THE WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY GAMES IN PULLMAN PROVIDE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THE HEART AND SOUL OF A PAC12 CHAMPION!

If you haven't, I recommend you watch one of the Cougar's recent games on YouTube to get a sense of this surprising bunch of ballers. They've come from the four corners of the earth - New Zealand, Australia, Rwanda, Hawaii, Israel, Estonia, Canada, Turkey, and Nebraska. They play with purpose and humungous effort. 

They're led by a pair of 5'-9" Leger-Walker sisters from Waikato, New Zealand, a remote Hobbit-land kind of place on the northwest corner of the North Island. The smaller-built one is the senior point guard, Krystal, and the stouter one is the freshman, Charlisse. To say they play hard would be a understatement. Against Oregon State the two of them had 45 points and 11 rebounds - which is a typical outing for them. They won in Corvallis in double overtime. 

The post player, Bella Murekatete, is a 6'-3" scrapper and rebounder from Rwanda. Against the Beavers she had 10 points and 9 rebounds. The Beavers have a post player who is 6" taller and half again as wide.

Those three had 70% of the Coug's points against OSU. 20% of the scoring came from Cherilyn Molina, a 5'-6" troublemaker from Hawaii. Johanna Teder hits 3's when she's left open.  

Beating this bunch requires an absolute determination to win - the kind of determination that outfights tough players for rebounds and loose balls. The determination that gets points in the paint off offensive rebounds and putbacks. The floor burn determination that gets loose balls and tie-ups. 

Going into Pullman this week with anything less will result in disappointments on Wednesday and Friday. Tara has described "getting slugged in the mouth" in prior losses or poor starts. The "nice girls of Stanford" hogwash won't cut it in Pullman. We need the level of toughness and determination the Cardinal played with when we beat UConn in front of 7500 in Maples:

Stanford Ends UConn's Streak - Final 6:20 (David Lombardi PxP, Kevin Zhang Color) - KZSU)

These two games in Pullman are massively important. We need to come out of there not only with two "W's", but with our team determined to be the toughest grittiest team in the PAC12 from here on out. We have something to prove this week. Stanford is going into the Cougar's lair Wednesday and Friday night to out-tough and out-fight the home team. 14 threes will help. And a dozen mid-range jumpers will, as well. It's time to emerge as the best team in the west. Washington State provides that opportunity. 

GO STANFORD!! WE CAN DO THIS!!   

  

   

THINK THIS GAME FRIDAY EVENING AGAINST UCLA IN Santa Cruz IS IMPORTANT? YOU BET YOUR SWEET PATOODY IT IS!!

On Friday we have an opportunity to rejoin the national contenders - or not. If we play defense like we did in Boulder, the Bruins will demolish us. Their offense is coming on strong. They've found their third scorer in Natalie Chou, who joined Charisma and Michaela in double figures last weekend when they defeated the Cougs in a titanic battle.

UCLA wins tough games. They beat Oregon by two and WSU in overtime after one of the sisters forced an overtime with a  semi-miraculous shot at the buzzer. 

We need to start playing like we mean it, or we could lose three or four of the next four games. In my last blog column, I mentioned that USC got three key players off the injured list and is playing like a tournament team. And after the Trojans, we get to play the Cougars twice in three days in Pullman. The Cougs play like their lives depend on it. 

Have we got what it takes to win the next four games?

When this team is cookin,  I mean reallllly cooookin,  we look like national championship material. And we haven't played nearly our best game yet. We need Kiana, and Lexie, and Anna, and Ashten, and Hanna hitting three, or four, or five threes - each. 

https://twitter.com/stanfordwbb/status/1350515408512692225?s=21

We need Haley and Fran and Lexie, and Kiana driving and finishing consistently. Our defense has to get back on track. Charisma, Michaela, and Natalie have to be shut down with the kind of swarming help defense that basically ruins their day on Friday. 

HELL YES WE'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES!!

GO CARDINAL! LET'S ROLL OVER THE BRUINS ON FRIDAY! 

A FEW NOTES ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE PAC12 AND ON OUR TEAM! BIG HAPPENINGS!!

I know this column is about previews of coming attractions, but first a few remarks on the fulfillment of several previous urgings and prognostications. Yesterday's game in Salt Lake City was what we've all been hoping for. Tara's players came out and showed what a number one team looks like from the opening tip - even with Haley in street clothes. In my last blog post I said the Utes depend a lot on three point shots and average nine per game - they made three. Their coach credited Stanford's defense.

Check out this clip: https://twitter.com/stanfordwbb/status/1350515408512692225?s=21

Meanwhile, Kiana and Hannah rediscovered their long balls and the Cardinal shot 40% from beyond the arc for a total of fourteen. I'm hoping our other shooters get hot against Colorado and it turns into a mountain blizzard of threes - how about eighteen? 

