Tara Weighs In on It

[RockyMTblue2]

Sheez, Everybody has an opinion!

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/VanDerveer-UConn-s-rule-isn-t-bad-for-the-7223254.php

You get a pass this year Geno. Just don't do it again!

 

[bags27]

Sheez, Everybody has an opinion!

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/VanDerveer-UConn-s-rule-isn-t-bad-for-the-7223254.php
You get a pass this year Geno. Just don't do it again!

The coach of the last team to beat UConn says she doesn’t think the Huskies’ domination is bad for women’s college basketball. But Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer adds, "Ask me again next year. If they’re dominant again next year, I’ll probably say yes.’’

I think this is what passes for humor in Menlo Park....

 

[EricLA]

I always liked Tara, but especially enjoyed this line:

" I don’t think Geno should have to apologize for being so good,’’ VanDerveer said. "They have great players. They play very entertaining basketball. They move the ball really well. The pace of their warmup is faster than a game; they’re like shot out of cannon."

 

[RockyMTblue2]

She has a dry wit. "The pace of their warmup is faster than a game; they’re like shot out of cannon."

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I always liked Tara, but especially enjoyed this line:

" I don’t think Geno should have to apologize for being so good,’’ VanDerveer said. "They have great players. They play very entertaining basketball. They move the ball really well. The pace of their warmup is faster than a game; they’re like shot out of cannon."

2 great minds in a click race!

 

[Aluminny69]

Tara requested that Stanford NOT play UConn this year, and Geno agreed. I don't think she ever gave a reason why they didn't want to play UConn.

 

[Plebe]

The coach of the last team to beat UConn says she doesn’t think the Huskies’ domination is bad for women’s college basketball. But Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer adds, "Ask me again next year. If they’re dominant again next year, I’ll probably say yes.’’

I think this is what passes for humor in Menlo Park....

That is a classic Tara-ism. And yes it's humor.

 

[Plebe]

Looks like they didn't quite nail their facts:

"The Huskies have won 73 straight. Before losing to Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014, they had won 90 in a row."

Wasn't the 90-game win streak back in the Maya Moore days?

 

[Blueconn]

Looks like they didn't quite nail their facts:

"The Huskies have won 73 straight. Before losing to Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014, they had won 90 in a row."

Wasn't the 90-game win streak back in the Maya Moore days?

Absolutely right. The 90 game win streak ran from November 16, 2008 through December 28, 2010. It ended on December 30, 2o10 at Stanford.

 

[Aluminny69]

Looks like they didn't quite nail their facts:

"The Huskies have won 73 straight. Before losing to Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014, they had won 90 in a row."

Wasn't the 90-game win streak back in the Maya Moore days?

Yes, Stanford broke the 90 game streak on December 30, 2010.

UConn started the 2014-15 season on the road. From WIKI:

UC Davis
For the first time in 15 year, the Huskies opened their season on the road, playing their first game in California, the home state of Mosqueda-Lewis. The arena set an all-time record for attendance at a women's basketball game. Mosqueda-Lewis had 25 friends and family members in thew stands, who came to cheer her on. She gave them plenty to cheer about, tying the school record for three-pointers made in a game with Maya Moore. Both hit ten three-pointers. The Huskies hit their first four shots of the game, all three-pointers, but UC Davis hung in there for some time, until the Huskies started a long run. They scored the final 23 points of the first half, and continued with the first 16 points of the second half, to complete a 39–0 run, believed to be one of the longest in NCAA history. Mosqueda-Lewis went to the bench for the final 11:31 after tying the record.[22][23]

Stanford
UConn's second trip on the west coast trip was against Stanford, the number six team in the country. Stanford had stopped UConn's 90 game winning streak, the longest in NCAA history in 2010. The Huskies were bringing in a 47-game winning streak to this contest. However, after tying a UConn record days earlier, Mosqueda-Lewis did not score for the first three-quarters of the game. UConn built a ten-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but it up, allowing Amber Orrange to hit a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds to go in the game to send the game to overtime. Tuck and Nurse fouled out, and the Cardinal outscored the Huskies in the overtime period to take the win 88–86, and end the winning streak.

