Stanford loses to Santa Clara

[Sluconn Husky]

At home.

Santa Clara had lost by 35 to Southern Cal and 45 to Washington.

They shot 31% from the floor and were 1-16 from three and still beat the Cardinal.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I saw that Stanford was trailing, but didn't think they would actually lose.

Santa Clara lost that badly to the Trojans and Huskies?! Hmm. Tara has some work to do.

 

[alexrgct]

I think Tara is a terrific coach, but this already appears to be 25 full seasons played since the 1992 NC without another one....

 

[ochoopsfan]

Speechless
http://www.gostanford.com/liveStats/v2/basketball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=2288938&db_oem_id=30600

 

[MilfordHusky]

Stanford has had some great talent in Nicole Powell, Candice Wiggins, Jayne Appel, Kayla Pedersen, and the Ogwumike sisters. They have some nice players, but there seems to be a clear drop-off since Chiney left.

 

[Rb335]

26 TOs...hard to win when you don't take care of the ball

 

[HGN]

There was a time when Stanford sold the idea of a great education and a chance to play championship basketball to recruits....But what I have been seeing and hearing is that the championship basketball part is no more.

 

[Gate81]

I was there and there was no energy on the floor, which told me they had a major letdown (or overconfidence) after beating #22 GW by over 20 points. Don't know how Geno keeps UConn motivated every game -- whatever he has, Tara needs it. OR players who ALWAYS want to crush the competition.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Daaaaayum....

 

[johnnyc]

Don't know how Geno keeps UConn motivated every game -- whatever he has, Tara needs it. OR players who ALWAYS want to crush the competition.

But we're not one of these teams that we get up a little bit and we relax. I don't have those kinds of players. We don't practice like that, and I don't coach like that. - Geno Auriemma

 

[MilfordHusky]

I thought that the Cardinal might struggle with GWU, but not Santa Clara.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I know that WhatTheFreak early losses to really really weak teams like North Texas and Santa Clara are pretty much wiped from the slates of the teams by the time the Selection committee starts looking at the records of P5 teams in March. Stanford does not load up with an egregious amount of turkeys in Nov.-Dec., but you just can't afford to sleepwalk through the nose-wrinklers like UCs Davis, Santa Cruz, and upcoming Santa Barbara. If Stanford doesn't beat the Gauchos by 40+ now, Tara should seriously consider if it's time to start thinking about retirement before the team starts sliding into oblivion.

 

[EricSD]

Good points in the thread. I think Mil specifically mentioned there has been a drop off in talent since the O-sisters left. I'm not familiar with the ranking of their recruits, but Erica McCall was a top 10 kid right? And I think one of the Johnsons (Kaylee or Kailee) was a top 20 kid? Lili Thompson is good and they have an elder Samuelson in addition to Briana Roberson.

Not sure why they lost - well, it was the disastrous 3rd quarter where they were outscored 19-11. Stanford scoring by quarter - 8, 14, 11, 25. Whatever they did in Q4 they need to bottle it for an entire game. 22 points at half against Santa Clara? I feel badly for them and their fans. I like Stanford a lot...

 

[Nuyoika]

Good points in the thread. I think Mil specifically mentioned there has been a drop off in talent since the O-sisters left. I'm not familiar with the ranking of their recruits, but Erica McCall was a top 10 kid right? And I think one of the Johnsons (Kaylee or Kailee) was a top 20 kid? Lili Thompson is good and they have an elder Samuelson in addition to Briana Roberson.

Not sure why they lost - well, it was the disastrous 3rd quarter where they were outscored 19-11. Stanford scoring by quarter - 8, 14, 11, 25. Whatever they did in Q4 they need to bottle it for an entire game. 22 points at half against Santa Clara? I feel badly for them and their fans. I like Stanford a lot...

Probably some UConn flavored karma on that one... only explanation I have.

 

[huskyd]

Someone mentioned turkeys: let's face it, it's a bad season for birds (inc. a certain Cardinal).

 

[Nuyoika]

Someone mentioned turkeys: let's face it, it's a bad season for birds (inc. a certain Cardinal).

