After Four Losses, What Will February Bring?

 

Warren Grimes

Stanford has lost four in a row, including the last two at Maples.  Fans may understandably ask, is this just a repeat of last year?   

Last season, Stanford began with a winning record, then hit the down button once the conference season began.  

Last season, Stanford was struggling in ACC competion, then, in mid-season, lost Nunu Agara, the top scorer and rebounder.

Last season, Stanford struggled in frustration against the ACC’s top teams.

Not much difference this year.

Well, there are some differences.  For one, this season, Stanford beat North Carolina in overtime, on the road.

This season, Stanford has started two freshmen from the get-go, and, in the last two games, has had three freshmen starters.  All three are on an improvement curve and are likely, barring injury, to play their best basketball in February.  Lara Somfai has struggled in her last two outings, but she is still a candidate for conference freshman of the year.

Call them explanations or excuses, but all four losses were against very good teams.  Louisville was #1 in the conference and #7 in the national poll.  Stanford played the last two games with a 7-player rotation (Haley Swain played 40 minutes in the last game). The game against Hidalgo & Friends (aka Notre Dame) featured a 37-point performance for Hidalgo (47% of the team’s points).  The Irish also had a seven-player rotation, but Hidalgo’s presence was like an extra player on the floor. 

How much were the last three games affected by Nunu Agara’s absence?  There’s no point in sugarcoating it: Agara has been a critical player for Stanford.  She tops the list in points and offensive boards.  When she is in lineup, opposing coaches must plan their defense to hold Agara in check.  That gives other players, including Somfai and Eschmeyer, more options to score.   It was no accident that, playing without Agara, Stanford got out-boarded by both Louisville and Notre Dame. 

Not knowing Agara’s status, what will Stanford do in February with its seven-player rotation, starting Eschmeyer in place of Agara and Clardy in place of Lepolo?   Stanford still has options.  Various players stepped up in all three of the Bay Area losses.   All three of the freshmen scored double digits against Cal (Somfai 16, Eschmeyer 16, and Swain 10).  Somfai’s last second three-pointer took the game into overtime.  Eschmeyer, coming off the bench, had a career-high 16 points and 7 boards.  Against Notre Dame, she had a similar line. 

Agara’s junior classmates have continued to contribute, with Ogden offering 23 points and 10 boards against Notre Dame.  Ogden had 16 points against Louisville.  Clardy is always there, averaging 15.3 points in the last three games.

Replacing Lepolo is a challenge because of her steady leadership and defense, but Swain and Ijiwoye have stepped up.  Swaine has been in double figures each of the last three games, averaging 10.3 points.  Ijiwoye had 15 points against Louisville. 

So, Agara’s return would be a major plus, but Stanford in February will learn to adjust and be competitive in all its games, with (at least) seven players fighting to make it a winning month.  

The Coach as a Cheer Leader – How to Respond to Tough Losses

 

Warren Grimes

I’m a career teacher.  I’ve learned that enthusiasm is a key to good teaching.   If I announce that today’s class will be a yawner, students won’t be optimal learners.  Being a cheer leader is even more important for a coach.  Win or lose, staying optimistic and focused is vital if the coach hopes to motivate players to continue to work hard and develop their skills. 

In the past two weekends, Stanford split games, winning two against relatively weak opponents, and losing two hard-fought games against more elite teams.  The losses came against Duke (home) and Syracuse (away).  Both losses were deflating, in part because anyone watching those games could see the intensity of Stanford players.  That was evident, for example, in the rebounding statistics.  Stanford outboarded Duke 43-37 and had a 40-32 advantage against Syracuse.  Stanford players played with heart and focus and still came up short.

So what does a coach say to her team after difficult losses?  Anyone who has watched a losing coach’s press conference knows the drill.  The coach talks about what players can learn from the game and how to improve for the next one.   The goal is always to get the team to peak by season’s end. 

So is this Stanford team getting better?   There are obvious signs that it is.  Take rebounding.  Stanford continues to win rebounding battles, but with a difference.  Coming off the bench, Alexandra Eschmeyer had 11 boards against Wake Forest and 6 against Duke.  And the guards are seizing opportunities to grab loose balls while the bigs are blocking one another out.  Shay Ijiwoye has darted in from the perimeter to grab 5 boards against both Wake Forest and Boston College.  Chloe Clardy had 4 boards each against Duke and Syracuse.

Another example of improvement is Lara Somfai.  She had an off game against Duke, shooting 1 for 9 and playing less than 17 minutes.  Perhaps learning to take what the defense gives you, Somfai scored a team-high 17 points against Syracuse.  If the Syracuse defense is focusing on Nunu Agara, take advantage.  Somfai did exactly that.

