Stanford Bound Appel Named MVP of All Star Game

Contra Costa Times and Wire Reports
Photo courtesy of Scout.com and thebootleg.com
March 30, 2006

SAN DIEGO - Carondelet High School's Jayne Appel had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks as the West defeated the East 80-76 in the McDonald's All-American high school girls basketball game Wednesday.
For her efforts, Appel was given the game's most valuable player award and received the honor from UCLA coaching legend John Wooden.
"It's hard to put into words," said Appel about the honor. "Meeting the best coach ever and having him give me an award. ... I never would have imagined that." (More .... )

Stanford Looks For Even Bigger Things Next Year

Michelle Smith, SF Chronicle
March 29, 2006

Stanford's "in-between team" is in the books. What's left for the Cardinal women's basketball program is considering what's next. And what's next could be pretty special.
The Cardinal ended their season Monday night in the Elite Eight, the disappointment of a 62-59 loss to LSU in San Antonio temporarily obscuring the fact that this team exceeded the expectations of nearly everyone, including its coach.
"If somebody had said at the beginning of the year, or in December or January or February, that this team would go to the Elite Eight, I would have jumped for joy," said coach Tara VanDerveer, whose teams have lost three straight regional finals. "But right at this second, I can't tell you that I'm jumping for joy." (More .... )

The Other Center

Mike Eubanks, theBootleg.com
March 27, 2006

Viewed by some, and not without reason, in the past as "soft," Brooke Smith received a distant second billing last week in the center battle against Oklahoma's Courtney Paris. 35 points and 14-of-16 shooting later, Smith has stamped her legacy with a new mark. Tonight against LSU she again faces a supremely talented opposing center and athlete, but Smith can no longer take the world by surprise. (More ....)

Stanford-Oklahoma Sweet 16 Postgame Quotes

Mike Eubanks, theBootleg.com
March 25, 2006

After a big win like Stanford's control of an Oklahoma Sooners squad that had won 19 straight, there is plenty to ask in the press room. Tara VanDerveer revealed the Cardinal's five-point defensive plan to limit high-octane Oklahoma. Kristen Newlin explained the tactics of the double-team. And there was universal praise of Brooke Smith after her career day. Read on for all this and more from Stanford, plus Oklahoma's post-game reactions. (More ....)

Wiggins Takes Charge of Inexperienced Stanford Team

Tracy Schultz, Sports Illustrated, SI.com
March 25, 2006

SAN ANTONIO -- Reassurance from Candice Wiggins was all Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer needed Saturday. VanDerveer was worried about the mind-set of her players, who had witnessed an accident involving a pedestrian while on their way to the AT&T Center. No one could blame them if their focus was on the boy they saw struck by a vehicle instead of their regional semifinal opponent. (More ....)

Stanford Freshmen Facing Baptism of Fire

Michelle Smith, SF Chronicle
March 24, 2006

Courtney Paris is having one of the best individual seasons in the history of college basketball. And she's just a freshman. Wow, that certainly raises the bar for a successful debut. The Stanford women's basketball team is relying heavily on a pair of first-year players. Jillian Harmon and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude are young talents who have at times showed their youth, and at others, played beyond it. That's the thing about freshmen -- it's always a delicate balance. Well, almost always. (More ....)

Stanford and Oklahoma Quotes from San Antonio

Mike Eubanks, theBootleg.com

On the eve of the Sweet 16, coaches and players from both Stanford and Oklahoma sat down to answer exhaustive questions from the media. In particular, Tara VanDerveer and Sherri Coale were asked about every angle of Saturday's match-ups. The dominating topic of conversation was unsurprisingly Oklahoma freshman phenom Courtney Paris... (More ...)

Krista Nailed Her Shot 85 Times

By: Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
March 22, 2006

Heading into Saturday's regional semifinal against Oklahoma in San Antonio, Rappahahn, the only active senior on Stanford's roster, is the owner of the Cardinal record for 3-pointers made in a season with 85. She is also the all-time leader in attempts with 196. (More ...)