That would work if their mascot was in reference to the bird... their unofficial mascot is actually a tree. The cardinal is in reference to the color. They actually have affiliation with the bird... I am either blowing your mind right now or just irritating you. I learned this during an interview with Chiney O. and Bria Hartley a couple of years ago.

 

[huskyd]

That would work if their mascot was in reference to the bird... their unofficial mascot is actually a tree. The cardinal is in reference to the color. They actually have affiliation with the bird... I am either blowing your mind right now or just irritating you. I learned this during an interview with Chiney O. and Bria Hartley a couple of years ago.

According to my wife, my mind is long since blown, but I do find this very interesting. It's one of a countless list of things that I don't know. Mea culpa.

 

[willtalk]

The coaching landscape has changed since Tara first began coaching. There is more parity in talent and coaching than their was. Coaches in WCBB are not just there because they could not get hired as men's coaches anymore. The game has caught up to Tara and the old school coaches of her era. Pat would have been in the same boat. It was beginning to show long before her illness forced her out.

 

[Zorro]

I think that is giving Tara a bad rap. The "triangle offense" is light years removed from the UT "dribble around for a while and then chuck one up and rebound like monsters" type of offense. Tara's recent problems seem to stem more from weak recruiting seasons than from a lack of strategy.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Good points in the thread. I think Mil specifically mentioned there has been a drop off in talent since the O-sisters left. I'm not familiar with the ranking of their recruits, but Erica McCall was a top 10 kid right? And I think one of the Johnsons (Kaylee or Kailee) was a top 20 kid? Lili Thompson is good and they have an elder Samuelson in addition to Briana Roberson.

Not sure why they lost - well, it was the disastrous 3rd quarter where they were outscored 19-11. Stanford scoring by quarter - 8, 14, 11, 25. Whatever they did in Q4 they need to bottle it for an entire game. 22 points at half against Santa Clara? I feel badly for them and their fans. I like Stanford a lot...

I think Stanford has a number of ranked recruits, but the players I listed from the past were top 5 recruits. McCall was a McDonald's and WBCA AA and the Gatorade POY in California in 2013, so she has to be top 20. Kailee Johnson also was a McDonald's AA. Kaylee Johnson (very similar name) was the #30 recruit in her class and a 3x Gatorade POY. Brittany McPhee was the #25 player in her class and a 3x Gatorade POY. Karlie Samuelson was a WBCA AA. Sniezek was the #38 player in her class and the Gatorade POY in both basketball AND soccer. Lili Thompson was not a HS AA but is a pretty good player. They clearly have talent, but apparently no one on a par with Wiggins, Pedersen, Appel, Nneka, or Chiney. They have had at least one "alpha" player for most of the last decade, but apparently no one currently.

 

[mainejeff]

I don't think Tara wanted to head to the Gulf Coast Showcase like this.

 

[Carnac]

I was there and there was no energy on the floor, which told me they had a major letdown (or overconfidence) after beating #22 GW by over 20 points. Don't know how Geno keeps UConn motivated every game -- whatever he has, Tara needs it. OR players who ALWAYS want to crush the competition.

The answer is an easy one. They simply were NOT motivated to play Santa Clara. I was at the UConn game last year in Maples Pavilion. I can tell you Stanford was extreamely motivated to ambush the Huskies, and knock them off of their preseason #1 perch. The energy in that area that night was unbelieable.

The crowd wanted a piece of UConn real bad. Tara did an excellent job of motivating her team into a frenzy before the game. It worked. Stanford never let up. They kept their foot on the gas (and UConn's throat) from tip to buzzer.

It was a great game for the Stanford faithful in attendance. They danced and reveled all the way back to their cars. For the UConn fans, we were in a state of shock, almost to the point of needing medical attention.

Texas came in 3 days later to bring them back to reality. I guess Stanford was still in a state of euphoria, and was not ready to play another game yet. Needless to say, they were not as motivated to play the longhorns as they were to play UConn.

 

[Icebear]

The coaching landscape has changed since Tara first began coaching. There is more parity in talent and coaching than their was. Coaches in WCBB are not just there because they could not get hired as men's coaches anymore. The game has caught up to Tara and the old school coaches of her era. Pat would have been in the same boat. It was beginning to show long before her illness forced her out.

