April 1, 2010
STANFORD, Calif. - For Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, the contrast between this Final Four appearance and her seven others could be seen in her reaction.
Long after Jeanette Pohlen's buzzer-beating giant slalom run gave Stanford a stunning 55-53 victory over Xavier in the NCAA regional final on Monday, VanDerveer did not feel elation on the bus ride back from Sacramento.
While her players sang, danced and laughed in the back, VanDerveer watched game video in the front.
"I wasn't happy with how we played," she said. "We did enough right things to win, but just barely."
Compared to the unabated joy she felt after qualifying for previous final fours, this was a much different feeling for Stanford's 24th-year coach.
Disbelief? Yes.
Relief? Sure.
Happiness? Of course.
But satisfaction? Not quite. Not after Xavier missed two wide-open layups in the final 12 seconds to put Stanford in position to win.
"When I woke up Tuesday morning, I think I watched Jeannette's play, plus I watched the missed layups, over in my mind a million times," VanDerveer said. "I feel like we've been given a second basketball life.
"We saw our season pass before our eyes. It was over. I'm just so thankful to be playing, and so appreciative of the opportunity. I know our team will make the most of it."
No one was more appreciative than Stanford senior center Jayne Appel, who fouled out and was on the bench during the final stages of the game, after being held to only eight points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.
"That was one of my favorite games to ever be a part of and probably one of my worst performances ever," she said.
VanDerveer felt her team was too timid in the face of an imposing front line. Usually, it's the other way around when teams go up against the likes of the Cardinal's Appel, Nneka Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen. Part of the advantage of having that "second life" is knowing how to deal with similar situations next time.
"Our game is `deal with our post players,'" VanDerveer said. "And we have been successful because we can go inside to Jayne or Nneka and post Kayla. We try to find that advantage. That opens things up for our perimeter shooters. When that doesn't happen, we struggle."
But VanDerveer and her players agree that a close game, after 21 consecutive victories of at least 15 points, was necessary.
"We don't want close games, it's not nice on our nerves," Pedersen said. "But it happens and you can only learn from that. We know that we can be tested now and we will persevere in tough situations. And we can always count on each other. That will only make us better."
But first the Cardinal had to survive, no matter how ugly and how lucky.
"The second that girl missed those two layups, I knew we were going to win the game," Appel said. "I just don't think you miss two layups like that and the other team doesn't win. That's such a crusher emotionally."
Next, there's Oklahoma in a semifinal on Sunday (4 p.m. PDT) in San Antonio, Texas. Beyond that, a possible rematch with No. 1 Connecticut.
"I think we take all that energy and build on it," Appel said. "We take the confidence we that we got in that game, and the energy, and put it into what we need for the next game."
Sifting through her Final Four memories, VanDerveer recalled her first, when Stanford crushed Arkansas 114-87 at Maples Pavilion to advance in 1990.
"I couldn't have been happier," she said. "I was out of my mind. I stayed up until 4 o'clock in the morning. The band was playing, Maples was jumping. How could it be any better than this? Then, it was like, What? We're playing again?
"This time, I want more. And I know our team does too."
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Honorary Big
Fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude blocked only three shots all season, but one came at a crucial situation, on a Xavier three-point attempt with 4:54 left.
Where did that shot-blocking ability come from?
"She watched film with the big girls that morning," Pedersen said.
"All credit to the `bigs,'" Gold-Onwude said. "The ongoing joke is that I think I'm taller and bigger than I am, and I like to hang out with the bigs because it makes me feel bigger. They had extra video before the game because Xavier had those two big girls. I just sat in and watched with them. I think it translated over somehow. I had a `big' mentality."
What did her big teammates think after the shot block?
"We gave her the biggest compliment," Appel said. "We called her a `big girl.'"
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Local connection
A main concern for Stanford will be the play of Oklahoma point guard Danielle Robinson, a dribble-drive specialist who is fast and quick, and the key to the Sooners' offense.
Two Stanford players - Appel and Pohlen -- are familiar with Robinson, who grew up in San Jose and led Archbishop Mitty High School to two state championships.
Appel and Robinson were teammates on 10-and-under and 11-and-under youth teams.
"She was tiny," Appel said. "But she was just as quick as she is now. She's like a lightning bolt. She's a tremendous player, and definitely has a lot of the same moves and quickness. She's just developed it her entire career."
Pohlen's Brea-Olinda High team played Robinson's Mitty in the 2007 state Division II championship, with Mitty prevailing, 54-49, on the same Arco Arena floor where Pohlen sent Stanford to the Final Four.
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FOOTBALL: Gerhart back in class
Toby Gerhart is back at Stanford, returning to his old dorm room while taking 13 units during the spring quarter to complete his degree in management, science, and engineering.
Gerhart, the Heisman Trophy runner-up and Doak Walker Award winner as the nation's best running back, took the winter quarter off to prepare for the NFL Combine with a group of other draft hopefuls in Mission Viejo.
By all accounts, Gerhart performed well not only at the Combine in Indianapolis, where he successfully answered any doubts about his speed, but also at Stanford's Pro Day and in a private workout with the New York Jets.
Still to come are a private workout with the Denver Broncos and visits to the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles for interviews.
How does Gerhart think he stands in the NFL Draft (April 22-24)?
"The second round is pretty sure-fire," Gerhart said. "There's still a chance to bump into the late first. You never know. But I could think the second round is sure-fire and still go in the third or fourth."
Gerhart said he benefited greatly from the Orange County camp with Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and others.
"It's something I'm really glad I did," he said. "You got into a strict routine of just training, eating and sleeping. It was nice to not have any other worries, or school or stress. You were just with 12 other guys who are doing the exact same thing as you, trying to achieve one common goal of doing great at the Combine."
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WOMEN'S SOCCER: Have a cold one
One Stanford player and three former Cardinal took part in an international soccer exhibition Wednesday night played under the most extreme weather conditions in United States national team history.
The U.S., with former Stanford players Kelley O'Hara, Nicole Barnhart and Rachel Buehler in action, beat Mexico and Cardinal freshman Alina Garciamendez, 1-0, in a snowstorm in Sandy, Utah.
Barnhart had the most unenvious task, playing goalkeeper for the U.S. against a team that rarely threatened. Barnhart mostly stood still, in shorts, in driving snow.
O'Hara, making her second U.S. national team appearance and playing outside right midfielder, entered just after Abby Wambach's goal in the 60th minute and nearly added another. O'Hara took a long pass, made a quick cut to her left and fired a left-footed shot that was pushed wide by Mexican goalkeeper Erika Vanegas.
Garciamendez played the entire match at defensive midfielder and nearly helped Mexico to its' second-ever draw with the U.S. (Mexico has never won in the series). She was described on-air by ESPN2 commentator J.P. Dellacamara as from "University of Stanford."
Former Stanford star Julie Foudy, the analyst, must have cringed, though she did not correct him.
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HOME GAME OF THE WEEK: Pac-10 softball opener
The place to be Thursday night will be Smith Family Stadium, the site of Stanford's Pacific-10 Conference softball opener against visiting California. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Stanford has emerged from nonconference play with a No. 9 ranking, 25-4 record, and a potential long-term pitching ace in freshman Teagan Gerhart (18-3, 1.28). Cal comes in with a 28-6 record and a No. 14 ranking.
The series continues Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. at the same site.
-- David Kiefer, Stanford Athletics
Ideas for future notebook items are welcomed. Please contact David Kiefer at dkiefer@stanford.edu. Past editions of the weekly Cardinal Insider can be found on the main page of gostanford.com by clicking on "General Releases" from the "Sports" pull-down menu.