain to hold a few surprises. A look at some of the bigger storylines on our minds before games tip off Thursday:
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4. Who's the second-best team out West behind Stanford? And will the Cardinal's resurgence at the top overshadow the region's other top teams? (More ...)