Congratulations Stanford Head Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer for being named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2011. (Note, this is not the “Women’s” hall of fame, which Tara was elected to in 2002, but the “basketball” hall of fame, so read “men’s.” To tell you how rare this is, she is the ninth women’s coach inducted). She is joined by former Warriors star Chris Mullin, Bad Boy Dennis Rodman, Artis Gilmore, Arvydas Sabonis, Herb Magee, Tom "Satch" Sanders, Teresa Edwards, Tex Winter and Harlem Globetrotter Reece "Goose" Tatum. Tara coached Teresa Edwards to one of her four Olympic Gold Medals in 1996.
Congratulations again to Stanford Head Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer for being named the Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year. It is her third National Coach of the year award this season and second Naismith honor in her career (C and R don’t understand the distinction, can’t we just have one award?). Tara also won WBCA and Associated Press National Coach of the Year Awards this season, although she had to share the AP award with Geno Auriemma and Miami's Katie Meier.
Congratulations to Kayla Pedersen for being named to the Pac-10 women's five-player all-academic team for basketball, and for being named Pac-10 scholar athlete of the year for women's basketball.
Congratulations to Stanford's Sarah Boothe, Lindy La Rocque, Melanie Murphy, Nneka Ogwumike, Jeanette Pohlen and Mikaela Ruef for being named honorable mentions to the Pac-10 all-academic team for basketball.
Congratulations to Nneka Ogwumike for being named to the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team for the second consecutive season.
Congratulations to Kayla and Jeanette for all the records they set this season and we wish them more basketball luck and success as they try their hand at the WNBA.
Congratulations to the Women’s NCAA tournament and to ESPN who broadcasted it, for increasing their average viewership for the entire tournament to almost 1.9 million people from more than 1.6 million.
Congratulations to the Women’s National Championship game for increasing their viewership from 3.5 million last year to 3.8 million this year. Wait, last year was the Stanford-UConn final. C and R guess the rumors we read out on the internet are true that people get tired of “traditional” power houses always playing out in the final game.
Congratulations to TG for winning the Women’s Talk Sports Bracket!
Congratulations to Joanne Boyle being named Virginia Women’s Basketball Coach and condolences to Cal.
Congratulations Stanford….
For a wonderful season.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
It's Root Root For…
C and R asked who Stanford fans were going to root for in the Women’s Championship game. Let’s go to the ol mail bag to see what people said, shall we?
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Hi C and R:
The only way I have been able to feel better is to declare the two upsets a victory for women's basketball and celebrate the fresh faces coming in to the final game.
Let's face it, Notre Dame owes a debt of gratitude to Stanford for showing them that UConn could be beat and how to do it. How many times did Muffet McGraw watch that game film for ideas and inspiration? She seems like a good coach and a good person. If she wins, let's hope she calls Tara to tell her thanks.
I guess, if pushed, I am rooting for Notre Dame, only because I am becoming more gender biased in my old age and I know that over 50% of Div. I women's teams are now coached by men and it would be nice to see a woman take home the prize. That being said, the Texas A&M kids seem really neat and they played wonderful defense against our beloved team (trust me-- it pains me to say it), so if they win, it would be well deserved. You have to credit them with coming out so strong in the regionals against Baylor, their home town oppressor.
Sigh.
TH
------------------
After much consideration and deliberation, I'm rooting for Notre Dame tonight. Too much chest bumping from the Aggies for my liking. I know it's better to lose to the eventual winner but I'm still mad at them for beating Stanford.
ML
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I’ll be rooting for the Aggies
It’s little consolation to be able to say you lost to the national champions, but A&M’s run is a good story, Gary Blair seems like a good guy, and I generally root against Notre Dame no matter the sport (Sunday night against UConn excluded). Skylar Diggins is one heck of a player. The men’s championship game certainly isn’t a tough act to follow.
SA, From Rule of Tree
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I left Indy on Monday am. Don't care about final so much, but will cheer for ND because Diggins/Wiggins are friends, and I'm not a fan of A&M's 'style" of bball.
M
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Getting over it
The nice thing about losses like this are that in 15 or 20 years, the pain will subside and we'll hardly even think about it anymore. Like that awful overtime loss to Old Dominion in 1997, Nicole Powell hitting the front iron on a three that would have beat Tennessee in 2004, Candice Wiggins getting called for charging into Seimone Augustus in 2006 as Krista Rappahahn swished what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer, Tennessee breaking us with pressure in 2008 when in looked like it was our year, Jayne's ankle in 2010....
Almost never bothers me anymore!
I guess it's the nature of the sport - even with 4 straight years in the Final Four, unless you win it all, the whole season - 33-3, the win over UConn, undefeated Pac-10 season, Regional championship - somehow feels like a colossal failure! (It isn't).
And, you know, I'm already starting to think that next year is looking very bright...
TG
--------------
who am I rooting for?
