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Beginning with Boston College

by gostanford.com
Nov 13, 2014

THE GAME: No. 6/6 Stanford (0-0) will begin its quest for the program’s 29th NCAA Tournament apperance when it starts its 2014-15 campaign Friday, November 14, hosting Boston College (0-0) in Maples Pavilion at 5:30 p.m.

TRACKING THE CARDINAL: The game will air on the radio on KZSU 90.1FM with Ashley Westhem and Alexa Philippou on the call. A live audio stream will also be available on kzsulive.stanford.edu, live stats will be available on GoStanford.com and fans can follow @StanfordWBB on Twitter for all game day information, including score updates, photos and observations. There will be no live video stream for the Boston College game.

FRIDAY DOUBLEHEADER: Following Friday’s game against Boston College, the Stanford men's team hosts Wofford at 9 p.m. Fans can bring their women’s ticket to the box office to receive a free men's general admission ticket and vice versa. Fans with a men's ticket looking to come catch earlier women's action can make the same transaction at the box office. Maples Pavilion will be cleared in between games.

THE RUNDOWN: Stanford returns 12 letterwinners and two starters to a squad that went 33-4 a season ago, advanced to the program’s sixth Final Four in the past seven years and won 30 or more games for the seventh consecutive campaign ... Gone are three starters that combined for 35.5 points and 22.9 rebounds per game, averages which accounted for 43.7 percent of Stanford’s scoring and 53.8 percent of its rebounding ... With a dynamic backcourt and no player over 6-feet that started more than five games a season ago, Tara VanDerveer and her staff have adapted to their personnel and now feature a more guard-oriented attack with an emphasis on pace ... This summer, VanDerveer and her staff spent time with former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, among others, to learn the intricacies of such an offense ... Stanford had run the triangle for the last 12 years ... Stanford is 29-11 all-time in season openers and has won the last 13 in a row ...  Stanford is 487-84 (.853) at home since 1974-75, 108-2 (.982) since 2007-08 and currently in the midst of a 26-game winning streak in Maples Pavilion, which is the third-longest active stretch in the nation ... Stanford opens the season ranked sixth in both major polls, the ninth consecutive season the Cardinal has been among the top six teams in the nation in the preseason AP rankings.

VS. BOSTON COLLEGE: Stanford is 3-1 all-time against Boston College and is opening its season against the Eagles for the second consecutive year. In Chestnut Hill last Nov. 9, the Cardinal used a 28-0 run late in the first half to cruise to a 83-71 victory. Chiney Ogwumike had 30 points and 14 rebounds and Amber Orrange had a near triple-double with 19 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The teams’ only other meeting on The Farm was a 76-66 Stanford win on Jan. 15, 2005.

WHAT’S BACK: Stanford returns 12 letterwinners and two starters to a squad that went 33-4 a season ago, advanced to the program’s sixth Final Four in the past seven years and won 30 or more games for the seventh consecutive campaign. 

  • The Cardinal welcomes back its starting backcourt in two-time All-Pac-12 honoree Amber Orrange (10.3 ppg, 4.5 apg) and sophomore guard Lili Thompson (8.3 ppg, 2.7 apg), a 2014 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection. 
  • Ten other returning letterwinners in senior Bonnie Samuelson (7.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg), senior Taylor Greenfield (5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg), sophomore Karlie Samuelson (5.1 ppg, 1.3 apg), sophomore Erica McCall (3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg), sophomore Kailee Johnson (2.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg), sophomore Briana Roberson (1.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg), redshirt junior Alex Green (1.0 ppg, 0.6 apg), redshirt junior Jasmine Camp (0.8 ppg, 0.2 rpg), junior Tess Picknell (0.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and senior Erica Payne (0.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg) will look to collectively replace the production of three departed seniors.
  • Those 12 combined to make 90 starts last season and accounted for 64 percent of Stanford 7,400 minutes on the year. Orrange (31.9), Thompson (25.0), Bonnie Samuelson (15.3), Greenfield (16.6),  Karlie Samuelson (15.5) and McCall (10.5) are those returners that averaged more than 10 minutes per game in 2013-14.

WHAT’S NOT: Gone are three starters that combined for for 35.5 points and 22.9 rebounds per game a season ago, averages which accounted for 43.7 percent of Stanford’s scoring and 53.8 percent of its rebounding in 2013-14. 