 

[alexrgct]

Just to add on, the streak Stanford broke in 2014 had lasted 47 games. It is the fifth longest streak in WCBB history. The current 73-gamer is second longest in the sport's history.

 

[UcMiami]

The coach of the last team to beat UConn says she doesn’t think the Huskies’ domination is bad for women’s college basketball. But Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer adds, "Ask me again next year. If they’re dominant again next year, I’ll probably say yes.’’

I think this is what passes for humor in Menlo Park....

I think a lot of people are going to be concerned if Uconn minus Breanna and Moriah and maybe Tuck are unchallenged again next year. It is one thing to say they have 3 of the best five players in the country and four other very good players and so, yeah, they are beating everybody senseless. But to then have to say, well they have two third team AAs on the squad this year and they still beat the 2, 3 and 4 teams in the country by double digits, and blew the 25th ranked team out by 60 would really say there is no competition.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I think a lot of people are going to be concerned

As unrealistic as it may be, should that occur I will have an entirely different emotion.

 

[JordyG]

You've been a very, very good boy Geno. Now for everyone's sake don't do it again.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

That is a classic Tara-ism. And yes it's humor.

I don't think so. I think she means it.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Tara requested that Stanford NOT play UConn this year, and Geno agreed. I don't think she ever gave a reason why they didn't want to play UConn.

Probably because they were a bit young and inexperienced and of unpredictable success. As I said in another thread, I went to the Stanford at Arizona game and they did not look very good (yes they won, but IIRC they did not at the school up north that they played the same weekend). Although a loss to UConn is not a "negative" on the schools record, she may have felt that her team was going to be too much "in progress" to benefit from the experience. When teams reach a certain point, then they are ripe to benefit from the experience, but - from what I heard and read - the Elite 8 was an unexpected result for the season.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I don't think so. I think she means it.

She may have, somewhat. It can still be humor.

I just listened to Geno on Centerstage (yes, we had it on DVR that long) - great, great interview. Geno also said a few things that were both humor, and true.

 

[kat0189]

Tara is WAY smarter than me. I LOVE her dry wit. But sometimes she says things that are over my head and not quite clear, and I'm kind of like "Huh?" But frankly, it kind of makes me love her even MORE! I'm like, "Is she being intentionally coy? Was that a threat or a promise? Insult or compliment?"

I can think of one comment she made that I thought was a bit inappropriate. No need to rehash, but basically a comment where she singled out one well-known player by name, I think seemingly out of the blue, and stating that she thought a specific up-and-coming player could be better or more deserving of the headlines.

Other than that: CLASS ACT yet TOTALLY fun to hear from in her own, quirky, unique way.

 

[kat0189]

One memory that sticks out as sort of "capturing Tara's persona" was after the 2010 nail-biting win over Xavier in the Elite 8 (before losing to UConn in the championship game):

A Xavier player had twice missed consecutive chippy layups toward the end of the game (which was tied). This was of course the focus of the post-game press conference. Tara was careful not to say anything that might be inappropriate about the player's two missed layups, as the player must have undoubtedly been in agony.

When the Stanford players were asked about it, things got a little more candid and less...reserved.

Kayla Pedersen, a devout Christian, said her first thought when the shots were missed was "Divine Intervention!"—and she was being quite literal!

Tara was subsequently or later asked if she believed in "Divine Intervention," by a somewhat playful reporter.

Tara bluntly and quickly said, "I do not..." with a smile.

The press waited for her to expand, in a slightly suspenseful and eager moment.

"...personally, I think that God has better things to be doing!" she followed it up with. Still smiling, leaving things professional, not stirring up too much trouble ;-), but still sharp and leaving things a bit ambiguous/mysterious and a little bit open to interpretation or for the imagination.