I'm rooting for A&M. They were staying at my hotel in Indianapolis and could not have been more pleasant. They made it a point to say "hello" as they passed in the hall. When I wished them good luck (maybe I shouldn't have now that I think about it), they were so gracious. At their pep rally, you could really see the excitement about their first Final Four. They shook hands with fans and their coach spoke about what a class act he wanted everyone to be…"no booing in the stands," he said. I attended the Stanford pep rally also. I was surprised by how bored they seemed about it all. The committee was there cheering Stanford on as they arrived. The only time the team smiled was for the team picture. I was so excited to see them and called out to Chiney. She looked up and practically glared at me. I was so surprised by this. I left very disappointed in my team, but still rooting for them on Sunday. Perhaps they were just giving off their "focused" vibe. Still, it came off wrong and I felt sorry for the committee for all the work they put into the event. I will say that Melanie Murphy seemed to be the most pleasant of the bunch. She posed for pictures and took several herself.
MR
----------------
Ouch that last part of the final letter hurt, but maybe it needs to be pointed out, it’s not an automatic to go to the final four every year…
Well, congrats to Texas A & M. Now we can say Stanford lost to the champs. C and R still rooted for Notre Dame and Skylar Diggins. Every time they said, “Diggins makes a play,” we kept hearing “Wiggins”, as in Candice Wiggins. Brought but a flood of memories, so we know what TG means when he says, facetiously, the pain goes away and no one remembers the errors.
Looking forward to next year.
C and R
---------------------
Hi C and R:
The only way I have been able to feel better is to declare the two upsets a victory for women's basketball and celebrate the fresh faces coming in to the final game.
Let's face it, Notre Dame owes a debt of gratitude to Stanford for showing them that UConn could be beat and how to do it. How many times did Muffet McGraw watch that game film for ideas and inspiration? She seems like a good coach and a good person. If she wins, let's hope she calls Tara to tell her thanks.
I guess, if pushed, I am rooting for Notre Dame, only because I am becoming more gender biased in my old age and I know that over 50% of Div. I women's teams are now coached by men and it would be nice to see a woman take home the prize. That being said, the Texas A&M kids seem really neat and they played wonderful defense against our beloved team (trust me-- it pains me to say it), so if they win, it would be well deserved. You have to credit them with coming out so strong in the regionals against Baylor, their home town oppressor.
Sigh.
TH
------------------
After much consideration and deliberation, I'm rooting for Notre Dame tonight. Too much chest bumping from the Aggies for my liking. I know it's better to lose to the eventual winner but I'm still mad at them for beating Stanford.
ML
--------------
I’ll be rooting for the Aggies
It’s little consolation to be able to say you lost to the national champions, but A&M’s run is a good story, Gary Blair seems like a good guy, and I generally root against Notre Dame no matter the sport (Sunday night against UConn excluded). Skylar Diggins is one heck of a player. The men’s championship game certainly isn’t a tough act to follow.
SA, From Rule of Tree
-----------------------
I left Indy on Monday am. Don't care about final so much, but will cheer for ND because Diggins/Wiggins are friends, and I'm not a fan of A&M's 'style" of bball.
M
------------------------
Getting over it
The nice thing about losses like this are that in 15 or 20 years, the pain will subside and we'll hardly even think about it anymore. Like that awful overtime loss to Old Dominion in 1997, Nicole Powell hitting the front iron on a three that would have beat Tennessee in 2004, Candice Wiggins getting called for charging into Seimone Augustus in 2006 as Krista Rappahahn swished what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer, Tennessee breaking us with pressure in 2008 when in looked like it was our year, Jayne's ankle in 2010....
Almost never bothers me anymore!
I guess it's the nature of the sport - even with 4 straight years in the Final Four, unless you win it all, the whole season - 33-3, the win over UConn, undefeated Pac-10 season, Regional championship - somehow feels like a colossal failure! (It isn't).
And, you know, I'm already starting to think that next year is looking very bright...
TG
--------------
who am I rooting for?
I'm rooting for A&M. They were staying at my hotel in Indianapolis and could not have been more pleasant. They made it a point to say "hello" as they passed in the hall. When I wished them good luck (maybe I shouldn't have now that I think about it), they were so gracious. At their pep rally, you could really see the excitement about their first Final Four. They shook hands with fans and their coach spoke about what a class act he wanted everyone to be…"no booing in the stands," he said. I attended the Stanford pep rally also. I was surprised by how bored they seemed about it all. The committee was there cheering Stanford on as they arrived. The only time the team smiled was for the team picture. I was so excited to see them and called out to Chiney. She looked up and practically glared at me. I was so surprised by this. I left very disappointed in my team, but still rooting for them on Sunday. Perhaps they were just giving off their "focused" vibe. Still, it came off wrong and I felt sorry for the committee for all the work they put into the event. I will say that Melanie Murphy seemed to be the most pleasant of the bunch. She posed for pictures and took several herself.