  • This season is the first in a decade that Stanford will not have a returning Associated Press All-American (first, second or honorable mention) on its roster, a run that began with Candice Wiggins in 2004-05. That team also did not welcome back an AP All-American following Nicole Powell’s graduation at the conclusion of the 2003-04 season. That 2004-05 squad went 32-3, 17-1 in the Pac-10, and advanced to the Elite Eight.
  • Until this year, the Cardinal had also returned a WBCA All-American in every season since beginning that stretch with Jayne Appel in 2008-09. [Appel was an AP All-American Honorable Mention in 2007-08, bridging the gap after Candice Wiggins’ graduation in 2008.] 
  • Consensus All-American and No. 1 WNBA draft pick Chiney Ogwumike, the Pac-12’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, averaged 26.1 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. 
  • The 2014-15 season will be the first since 2007-08, the year before Nnemkadi began as a freshman on The Farm, that Stanford will not have an Ogwumike on its roster. 
  • Mikaela Ruef made 36 starts and averaged career bests of 7.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game en route to All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades, her first postseason nod from the conference. 
  • Sara James started 22 of her 33 games in 2013-14, scoring 2.3 points and grabbing 1.5 rebounds per outing.

"OLD DOG’S GOTTA LEARN NEW TRICKS": With a dynamic backcourt and no player over 6-feet that started more than five games a season ago, Tara VanDerveer and her staff have adapted to their personnel and now feature a more guard-oriented attack with an emphasis on pace. 

  • The updated offense is in stark contrast to the triangle that VanDerveer has become known for on The Farm and implemented prior to the 2002-03 season. She first gained experience with the tried and true triangle during her time with the 1996 Olympic Team and was tutored in the strategy in part by Jim Cleamons, a New York Knicks assistant coach who teamed with Knicks President Phil Jackson to win nine NBA titles as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
  • This summer, VanDerveer and her staff spent time with Milwaukee Bucks assistant Joe Prunty and former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, among others, to learn the intricacies of a more guard-oriented, fast-paced, pick-and-roll offense. 
  • VanDerveer at Pac-12 Media Day in late October: “We really approached it intellectually, figuring, ‘This is the problem we have, this is not going to work for this group, let’s figure out something new.” 

SEASON OPENERS: The Cardinal has enjoyed a sustained run of success when it comes to the team’s first game of the season.

  • Stanford is 29-11 all-time in season openers and has won the last 13 in a row. Its last loss came at Saint Mary’s on Nov. 17, 2000 (75-64).

EXHIBITION RECAPS: Stanford won both of its exhibitions against Vanguard (Nov. 2) and UC San Diego (Nov. 8).

  • Lili Thompson led a quartet of Cardinal in double figures with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting in a 105-50 victory against the Lions. Starting posts Erica McCall and Kaylee Johnson each posted double-doubles, as the sophomore McCall went for 15 and 10 and the freshman Johnson tallied 12 points and 16 boards. Karlie Samuelson added 17 points off the bench in 19 minutes, was 5-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
  • Against the Tritons, Erica McCall poured in 18 points to lead four players in double figures as Stanford powered past UC San Diego 74-51. Taylor Greenfield scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half while Amber Orrange notched a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Kaylee Johnson also grabbed 12 boards, as Stanford owned a 46-37 edge on the glass. The Cardinal frontcourt was solid throughout the game, tallying 12 blocks, five coming from McCall.
  • Orrange, Thompson, Kaylee Johnson and McCall started both games for the Cardinal. Greenfield was in the lineup against Vanguard, while Karlie Samuelson took that spot amongst the starters against the Tritons.

VANDERVEER VS. VANDERVEER: Last Saturday’s matchup against UC San Diego marked the first time that sisters Heidi and Tara VanDerveer had met as opposing head coaches. 

  • Despite stints at Eastern Washington, Occidental, San Diego State and USF, among others, Heidi VanDerveer has only faced her Hall of Fame sister once, as an assistant with the Dons in 2004.
  • Their mother, Rita, watched from midcourt with a sweatshirt displaying her divided loyalties, one with both Stanford and UC San Diego logos.

APPROACHING MARKS: Despite losing a number of key contributors, Stanford’s Amber Orrange and Bonnie Samuelson are on their way toward putting their names among Cardinal all-time greats in various statistical categories.

  • With 425 career assists, Orrange sits just behind a number of Stanford legends and is aiming to become the seventh Cardinal to reach the 500-assist plateau, joining Sonja Henning (757), Jennifer Azzi (751), Milena Flores (644), Jamila Wideman (585), Nicole Powell (577) and Jeanette Pohlen (560). She’s also on track to crack Stanford’s career top 10 lists for both games and minutes played. 
  • Orrange is 10th in the nation among active players in assists.
  • Bonnie Samuelson has drained 156 3-pointers in her three years on The Farm. She’s never made less than 44 in a season and reaching that number again this year will make her the seventh Stanford player to hit 200 from behind the arc, joining Candice Wiggins (295), Jeanette Pohlen (268), Vanessa Nygaard (210), Kelley Suminiski (208), Sebnem Kimyacioglu (205) and Nicole Powell (201).

STARTING LINEUP: Freshman Kaylee Johnson started both exhibitions and her knack for rebounding has been praised by both coaches and players alike. Should the freshman start on Friday, she’s be the 11th true freshman to start a season opener for Stanford since 2000-01.

