LGHL Visiting Locker Room: Rivals talks Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball

[ThomasCostello]

Visiting Locker Room: Rivals talks Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The Buckeyes and Cardinal face-off Friday, and Rivals took the time to share more about a team in transition.

For the first time in five years, No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball takes on the Stanford Cardinal. This time, in San Francisco at the Bay Area Women’s Classic.

After legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer retired from Stanford at the end of the 2023-24 season, the Cardinal are going through changes on the roster, on the bench, and their conference opponents.

To discuss the new Stanford squad, Cardinal beat writer Ben Parker from Rivals answered questions about the team’s transition, how the team has changed playing for first-year head coach Kate Paye, and more.

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Land-Grant Holy Land: All the talk around Stanford this season is about the program being in a state of transition. Tara VanDerveer retires, Kiki Iriafen transfers to USC and Stanford joins the ACC. So far, it’s led to inconsistent performances where one game they’re battling a top-five LSU side into overtime and the next they’re losing to Cal by 20 points. What is the Cardinal struggling with early this season?

Stanford Rivals: One of the things Stanford is struggling with is their defense. Especially on the perimeter. That was evident in their exhibition game, even. And then at Cal it cost them dearly as the Bears had a program record 18 made threes.

The other issue for Stanford is simply the fact that players are having to take on bigger roles now that forward Kiki Iriafen is gone. Her decision to grad transfer to USC surprised the program and has forced others to grow up quickly. Especially sophomore forward Nunu Agara, who has had to take on that role of being the go-to player in the post. So, there’s just a lot of growing pains that they’re going through right now.

LGHL: How does first-year head coach Kate Paye stray from VanDerveer’s style and tactics on the court?

SR: I haven’t really seen much in the way of Kate Paye straying away from Tara VanDerveer tactically. This would make sense since Paye was VanDerveer’s associate head coach for so many years. She’s carried on VanDerveer’s legacy of expecting her players to be tough all while showing she cares a lot about her players in the process.

LGHL: When Stanford is playing well, who is the player leading the charge or the one everyone feeds off?

SR: This Stanford team prides itself on having many different options and players they can go to. That said, sophomore forward Nunu Agara has taken on the role of being the go to player with her 17.4 points & 7.1 rebounds per game. She is without question the one who they look to get everyone else going. When she’s in a good groove, everyone else feeds off that.

LGHL: Despite having a new-looking team, Stanford’s done well at limiting turnovers with only 12.5 per game. How do the Cardinal do at holding onto possessions and have they faced any sides that play a suffocating full-court press like Ohio State?

SR: A major reason they lost at LSU was turning the ball over due to LSU’s pressure at the very end, so that’s something they need to work on. Point guard Talana Lepolo is a steady presence in the backcourt and has done a good job of being a floor general, but with her missing some time others have had to step up.

Guards Jzaniya Harriel, Shay Ijiwoye, & Chloe Clardy as well as Tess Heal have been the main ones handling those duties with Lepolo out. I will say this, Stanford overall has been playing smart basketball, a trademark of the VanDerveer years. That more than anything is why their turnover margin is as good as it is.

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