Did you happen to catch the game at USC against the Cougars? USC won in overtime. Both teams looked like NCAA Tournament teams, and hard "outs" at that. It just keeps getting better in the PAC12. There's no resting on laurels out here in the west - Stanford needs to improve every week from here on out. USC has gotten several players back from injury and looked terrific. Our A-game will be required every game the rest of the way.

I know you've probably read about Lauren Betts. The number one recruit in the 2022 Class just committed to Stanford. Just stop and realize what's happening. You saw the list of schools that got rejection slips - it's happening folks. The magnetic poles are reversing in women's basketball. The East Coast may be where the sports writers live, and where the games take place before their bedtime - but Lauren said no to UConn and Notre Dame. She's coming from the same AAU team that Ashten Prechtel played for in Colorado. As I've said before, success breeds success in this sport. Ashten plays for the number one team in America and goes to the number one university - those are tough facts to recruit against. If you were an undecided 2022 recruit - which direction would you be considering - East or West? I'd chose the PAC12 - hands down.

GO CARDINAL!!  

  

THIS WEEKEND WE TRAVEL TO THE MOUNTAIN SCHOOLS. THE UTES AND THE BUFFS ARE ALWAYS TOUGH AT HIGH ALTITUDE. HERE'S WHAT YOU MIGHT LOOK FOR:

It's

The Utes are deadly from distance. So, before taking them on, you have to learn as a defensive player to break the shooter's rhythm from deep, effectively alter her shooting motion, or make her hurry her shot. If you allow her to make a clean catch, square up, plant her feet, and take careful aim -  she'll burn you. 

Exhibit A: Anna Wilson's defense in Friday's game against the Ducks. Their long range bomber - Te'Hina Paopao - was neutralized by Anna's skill and effort. Instead of 5 for 9, which she's totally capable of - she was 2 of 3. Ditto for Haley shutting down Erin Boley's long range game and Lacie on Taylor Mikesell.   

The Utes have six three point shooters and they average about nine made threes per contest. Brynna Maxwell, Andrea Torres, and Niyah Becker are the most prolific long range shooters. If you let Brynna get going she'll shoot you out of the building. Perfect rhythm, good form, NBA range, quick release - she's a dangerous person - unless she's up against a strong defensive player with some length - i.e. Haley, or Lexie, or Lacie. Brynna's 6' tall so it's hard for a small guard to stop her. Fortunately, Stanford has a bunch of tall guards and Brynna must be stopped.

  If you saunter into the Huntsman Center and play with casual overconfidence - Ralphie will trample you. I'm sure no one's forgotten our two games against Lynn's pumped up players last season. We escaped with wins from both games by spectacular last second efforts. In the first, with three seconds left, Lacie made a perfect pass from out of bounds to Ashten under the basket. Her layup got us into overtime. In the second game, Kiana made a corner three and a running forty-footer to score six points in six seconds for the win. We need to play every possession like a number one team for forty minutes and avoid the need for more last second heroics.

The Buffalos have a talented 6'-3" athletic senior post player who improves significantly every season. Mya Hollingshed has good moves to either hand around the basket. This year she's added a consistent mid-range jump shot and is developing a three pointer. She's averaging double digits in points and rebounds and will be a potent lesson for our young post defenders.

Peanut Tuitele is a 6' slasher and scorer who's usually in double figures. She's a strong body with savvy moves around the basket and will be a defensive challenge for our guard/forwards.

Jaylen Sherrod is a talented quick and agile point guard who drives and dishes effectively. She's always a great challenge for Kiana, Anna, and Jana.

These two mountain teams will be great preparation for what comes next. The following two weekends we play UCLA and USC, then we go to Pullman for two games against the biggest surprise of the season - Kamie Ethridge's new massively improved Cougars. They just received their first Top 25 ranking in school history for knocking off or scaring the hell out of other Top 10 ranked teams. More about them in my next blog.

GO STANFORD!!         

THIS WACKY SEASON IS PLAYING OUT WONDERFULLY IN SPITE OF ITSELF!! OUR TEAM IS PERFORMING FANTASTICALLY!!

Quite a ride, isn't it. Every week I love this team more. What an odyssey! I'll resist doing any specific raving since our player's exploits are well covered elsewhere. So enormously grateful this stupid virus is not snuffing out their (and our) great adventure. In fact, I'm nuts about our whole conference. ASU is so tough! Charlie works her magic down there in the Sun and her Devils outdo themselves in every aspect of the game. On Sunday they gave the Cardinal tons of trouble. If they'd had a building full of rabid fans, like they usually have, it could have gone worse for our group. I'm sure you remember that last season they beat the number two ranked Ducks and the number three ranked Beavers on the same weekend in a building you thought might come off its foundation at any moment.  

