Women's basketball: Past, present and future

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In this episode, three of today’s premier Women’s basketball coaches, Pat Summitt of the University of Tennessee, Tara VanDerveer of Stanford, and Nikki Caldwell of UCLA, discuss the past present and future of the game.

Mel & her family help revive Slam Jam

Slam Jam is a girl's basketball league in Harlem that was founded by Clyde Frazier, Jr., who died in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. His father, Clyde Frazier, Sr., has worked hard to keep the league from falling apart. The league is slowly reviving, and it's hosting a tournament this summer in memory of Clyde Jr.

Mel played in the Slam Jam when she was a girl. She and her family were instrumental in reviving the tournament this summer. Her mother, Rochelle is the tournament director, Mel keeps score, and her sister, Monique, handles the clock.

Read more about Slam Jam in this article and this one, both from the New York Daily News.

What we know so far

Stanford women's basketball has not released the official 2010-2011 schedule yet, but the Stanford ticket office has posted the schedule of home games and several of our opponents have posted their schedules. This is what we know so far about next season, based on the home schedule posted by the ticket office and our opponents' schedules.

As always, dates and times are subject to change.

Playing by the rules

Several months ago, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) established a committee on ethics to begin monitoring ethical standards and enforce appropriate action for misconduct when necessary.

Tara and former Texas coach Jody Conradt are co-chairs of a 12-member panel of coaches.

The committee has reviewed the WBCA code of ethics adopted in 2006 and has issued a statement to WBCA members.

Although fans cannot actively participate in monitoring the ethics of women's basketball, I find it interesting to learn what the WBCA is doing to promote high standards for a sport that means so much to me.

This is the committee's statement in part:

Imagine a sport in which playing rules are not evenly applied by teams, by players, by coaches or by officials. Not one of us would enjoy or prosper in such an atmosphere and student-athletes certainly would not benefit from an environment where those who don't play by the rules benefit the most. As we know from real world cases (Enron, Lehman Brothers, Worldcom, et al), those who believe rules are for fools never succeed in the long run. Coaches work in a profession where results are paramount, scrutiny is continuous, and competition is fierce. It is an area that should be fair and evenly judged. Ethical rules and standards should be a concern for all.

In response to the membership's call to action, the WBCA has established an Ethics Committee. A committee of your peers has been charged to assess and respond to alleged violations of NCAA rules. This includes actions and words that negatively impact our sport. Upholding rules and ethical standards is important for our coaches, our institutions, and our game.

The Committee will be effective September 1, 2010. The WBCA Board of Directors has approved protocol for this Committee to react to incidents that damage women's basketball. This committee is YOUR committee, formed to protect and represent the coaches of women’s basketball and the investment we all have in the game. It is suggested that we all read the ESPN account What’s Wrong with College Basketball.

Women's basketball has the opportunity to take a different path. The Committee’s goal is to ensure accountability by coaches, from coaches. The expectation is that WBCA members must work within ethical standards in recruiting, public relations and coaching. The integrity of our game is at stake. When behavior is questionable, it should be challenged.

The co-chair of the WBCA Ethics Committee is Tara VanDerveer. Tara has recommended a book by author John C. Maxwell: “There’s No Such Thing as Business Ethics.” This book contains several quotes that capture the WBCA's goals in forming this Ethics Committee:

“Doing the right thing may not always be easy -- but it is always right.”

“Ethics is about how we meet the challenge of doing the right thing when that will cost more than we want to pay. There are really only two important points when it comes to ethics. The first is a standard to follow. The second is the will to follow it.”

The WBCA membership has stated clearly that NCAA violations cannot be tolerated. When we see activity that is known to be contrary to accepted rules and ethics, all coaches need to be willing and comfortable with the procedures outlined by the WBCA Ethics Committee.

Thank you for your support of this effort to uphold high standards so we may proudly promote our game to the highest possible level.

Pac-10 Tourney Update

Michelle Smith reports a bit more news about the revised format of the 2011 Pac-10 women's tourney in LeftCoastHoops.

Stanford BBall (Sorta)

Stanford women's basketball bloggers C and R write an irreverent report of Saturday's Golden State / Mission Rec game in this post.

There wasn't much to revere in the game for Stanford fans. Mission Rec fans, however, enjoyed their team's swarming defense, unrelenting pressure, and 98% or so long-range shooting.

FBC's event reporter Judy Richter wrote a report of the game too. So did Michelle Smith in LeftCoastHoops.

Kayla and Nneka on preseason Wade Watch list

Congratulations to Kayla and Nneka!

They are two of the 25 women on the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year preseason "Wade Watch" list that was announced today by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. This is Kayla's third time on the list. Nneka was on the final list last season, but this is her first appearance on the preseason list. Read more...

The postseason schedule

The schedule was released late in August the prior three seasons, so we probably need to wait several more weeks for the 2010-11 schedule.

But postseason information is available, so you can forget about living in the moment for a while and begin planning your season-end activities.

Pac-10 Tournament

The Pac-10 is trying something new with the women's tournament this season. Commissioner Larry Scott attended the tournament at the Galen Center last season and was not pleased that the attendance at the championship game was just 2432. So this season, they'll try dipping into the men's basketball fan base by holding the women's semi-final and championship games at the Staples Center.

The women's semi-final games and the men's championship game will be at Staples on Saturday March 12. The women's championship game will follow at Staples on Sunday March 13. The women's earlier rounds will be at Galen on March 10 and 11 (Thursday and Friday).

NCAA Tournament

Stanford will again host first and second round games of the NCAA Tournament — on March 19 and 21 (Saturday and Monday). Perhaps we'll be blessed with another spectacular "Farewell-to-Maples" performance like Ros's seven three-pointers against Iowa last season and Candice's 44 points against UTEP in 2008.

Season ticket holders have already received a ticket order form for the first/second round games. The deadline for priority seating is October 15. You can submit the order form or call 1-800-STANFOR. Tickets will be available to non-season ticket holders after October 15.

The Cardinal is almost certain to be in Spokane for the regional games — on March 26 and 28 (Saturday and Monday). The other three regionals are in Dallas, Dayton and Philadelphia.

And the Final Four will be in the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 3 and 5 (Sunday and Tuesday).