STANFORD — It would be wrong to assume Stanford has been obsessed with erasing the negative feelings that came with its homecourt exit from last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Then again, as the No. 2 seeded Cardinal (28-5) opens play Friday night at Maples Pavilion against No. 15 Norfolk State (27-5), it’s not as if a 54-49 loss to Mississippi in the second round has been forgotten.
“I think it was very disappointing the last time I was sitting up here was not a fun time,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said Thursday. “It was very disappointing to not get out of Maples. I think we have learned from that.”
Stanford can have all the visions it wants of advancing to the Sweet 16 in the Portland 4 Regional for a shot at their 16th Final Four and fourth NCAA title, but what happened a year ago against Mississippi is a grim reminder of how things can go horribly wrong.
The Cardinal blew out Sacred Heart 92-49 in its opener as the No. 1 seed and hadn’t ended its season on its home floor in 15 seasons since a 68-61 loss to Florida State in the second round in 2007.
Stanford fell behind, committed 21 turnovers, missed countless layups and a late rally came up short in the final game of senior star Haley Jones.
Brooke Demetre, a junior guard whom VanDerveer calls “steady Eddie” because she brings excitement to every practice, isn’t worried about a quick exit as much as keeping things going for as long as possible.
“Obviously none of us were happy with the way it ended last year, ended a little shorter than we wanted,” Demetre said. “We wanted to make a longer run. I think learning from that and applying it and just going as far as we can. We’ve really all enjoyed playing with each other, and (we want) to make that last as long as possible, especially with our seniors who are going to be gone next year.”
Should Stanford beat Norfolk State, a Sunday matchup against either No 7 Iowa State (20-11) and No. 10 Maryland (19-13) awaits for the right to advance to Portland. The Cyclones and Terrapins play at 4:30 p.m.
With Stanford moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season and the uncertainty in college athletics since the the advent of of NIL funds and the transfer portal, VanDerveer’s goal this season was relatively simple in terms of philosophy.
Bring back the fun in playing the game they love, and relishing role playing that can add to talent such as All-America post Cameron Brink and sidekick Kiki Iriafen.
That point was stressed by none other than the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who spoke to the Cardinal early on with the message for players to be a star in their role rather than being star players. Others who VanDerveer referred to as “leadership specialists” were brought in and a new slogan — “best year ever” was born.
“I think it was just really re-establishing what is Stanford basketball,” VanDerveer said. “We’re in a different time, whether it’s with the portal and different things that are going on, and maybe navigate that more successfully this year . . . the connectivity, the stability, and the reinvestment with our staff to really understand what Stanford has been and how we want to play.”
VanDerveer also believes a smaller roster — Stanford had as many as 15 on the team last season as opposed to 12 this season — has been positive.
I think having few players has allowed me to get to know them better,” VanDerveer said.
It’s been stressed to such an extent it’s clear that Stanford’s unhappy ending a year ago happened in part because positive vibes were lacking.
“I think the biggest thing we learned and really tried to apply this year is to play with joy and have fun and really enjoy playing with each other,” Demetre said. “I feel confident speaking for the team for this — we really all do enjoy playing with each other so much, and I think you can tell when we’re on the floor, and that’s contributed a lot to our success.”
Freshman guard Chloe Clardy said she looks forward to every practice.
“We really do enjoy playing with each other, and practice every day is fun,” Clardy said. “We push each other hard but still have fun with it. That goes a long way.”
Elena Bosgana, a 6-2 junior guard from Greece, believes Stanford has shed its fear of performing poorly through an all-for-one team personality.
“I think last year we had the pressure that we had to prove ourselves,” Bosgana said. “We still have that pressure, but I think we’re so much better and having fun throughout the process, playing with each other and for each other.”
The Norfolk State challenge
The Spartans face their second daunting opener in two years after falling 72-40 to eventual national champion South Carolina in last year’s opener.
Diamond Johnson, a 5-foot-5 point guard averaging 20.3 points per game after transferring from North Carolina State, is the primary threat but not necessarily the only one.
“They’re really a complete team,” VanDerveer said. “They play a different style than probably we’ve played against. They press and play more of a three-two zone. But they’re capable of mixing it up.”
The Spartans, won won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and postseason tournament, come in loose and relaxed.
Norfolk State coach Larry Vickers said it was important for his team to match Stanford inside. The Cardinal finished third in the NCAA in rebounding differential and have one of the country’s premiere shot-blockers in Brink.
“We know Cameron Brink is going to block shots,” Vickers said. “We know it. Tell her, ‘Good job,’ and tell her ‘I’ll be back in a couple of seconds.’ We have to have that mentality. We score a lot of points in the paint. Obviously they dominate the paint, but they’ll have to share some of the space a little bit.”