UCLA just knocked off Oregon in a thriller in the Matthew Knight Arena! The two "O's" were spectacular once again. In fact, they scored all the Bruin's points (20) in the first quarter. The Ducks were missing their 6'-7" post player, but had their 6'-6" and 6'-4" players in the middle who couldn't stop UCLA's All American Michaela Onyenwere from rising up above their defensive efforts and hitting consistent jumpers around the key. If you think I'm exaggerating, number 21(in white) above (Erin Boley) is 6'-2". Do you think she's bothering Michaela? Charisma Osborne (the other "O") was driving the lane and hitting from distance the whole game. It was a great effort and an important win for the Bruins.

The Cougs are a bunch of no-name ballers who are shocking one team after another with no glitz or glamour - just solid play and lots of made shots. I could go on, but you get the idea. This is a wild and woolly season out West in the PAC12! Kamie Ethridge gets my vote, along with Tara, for co-coach of the year. What a job she's doing out there in the Paloose.     

On Friday morning the Cardinal play the Ducks in Santa Cruz. Their 6'-7" post player will probably be back in their lineup and I hope Cam is back in ours. Kelly Graves has a flock of five fantastic freshmen who, as a team, would be ranked in the top ten. Two of them, Te-Hina Paopao from La Jolla Country Day (Candace Wiggins' high school), and Angela Dugalic (6'-4" and built strong) almost took down the UCLA Bruins in the fourth quarter on Sunday.  

Tara has all this week to get her players ready and I'm expecting a barnburner in Santa Cruz. After just having been upset by the Bruins, who ended their 27 game winning streak, the Ducks will be a very dangerous bunch of quackers. Our A-game will be required.

GO CARDINAL!!

ON FRIDAY WE GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER. THE #6 TEAM IN THE NATION AWAITS DOWN IN THE DESERT.

Have you ever seen a wildcat fight? Their teeth and claws are a blur - just like Aari McDonald.   

Someone should tell Idaho's Number 2 she can forget about trying to stop the blur - she's going to the hoop for two. 

UCLA was a test on Monday  - or rather Michaela Onyenwere and Emily Bessoir were hard to stop -  but Stanford will have to play better if we hope to prevail down in the desert on Friday. We'll have to shoot like a number one team and take care of the ball. 16 turnovers and 10 steals probably won't cut it on Friday. 

Our defense was effective for the most part, but we have work to do to get ready for the Wildcats. Aari McDonald shoots great and, as you know, is one of the quickest players in the nation. She makes her living behind the arc and in the heart of defenses - wrecking havoc. 

Makes me recall an NCAA Regional Championship game up in Spokane a few years back, when Courtney Vandersloot was ripping our defense to shreds in the first half. No one could stay in front of her. 

During halftime Karli suggested a zone defense that stopped her cold in the second half and won the game. Whenever Courtney tried to penetrate, there were two players pinching off her drive. It was beautiful. I'm hoping for something beautiful on Friday. Just like Courtney and Gonzaga - if you stop Aari, you stop Arizona.

GO STANFORD!!     

YOU WANT A TUNE-UP FOR THE NCAA TOURNAMENT? JOIN THE PAC12!!

 Isn't it great! Ten years ago the PAC12 was pretty good. Now it's tough!! Look at what lies just ahead - December 21 UCLA is ranked #11(out of 351 Division 1 teams). January 1 Arizona is ranked #6. And January 8 Oregon is ranked #7. 

And that brings me to the main point of this blog piece. Did you watch the Ducks trample Oregon State last weekend? They were simply sensational! Kelly says this may be the best shooting team he's ever had! And that's saying something. I don't want to tell you what ranking the Ducks deserved this week - but, I will tell you that Stanford had better focus like never before over the next three weeks! For one thing this shooting slump from beyond the arc needs to end.

Taylor Mikesell and Te-Hina Paopao (I know they're not household names yet, but don't let that fool you) went 9 for 13 against the Beavers from beyond the arc. That's 70% if my math serves me. And if they'd kept shooting 3's in the second half, it would have been 18 for 26. The team shot 50% 12 for 24, because Erin Boley (who is one of the best shooters in the nation) was 0 for 2. When she joins the fray - Katy bar the door!

And size! These are some tall Ducks!     

#25    Angela Dugalic     6'-4"

#22    Kylee Watson       6'-4"

#10    Arielle Wilson       6'-6"

#32    Sedona Prince      6'-7"

#14    Lydia Giomi          6'-6"

#1      Nyara Sabally       6'-5"

#21    Erin Boley             6'-2"

All I'm saying is that over the next three weeks Stanford will get to play three of the best teams in the nation - it's a lot like the NCAA Tournament, but it all happens in our conference.

You've probably heard that the NCAA plans to have the entire women's tournament in San Antonio and the surrounding area. Just think how many great games we can take in! We should rent a block of rooms on the river. How about a whole floor at the Grand Hyatt?  

In my next blog I'll cover the Bruins and the Wildcats, but I must say Mikesell and Paopao took my breath away on Sunday. Man can they shoot! Let's get it together - end this shooting slump - and win these three games against some of the nation's best!

GO CARDINAL!!