Stanford's 3rd & 4th best women's basketball teams

Jake Curtis's pick for #4 is Amy's 1995-96 team, the one that earned her the best career winning percentage (.906) of any Division I head coach in college women’s basketball history

Standing (left to right): Trainer Kris Mack, Manager Erica Sanders, Co-Head Coach Marianne Stanley, Asst. Coach Ann Enthoven, Olympia Scott, Naomi Mulitauaopele, Chandra Benton, Heather Owen, Kate Starbird, Interim Head Coach Amy Tucker, Asst. Coach Angela Taylor, Manager Angie Nakano. Sitting (left to right): Jamila Wideman, Tara Harrington, Bobbie Kelsey, Amy Wustefeld, Charmin Smith, Regan Freuen, Vanessa Nygaard.

His pick for #3 is the 1991-92 team, Stanford's second (and last) NCAA national champion.

Standing (left to right): Trainer Karen Middleton, Asst. Coach Julie Plank, Head Coach Tara VanDerveer, Asst. Coach Lisa McNamee, Asst. Mgr. Raymond John, Chris MacMurdo, Val Whiting, Anita Kaplan, Rachel Hemmer, Kelly Dougherty, Asst. Mgr. Art Romero, Assoc. Coach Amy Tucker, Asst. Coach Carolyn Jenkins, Mgr. Angela Young, Assoc. Mgr. Marla Tuchinsky. Sitting (left to right): Bobbie Kelsey, Molly Goodenbour, Christy Hedgpeth, Angela Taylor, Ann Adkins, Tanda Rucker, Niki Sevillian, Kate Paye.

Photos from Belgrade

It's day four in Belgrade, Serbia for the 2009 USA Women's World University Games Team. After three practices and a tour of the city cut short by a rain storm, catch up with the team in this photo gallery.

Jeanette says, "I think we are growing and improving every day. We are getting to know each other better and learn all the different tendencies on the court."

Alexis says, "When we are in the bus, one of my main things is looking out the window. It's so different from where we come from."

Kayla says, "I'm just having a lot of fun. You wake up every day, you play basketball, you are around all these different people, it's just a totally neat experience. I would say the hardest part is getting sleep. It's hard to pinpoint the coolest thing about this experience, but I would say it's being around all the athletes from different countries. It's surprising how many people know English."

Stanford's 5th & 6th best women's basketball teams...

Continuing Jake Curtis' picks for Stanford's best women's basketball teams:

#6 is fresh in our memories — the 2008-09 team — led by Jayne, shown here about to score two of her record-breaking 46 points against Iowa State. Here's Jake's analysis of that team.

#5 is the 2007-08 team, led by Candice at her peak and Jayne progressing toward stardom. Here they are celebrating their 98-87 win over Maryland in the Elite Eight.

Here's Jake's analysis.

Mikaela and Joslyn win at Kezar

Mikaela Ruef and Joslyn Tinkle won their first "Stanford" game on Saturday at Kezar. Of course, it wasn't really a Stanford game, but they and Krista Rappahan were three key members of the Pro-Am Bay Pride team, which defeated the SF Olympic Club team 78-58. Here they are before the game, perhaps discussing their winning strategy.

All three (Krista is the designated driver, as well as a Bay Pride teammate) plan to play for Bay Pride throughout the summer, so check the Pro-Am schedule for opportunities to see them play.

Cheering them on were about a dozen Cardinal fans, who were very pleased with what they saw. Jake Curtis, Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner, attended the game too. Here is his game report , which includes a postgame interview with Joslyn.

JJ was not there, and her name is no longer on the roster. Markisha Coleman is on the roster of two teams, but did not appear today — about par for the Pro-Am.

Stanford's 7th & 8th best women's basketball teams

Jake Curtis' pick for the 8th best Stanford women's basketball team is the 2004-05 team. That was Candice's freshman season. The team finished the regular season ranked #1, defeated UConn in the Sweet 16, then lost to Michigan State — remember? Read more...

His pick for #7, the 1994-95 team, had six of Jake's selection of Stanford's all-time best players — Starbird, Folkl, Kaplan, Scott, Wideman, Nygaard. Read more...

Standing (left to right): Mgr. Angie Nakano, Trainer Kris Mack, Head Coach Tara VanDerveer, Assoc. Coach Amy Tucker, Rachel Hemmer, Heather Owen, Naomi Mulitauaopele, Chandra Benton, Anita Kaplan, Olympia Scott, Kristin Folkl, Kate Starbird, Asst. Coach Carolyn Jenkins, Asst. Coach Julie Plank, Mgr. Erica Sanders. Sitting (left to right): Bobbie Kelsey, Tara Harrington, Jamila Wideman, Kate Paye, Charmin Smith, Regan Freuen, Vanessa Nygaard.