The Fun and Agony of a Cardinal Fan

By: Patty Fisher, San Jose Mercury News
March 22, 2006

I'm in basketball heaven this week. And basketball hell. That's the curse of being a hard-core Stanford fan. (More ...)

No Sophomore Slump for Candice

By: Michelle Smith, San Francisco Chronicle
March 15, 2006

Wanting to be great is easy. Anyone can do that.

Wanting to be great, and then doing something every day to make it happen -- that's how Stanford's Candice Wiggins separates herself. (More ...)

Learning from the Loss to UCLA

By: Michelle Smith, San Francisco Chronicle
March 13, 2006

We have been working really hard,'' VanDerveer said Sunday of her team, likely enjoying its last day off before the home stretch of the season. "There's been great focus and so much to work on. They came in really motivated. There's been no finger-pointing, no pity parties, just a realization that we didn't get it done (against UCLA)." (More ...)

Kristen Will Play Big Role in Road to Recovery

By: Scott Allen, Jackson Hole Star Tribune
Match 8, 2006

If the Cardinal are to recover and make a run in March's more important tournament, Kristen Newlin will play a big role. In addition to being one of the veterans on a team that includes only two seniors, the junior forward and former Riverton star knows a thing or two about bouncing back.

"Mentally, I'm back," said Newlin, who added that she is playing almost pain-free. "There are things I know I can do now. I'm feeling much more in rhythm." (More ...)

Candice is One of 12 Finalists for 2006 Wade Trophy

March 9, 2006

Stanford sophomore guard Candice Wiggins has been named one of the 12 finalists in contention for the 2006 State Farm Wade Trophy, announced today by the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee along with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). (More ...)

See also 2006 Wade Watch Report

Tournament Loss Not So Terrible, After All

By: Michelle Smith,San Francisco Chronicle
March 9, 2006

It was not the end of the world, not even the end of an era.

Stanford's 85-76 overtime loss to UCLA on Monday night in the championship game of the Pac-10 tournament might have been, in actuality, the best thing that could have happened. (More ...)

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By: Blair Critchlow, Stanford Daily
March 9, 2006

Tara VanDerveer has led Stanford teams to the postseason for longer than some of her current players have even been alive. In fact, it was this legacy of consistent excellence that attracted many members of the current team to the Farm. (More ...)

Lesson Learned by Young Team With Big Dreams

By Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
The Pac-10 women's basketball tournament crown changed hands for the first time in four years, and it was a true dethroning.
UCLA trailed throughout the game, assumed its first lead in overtime and came away with an 85-76 upset of top-seeded Stanford at HP Pavilion on Monday night. (More ...)

By Ann Killion, San Jose Mercury News
We've come to expect the Pac-10 women's tournament to be a Stanford coronation. HP Pavilion is a secondary Cardinal home court. Stanford has won every tournament final it has played there. The net-cutting scissors seem to be issued to the Cardinal before the tournament starts.
Oops. Someone forgot to tell UCLA. (More ...)

By Mike Terry, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
The only thing that hadn't happened in five years of women's Pacific 10 Conference tournaments was overtime in the championship game. That occurred Monday night. And the surprise was it was UCLA that forced the extra session against the bigger, deeper Stanford Cardinal. (More ...)

Krista & Candice Closing in on Jamie's 3-Point Record

By: Michelle Smith, Chronicle Staff Writer
March 4, 2006

By the end of the Pac-10 tournament Monday night, Stanford's single-season 3-point shooting record might have a new owner -- or two. (More ...)

Pac-10 Honors Wiggins As Player of Year, VanDerveer As Coach of Year

By: Pac-10 Conference
March 2, 2006

Stanford received a multitude of honors today, as the league's 10 head coaches voted and chose sophomore guard Candice Wiggins as the 2005-06 Pacific-10 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year and Tara VanDerveer as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.

Junior center Brooke Smith was selected to the All-Pac-10 team. Forward Jillian Harmon was picked for the Pac-10 All-Freshman team, while Rosalyn Gold-Onwude was an honorable mention selection for the All-Freshman team. (More ...)