I think this is a complete miss judgment of Tara.

 

[Gate81]

I agree that the judgment of Tara above is way too harsh, but she probably is getting very frustrated. Tara remains focused with strong game strategies and her in-game adjustments excellent. They just didn't work this time in my opinion for reasons beyond her control. Key will be whether the team wakes up in its next few games, but I expect at least one change to the starting lineup.

In the long run, they definitely have been hurt by recruiting; with the academic standards through the roof, they often can't admit the players they want the most. Just look at some of the sparkplugs on Duke and UCLA, for example, as evidence - my impression is Lambert, Billings and Canada may fall into this category. Perhaps they could use new blood for some coaching or recruiting (e.g., I have heard Nicole Powell, a Stanford alum, is doing a great job for Oregon).

Either way, they have a close team and while they don't get one star, one could argue that makes everyone need to take charge and not depend on a Chiney, for example, which can also reap team benefits if you have the right personnel and drive within those players. I should add that Kailee Johnson mentioned above has been injured and out the last 1+ years. She once again was in street clothes this week.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Stanford has really declined in the last 2 seasons; I wonder if Tara is about to retire?

 

[willtalk]

My previous post was not a slam on Tara specifically, but was directed at the coaches of her era in general. The playing field is much more competitive today.
The good coaches in the past were made to look much better by the lack of competition. I personally had/have a lot of respect for Tara. Though I feel she might have lost her edge after she and Stanford experienced a series of bad luck which cost them a couple NC's.

That aside, the caliber of coaches in WCBB is far superior to what it was years ago. That along with player parity makes it much harder for as team like Stanford (higher entrance requirements}to maintain the superiority they once had over the majority of teams today. Both Tara and Pat were very good coaches that benefited from the death in coaching talent. On an even playing field today they both would not come close to the success they had.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

That aside, the caliber of coaches in WCBB is far superior to what it was years ago. That along with player parity makes it much harder for as team like Stanford (higher entrance requirements}to maintain the superiority they once had over the majority of teams today.

Probably true but Stanford has had some excellent teams. They were probably the 2nd best in the nation both years UConn won titles with Maya. This current Stanford team doesn't have anywhere near that kind of talent.

 

[Zorro]

You can't just treat "coaches of her era" as if they were all deadwood. Actually, Geno is of Tara's era, as is Gary Blair and any number of other bright, innovative coaches. imho, PHS and her successor are the exception, rather than the rule.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

It's the old "era" thing. I think it is very difficult to evaluate how someone who did what they did in a different time would fare if they were starting out today. They are, after all, a product of what they have been, if you think about it.

Tara is a very good coach.

As coaches get older they may find recruiting more difficult, then success is more difficult, which makes recruiting harder, etc., etc. Vivian Stringer has spoken to this in some interview I saw or read. But if they were starting out today, who knows . . .

These are not stupid people and I don't buy into the game "passing them by". It is true that their skill set and their natural coaching styles may not translate as well today as it once did, but Vivian, among many others for example, went to learn the "triangle" when it was a hot thing to do, so they were trying to improve their "game".

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

It's the old "era" thing. I think it is very difficult to evaluate how someone who did what they did in a different time would fare if they were starting out today. They are, after all, a product of what they have been, if you think about it.

Tara is a very good coach.

As coaches get older they may find recruiting more difficult, then success is more difficult, which makes recruiting harder, etc., etc. Vivian Stringer has spoken to this in some interview I saw or read. But if they were starting out today, who knows . . .

These are not stupid people and I don't buy into the game "passing them by". It is true that their skill set and their natural coaching styles may not translate as well today as it once did, but Vivian, among many others for example, went to learn the "triangle" when it was a hot thing to do, so they were trying to improve their "game".

That's true because opposing coaches use the argument that they may not be there for a recruit's entire career. We had that problem in football recruiting the last couple of years as Steve Spurrier neared 70. Many coaches hang on a little too long. It happens in the business world, too. I've seen many co-workers nearing retirement hang on after they've lost their drive.