Freshmen, with more to learn, generally have the fastest learning curve.  Hailee Swain had 15 points, 7 boards, 2 steals and an assist against Boston College.  The coaches deservedly gave her the most minutes of any player.  The next game against Syracuse was not so good – 0/6 shooting and 1 rebound in 22 minutes.  Swain will learn from these back-to-back experiences.  Her evolution will be critical for Stanford’s late season performance.

Alexandra Eschmeyer is still up and down as a freshman performer, but she too is showing signs of being a force.   Against Duke, she played 28 minutes, scored 10 points, had 6 rebounds, and is credited with 5 solo or assisted blocks. 

Meanwhile, the trio of juniors, Nunu Agara, Chloe Clardy, and Courtney Ogden, now occupy the top three spots in season scoring.  To make the offense more potent, each of those three and other players, including the three top-ranked freshmen, must learn how to seamlessly and quickly take what the defense is giving.  A lot of teams have followed NC State in clogging the middle.  Syracuse did that and occasionally used a zone.  By season’s end, the team needs to respond to defensive strategies quickly and without a word spoken.

Stanford now stays in the Bay Area for a road game against Cal and two tough at home matchups against Louisville and Notre Dame.  Here’s to continued improvement and some wins!

Blow-Out Loss -- Then the Best Win of the Season: Stanford in North Carolina

 

Warren Grimes

Coach Paye tells us she really likes this team.  A lot of coaches say that, but some really mean it.  After the bounce-back weekend for this Stanford team, of course Paye means it.  The thing about liking your team is that it’s a mutual kind of thing.  If a coach likes her team, it’s going to be reciprocal.  This Stanford team plays hard for themselves and their coach because the environment is one of mutual respect and appreciation. 

The North Carolina road trip began with a major slap-down, a 74 to 46 loss against NC State.  It was a cold shooting night for Stanford – just 30% overall with 15 straight misses in the second half.  Against a sagging NC State defense, three-point shooting would have been a remedy.  From distance, however, the team converted just 17% of its 23 attempts.   Stanford was decisively out boarded and had only 7 points from the bench.  One reason for that was the absence of Chloe Clardy on concussion protocol.

While the NC State game was being played, Clardy was on a plane to North Carolina to rejoin the team.  Her return was a good sign, and Stanford showed up ready to play on Sunday.  The North Carolina Tarheels did not sag on defense, creating a markedly different challenge.  While Stanford trailed for most of this game, they fought throughout and never trailed by more than 7 points.   They won the fourth quarter, and had a shot at winning in regulation (Clardy missed a last second contested layup). 

In overtime, playing without Nunu Agara, they got the edge and then converted free throws to seal a 77-72 victory.  Agara had foul trouble, was limited to 6 points and 4 boards, and played only 18 minutes.  The win was genuinely a team win, with 9 players playing meaningful minutes.  Ogden had a team high 21 and made lots of critical shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.  Somfai had 13 points and 8 boards.  The third and fourth highest scorers came from the bench – Clardy had 12 points (and a team high 9 boards) while Alex Eschmeyer added 10 points in just under 8 minutes.  Her role was pivotal with Agara on the bench in most of the fourth quarter and overtime.  Overall, the team shot 45% and 35% from distance.  Stanford guards had 18 of the team’s 40 rebounds.  That had to be more than an accident -- the coaches gave the guards a green light to find the gaps between bigs busy blocking one another out.  What a difference from NC State.

Yes, this was a big win, on the road against the 17^th ranked team in the nation.  It was a depressing loss for former Stanford player, point guard Indya Nivar, who led the Tarheels with 3 assists and 4 steals.  North Carolina had leads of 7 points several times and led for almost 34 minutes of this game.  In the fourth quarter and overtime, they could not match Stanford’s intensity and team chemistry.

In a tie game that goes to overtime, every play by every player can be pivotal.  A fair account of this win, however, is not complete without mention of Shay “The Disruptor” Ijiwoye.  She had a very positive stat line: 5 boards, 4 points, 1 assist and 1 steal.  The 5 boards are impressive for the smallest player on the team, but stats don’t tell the full story for this player because her disruptive role often doesn’t show in statistics.   My favorite play?  Late in overtime, Ijiwoye came storming in from the perimeter to grab an offensive board from the bigs on both teams, put up and missed a follow-up shot, then grabbed her own board only to be double-teamed by Carolina players.  She fought off both, barely managed to get the ball to Talana Lepolo, who fed Ogden on the perimeter.  At this point, Carolina defenders were distracted.  Ogden had an open lane for a left-handed layup, giving Stanford a four-point lead that the team padded with last-minute free throw conversions.  That was it.

Yes, Ijiwoye is just one of the nine players who made a difference in this upset win.  But Shay is quick, strong, has hops, and, most of all, non-stop intensity.  She's an important part of Stanford chemistry that makes this team a contender.