Too many options for Tara?

Jake Curtis has some concerns about how Tara will mold the plethora of talent available this season into an effective team:

Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer has begun tinkering with her 2010-2011 team, which is loaded with tantalizing options, but at some point she has to come up with a plan to give the team its identity.

“This may be the most versatile team I’ve had,” said VanDerveer, who is beginning her 25th season as the Cardinal’s coach.

As many as nine players are talented enough to break into the starting lineup this season, and most of them can play multiple positions. Read more...

An article from the Associated Press reports that the team is short-handed as it begins practice for the upcoming season:

• Joslyn has a sprained ankle that could sideline her for a couple of weeks.
• Melanie is on target with her rehab from knee surgery. She isn't expected to play until January, but is , "... doing very, very well," says Tara.
• Lindy has a bone problem in her foot that has bothered her for months. There is no timeline for her return.

Read more...

West coast's top 5 rankings

Michelle Smith has ranked the top 5 players in each position, as well as the freshmen, in the west coast schools. This is where she places Stanford players:

• Jeanette is the #2 point guard — she has turned into a true floor leader.
• Kayla is the #1 small forward — simply one of the best.
• Nneka is the #1 power forward — how much better can she get?
• Sarah is the #2 center — she is the heir apparent to Jayne in the post.
• Chiney is the #1 freshman, and Sara is the #5 freshman.

You can find all her rankings in Left Coast Hoops

First day of practice

Watch the Cardinal hone their basic basketball skills during the first day of practice.

Watch Nneka knock the camera of the rim during the filming of "Dunk School".

Kayla and Nneka on Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List

Congratulations to Kayla and Nneka!

They were among 30 of the nation's top players named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday.

Kayla and Nneka are two of three Pac-10 players on the list, joined by UCLA's Jasmine Dixon, as well as two of just four players chosen from schools west of the Rocky Mountains. Stanford is also one of six schools to have two players named to the list.

Tuesday's announcement marks the second national preseason watch list to which Kayla and Nneka been named. In early August, they were named to the Preseason Wade Trophy Watch List. Read more...

Freshmen on campus!

Check out this video of the freshmen moving into their dorms and enjoying the excitement of their first football game on campus!

Keep an eye on Kayla

Jame Bowman (Sports Page Magazine) writes:

"With the college season ready to launch nearly upon us, WNBA general managers and coaches are surely already thinking about their offseason needs. Here are ten players whom they might be thinking about when the WNBA Draft rolls around next year."

Kayla is one of the ten.

Read more...

Stanford/UConn game will not be historic

Jake Curtis reports:

Connecticut announced its official 2010-2011 women's basketball schedule on Friday, and, as feared, the Dec.. 30 game at Stanford will not be the historic event it could have been. Read more...

Where will the Cardinal be ranked in the preseason?

Jake Curtis writes:

"The preseason college basketball magazines typically are an accurate indicator of preseason rankings in the polls. In fact, they influence the way voters vote.

And based on the publications, and the fact that nothing has happened to Stanford's roster in recent weeks to affect the projections, the Cardinal probably will start the season about where it finished last season in the polls.

The only question is whether Stanford will start at No. 2 or No. 3."

Read more...

Pac-10 announces TV schedule

The Pac-10 conference has announced its women's basketball national television schedule. The Cardinal will have up to ten televised games this season:

• Away game against Tennessee on ESPN2
• Home game against UConn on ESPN2
• Home game against Texas on FSN
• Both the away and home games against Cal on FSN
• Away games against Oregon and UCLA on FSN
• Potentially as a wild-card selection, the home game against Oregon on FSN
• Potentially in the Pac-10 semifinal and championship games on FSN

The televised games are noted in the FBC Schedule of Games and Events.

For more information, see the Pac-10 announcement.

Stanford WBB announces 2010-11 schedule.

Stanford Women's Basketball has [finally] resolved all the issues and announced the 2010-11 schedule!

As we have come to expect from Tara, it's one of the most challenging and competitive in her time at Stanford. Nine of the Cardinal's opponents played in the NCAA tournament last season.

This is the announcement and the schedule from Stanford Athletics.

This is the schedule from the FBC, which includes FBC events as well as the basketball games. It also includes links to each opponent's women's basketball website and maps of the venues.