^ = Named Pac-10/12 Freshman of the Year
* = Named to Pac-10/12 All-Freshman Team
+ = Named Pac-10/12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention

FORTRESS MAPLES: Maples Pavilion has always provided the Cardinal with an intimidating homecourt advantage, which Stanford has used to its benefit.

  • Stanford is 487-84 (.853) in Maples since 1974-75 and 108-2 (.982) since 2007-08, with the only two losses coming during the 2012-13 campaign.
  • The Cardinal is currently in the midst of a 26-game winning streak at home, which is the third-longest active stretch in the nation behind Chattanooga (39) and Notre Dame (28).
  • That run is currently tied for the fifth-longest in program history with a spurt than ran from Dec. 28, 2001 to March 24, 2003. 

PAC-12 DOMINANCE: Since the advent of Pac-12 women’s basketball in 1986-87, Stanford has been far and away the class of the conference in terms of victories and end-of-season awards and honors. 

  • The Cardinal has won outright or shared the regular-season title 23 times out of a possible 28, while the next team on the list, Washington, has won the conference title just three times. 
  • Stanford has also dominated the Pac-12 Tournament, capturing 10 of the 12 tournament titles since the inaugural draw in 2002. 
  • From Jan. 22, 2009 to Jan. 8, 2013 Stanford won a record 81 straight games against its Pac-12 foes (including Pac-10 and Pac-12 Tournament contests). Through the end of the 2013-14 regular season, the team’s 790-143 (.848) overall mark since 1986-87 and 444-60 (.881) mark in Pac-12 regular-season play are both by far the top marks in the conference.
  • On the awards and honors side of things, the Cardinal again out-paces its opponents. Following the announcement of the 2014 Pac-12 honors, a Stanford player has won or shared the conference’s Player of the Year award 18 of 28 times since 1986-87, won the Freshman of the Year award eight times, Defender of the Year award four times and head coach Tara VanDerveer has been honored as the conference’s Coach of the Year on 14 occasions, with current associate head coach Amy Tucker and Marianne Stanley sharing the honor in 1995-96 while VanDerveer was on sabbatical coaching the U.S. Olympic Team.
  • Stanford players have captured a conference-best 94 Pac-10/Pac-12 Player of the Week honors through the 2013-14 season. Finally, the Cardinal leads the conference with 63 All-Pac-10/All-Pac-12 first-team selections.

CLASS OF THE COUNTRY: One of the nation’s elite programs, Stanford has consistently been a model for sustained excellence, especially recently.

  • Over the past seven seasons, the Cardinal has accumulated a record of 238-23 (.912) and been one of just two programs to reach the Final Four at least six times. Stanford is also one of just four teams to reach the national title game twice since 2007-08.
  • In an even shorter window, Stanford is second in the country in both wins (170) and winning percentage (.924) during the past five years.
  • The Cardinal’s 12 total Final Four appearances are third all-time among all schools in trips to women’s basketball’s marquee event. Additionally, Stanford’s NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013-14 was its 28th, moving the Cardinal into third place past Louisiana Tech (27).

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Stanford opens the season ranked sixth in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Preseason Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.

  • It’s the ninth consecutive season the Cardinal has been among the top six teams in the nation in the preseason. Stanford has been ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 every year since 2000-01.
  • It’s the 14th consecutive season the Cardinal has been among the top 10 teams in the nation in the preseason coaches’ poll. Stanford has been ranked in the USA TODAY Preseason Top 25 every year since 2000-01.
  • The Cardinal was also picked by the league’s coaches to win the Pac-12 title for the 15th consecutive season. Stanford, the defending 14-time Pac-12 champion, has topped the preseason poll since 2000-01. UCLA was the last team to finish atop the preseason rankings, receiving the honors two straight years in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
  • The media, however, chose Cal to win the conference by four points (194 to 190) over the Cardinal. It is the first time since 1999 that Stanford was not picked No. 1 in the preseason by the media. The polling dates back to at least 1998 (based on available records).

WHAT’S IN A NAME?: With the addition of freshman Kaylee Johnson to the roster, distinguishing between this year’s Cardinal could prove difficult.

  • 6-foot-3 freshman Kaylee (pronounced K-lee) Johnson, from Wyoming, is not the same person as 6-foot-3 sophomore Kailee (pronounced KY-lee) Johnson, from Oregon. The former has been dubbed ‘Kayl’ by her teammates, while the elder Johnson (no relation) goes by ‘KJ’.
  • The Johnsons are not to be confused with sophomore guard Lili Thompson, who thankfully plays a different position than her two frontcourt teammates with rhyming last names.
  • There’s not only Kaylee and Kailee, but also Karlie, as in Samuelson, a 6-foot sophomore guard from Huntington Beach, Calif. whose elder sister, Bonnie, is the team’s third-leading returning scorer.
  • Sophomore forward Erica McCall goes by ‘Bird’, to distinguish from senior forward Erica Payne, and was given the nickname by departed senior Mikaela Ruef.
  • VanDerveer on the confusion: “I mix them up all the time.”

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