MR
----------------
Ouch that last part of the final letter hurt, but maybe it needs to be pointed out, it’s not an automatic to go to the final four every year…
Well, congrats to Texas A & M. Now we can say Stanford lost to the champs. C and R still rooted for Notre Dame and Skylar Diggins. Every time they said, “Diggins makes a play,” we kept hearing “Wiggins”, as in Candice Wiggins. Brought but a flood of memories, so we know what TG means when he says, facetiously, the pain goes away and no one remembers the errors.
Looking forward to next year.
C and R
Monday, April 4, 2011
Now What?
Sometimes I think the sole reason for the existence of sports is to break one's heart.
This was written by our friend, LM, who is also a Cal fan but we don’t hold it against her.
C and R were so bummed last night we couldn’t even enjoy Skylar Diggins tearing up UConn. Incidentally, did you see our girl Candice Wiggins rooting for Skylar? She got to know her on a recruiting trip to Stanford. And could you have imagined if Diggins came to Stanford. She’s only a sophomore. At least UConn also losing eases the sting and erases some of the stigma the media was set to heap on Stanford.
So, the question has arisen for C and R; whom do we root for in the final final four game? Do we root for Texas A & M so we can say at least Stanford lost to the eventual champions? Or do we root for Notre Dame to “exact our revenge” on Texas A & M and say, see they didn’t belong there. What are your thoughts Stanford nation? And let us know if you are a Cardinal fan stuck with plane tickets to come home Wednesday and have to stay until the bitter end.
This was written by our friend, LM, who is also a Cal fan but we don’t hold it against her.
C and R were so bummed last night we couldn’t even enjoy Skylar Diggins tearing up UConn. Incidentally, did you see our girl Candice Wiggins rooting for Skylar? She got to know her on a recruiting trip to Stanford. And could you have imagined if Diggins came to Stanford. She’s only a sophomore. At least UConn also losing eases the sting and erases some of the stigma the media was set to heap on Stanford.
So, the question has arisen for C and R; whom do we root for in the final final four game? Do we root for Texas A & M so we can say at least Stanford lost to the eventual champions? Or do we root for Notre Dame to “exact our revenge” on Texas A & M and say, see they didn’t belong there. What are your thoughts Stanford nation? And let us know if you are a Cardinal fan stuck with plane tickets to come home Wednesday and have to stay until the bitter end.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Stanford Final Four Loss
3.3 seconds left, at least put the ball in one of your player’s hands...
I like Toni up the court in a blaze of glory…
I like Toni up the court in a blaze of glory…
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Basketball Sisterhood
C and R knew it! We knew there was a special connection between the Stanford sisters, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike. We’ve been saying it all year. Now a great article by Mechelle Voepel confirms it.
We have seen them always find each other on the court, gravitating to each other for a high five or “it’s okay” word of encouragement. And since the start of the tournament they seem to not only finish each other’s sentences, they finish each other’s baskets. We weren’t imagining it, Mechelle says they have sisterhood and “twin speak,” or sister speak. We knew it, they are just that connected.
Ands now they have incorporated Kayla Pedersen into the fold. She grew up with all brothers like C, and is welcoming this new-found sisterhood. Cutest quote:
"I can define 'sister-speak' like this," Chiney said. "They'll call a play, and I never have to say, 'What?' Because Kayla will say automatically, 'Chiney, don't worry, go here.' And that's what Nneka has been doing all season.
Here’s more from Chiney:
"Nneka and I can just look at each other and communicate without saying anything. We can do that with Kayla, too. I think the whole team is starting to get it, but Kayla's really got it down."
You go sisters. All you sisters.
We have seen them always find each other on the court, gravitating to each other for a high five or “it’s okay” word of encouragement. And since the start of the tournament they seem to not only finish each other’s sentences, they finish each other’s baskets. We weren’t imagining it, Mechelle says they have sisterhood and “twin speak,” or sister speak. We knew it, they are just that connected.
Ands now they have incorporated Kayla Pedersen into the fold. She grew up with all brothers like C, and is welcoming this new-found sisterhood. Cutest quote:
"I can define 'sister-speak' like this," Chiney said. "They'll call a play, and I never have to say, 'What?' Because Kayla will say automatically, 'Chiney, don't worry, go here.' And that's what Nneka has been doing all season.
Here’s more from Chiney:
"Nneka and I can just look at each other and communicate without saying anything. We can do that with Kayla, too. I think the whole team is starting to get it, but Kayla's really got it down."
You go sisters. All you sisters.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cal’s DeNesha Stallworth to Transfer
No April Fools Joke, DeNesha Stallworth is leaving Cal, according to her father.
From the ESPN site:
"She has a signed release and we're communicating with some schools and setting up some visits," Chris Stallworth said. "It wasn't a bad break, it just wasn't a good fit."
Uh Oh, what’s going on across the Bay?
From the ESPN site:
"She has a signed release and we're communicating with some schools and setting up some visits," Chris Stallworth said. "It wasn't a bad break, it just wasn't a good fit."
Uh Oh, what’s going on across the Bay?
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