Welcome to Stanford, Joslyn & Mikaela

Joslyn and Mikaela were the subjects of a photo shoot in Dallmar Court this week. Here are more photos.

Stanford's 9th best women's basketball team

Jake Curtis' choice for the 9th best alltime Stanford women’s basketball team is the 2001-02 team, which was led by Lindsey Yamasaki and Nicole Powell.

His account of that team brings back lots of not-so-happy memories. Read more...

Stanford's 10th best women's basketball team

Jake Curtis, Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner, has compiled a list of the top-10 alltime Stanford women’s basketball teams. 

The 1988- 89 team, pictured below in a photo from the Stanford Athletics photo archive,  is #10 in his list.   Read more...

Front: Chris MacMurdo, Ann Adkins, Pam Simms, Jennifer Azzi, Stacy Parson, Martha Richards, Emily Wagner, Sonja Henning. Back: Manager Loretta Lamar, Tara VanDerveer, Carolyn Walker Shaw, June Daugherty, Evon Asforis, Celeste Lavoie, Trisha Stevens, Jill Yanke, Tammy Svoboda, Julie Zeilstra, Katy Steding, Amy Tucker, Julie Plank, Rickey Hayes.

Jeanette and Kayla make the team

Jeanette and Kayla were both named to the 2009 USA Women's World University Games team. They will spend two more days in training camp, then depart for Belgrade, Serbia to compete for a gold medal at the 2009 World University Games.

This is how Jeanette feels about having made the team: "I can't believe it. I'm very excited and honored. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to helping represent our country."

Kayla had this to say of training camp: "It's been a lot of fun, tough at the same time. We got in a couple scrimmages and a lot of good practices. We are all just pushing each other, getting in shape and learning how to play for Charli."

Here is the announcement by USA Basketball, quotes from all the team members and a photo gallery.

Jeanette gets second chance for USA Jersey

From the 2009 USA Women's World University Games training camp:

Jeanette Pohlen first donned a USA jersey two summers ago at the 2007 USA U19 World Championship Team Trials. A Stanford-bound freshman at the time, Pohlen did not make the cut for the 12-member roster. Two years later, however, Pohlen again is on the verge of representing her country in a USA jersey, this time as one of 15 finalists for the 2009 USA Women's World University Games Team. Read more...

UConn game will be televised

The 2009-2010 season schedule still has some unresolved details, and we're not allowed to post a tentative schedule, but here's some good news for Cardinal fans: The road game against defending national champion UConn will be played December 23 and will be televised nationally by ESPN2 starting at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time. (It has not been decided whether the game will be played in Storrs or Hartford.)

Jayne has minor knee surgery

Jayne had minor surgery earlier this month to correct a problem with her meniscus.

She has had to withdraw from the USA Basketball World University Games team, but is expected to rejoin the Cardinal in time for the team's tour of Italy. The stitches have already been removed, and she is walking without a limp.

See Jake Curtis' report for more details.

Summer basketball at Kezar

It's that time again — real, live basketball at Kezar. Not excellent basketball, but entertaining and free! The first games are next Saturday, June 20th.

Lindsey Yamasaki and two of the players she coaches at San Francisco Academy of Arts are signed up for the SF Olympic team.

JJ, Joselyn and Mikaela are signed up for the Bay Pride team. JJ returns from Spain on the 19th and Stanford summer quarter starts on the 23rd, so they may not make the first game.

Here is the schedule and the rosters and a map (The games are played in Kezar Pavilion, which is at 755 Stanyan near Waller, east of the stadium).

Lindy at Kezar last summer — showing an early propensity for hitting the floor?

Sarah withdraws from USA Basketball U19

Sarah withdrew from the USA Basketball U19 team because she had surgery for a stress fracture in her foot. Read more... in Jake Curtis' report.

Stanford's super-tough schedule (home games)

Jake Curtis, Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner, continues his preview of the Cardinal's toughest-ever schedule with a look at the nonconference foes they will face at Maples — Duke, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Utah, DePaul and Pepperdine. Read more...

Stanford's killer schedule (road games)

The Cardinal's 2009-2010 schedule looks like the toughest in school history. Tara says it's the most difficult nonconference schedule she's ever assembled.

The dates haven't been released yet, but the opponents have been determined. Jake Curtis, Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner, takes a look at the nonconference foes the Cardinal will face on the road — Connecticut, ODU, Rutgers and Fresno State. Read more...