BROOKE SMITH: READY TO BE A LEADER

Interview by Bob Iacopi

Photography by Don Anderson

As the first game of the 2005-2006 basketball season approaches, Brooke Smith is emerging as one of the new floor leaders for the Cardinal. With T’Nae Thiel and Azella Perryman gone, the team needs the returning post players to step up and play tough at both ends of the court. On the practice floor, Brooke seems to be playing with great confidence. She credits the summer’s international experience for her increased maturity and leadership. “Just making that team in the first place was really great for my confidence.” To refresh your memory, Brooke was part of the 2005 USA Women’s World University Games Team that won seven straight to win the gold medal. She saw action in all seven games, and averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. The Marin native shot 80 per cent from the field, and finished with a perfect free-throw percentage, making all four of her attempts. Smith also added 10 assists and five steals during the U.S. gold-medal run.

“I think that the most important carry-over from the experience is the knowledge that I have the ability to play against the very best international competition. I had the best players in the United States on my team, and some of the best players in the world playing against us. I hope to be able to carry over that ability and effort to Maples Pavilion. “I learned a lot about myself, and improved my knowledge of top-level basketball. I learned that I can take on different roles in different situations, and how important the different roles are in making a team work. With all the great players on that team, I wasn’t the go-to post player, like I am here. So I had to work on other ways to help the team, like rebounding and especially defense. All of this definitely helped in developing my all-around game.” Which players impressed you the most? “I think Simone Augustus (the LSU All-American) is an extraordinary talent. Sylvia Fowles (also of LSU) is amazing, Megan Duphy (Notre Dame) played very well, and from the Pac 10, Lisa Willis of UCLA was outstanding. It’s hard to single out anyone because the everyone was just a great player.” I asked Brooke what she liked most about this year’s Stanford team in practices so far. “I think it’s really exciting because we have so many minutes to fill, so many openings for players who did not log a lot of time on the floor last year. The individual players who are stepping up differ with each day. The coaches want to see who is going make the most consistent effort, who wants to fill the new roles. It is a very competitive situation, and it’s going to get even more competitive once Cissy Pierce gets back on the floor. It has really been fun to watch.” The leadership issue is a recurring theme. “This is a new year and a new team. We need a different set of leaders, and I want to be one of them. We relied so much on T’Nae last year on defense. She was definitely our best defender, and she was always up against the best post players.”

So do you try to be a leader, or just let the other players come to you? “I definitely try to work on it. Everyone knows that we lost a lot of post leadership, especially, from last year’s team. Kristen (Newlin) and Ezzi (Okafor) are both doing a great job of working on the team defense, and helping the younger players work into the system.”

Should we expect to see Brooke and Kristen Newlin on the floor at the same time? “Yes, I think we’ll be out there together a lot of the time. One of our major points of focus has been trying to figure out the best ways for Kristen and me to play together. We’ve been adjusting some of our offenses so we can take the best advantage of having two post players in the mix.” The next subject was rebounding. All of you who have seen Brooke play know that is never going to win a weight-lifting contest. What do you have to do to rebound against players who may not be any taller, but certainly have more bulk and apparent strength? “Rebounding is a lot about boxing out. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to have a lot of upper-body strength. It’s a learned skill, and I just have to work on it all the time.

“The coaches want me to do more rebounding, both on defense and offense. If I’m down low, it’s my job to get up on the boards and pull down those missed shots. I’m really concentrating on being more versatile, more valuable to the team in all areas.” Brooke is not known as being foul-prone. Do you ever remember fouling out of a game? She had to think. “I just don’t remember. Maybe once or twice, but I really have no idea. I haven’t been in serious foul trouble very often.”

Here’s no surprise. What’s your favorite shot? “The hook,” Brooke replied without hesitation. Are you naturally ambidextrous? “No, I had to learn that left hand move. Now I feel comfortable going either to the right or left.” What about free-throw shooting. “I wasn’t a good free throw shooter during the first half of last year, so I’ve had to work on it quite a bit. It’s a matter of practice and confidence. If I think the ball is going in, usually it does. In earlier interviews, both Kristen Newlin and Morgan Clyburn admitted to having the three-pointer among their favorite shots. How about Brooke? “No, not me. I’ve been working on my range, but I’m definitely not a three-point shooter. I can shoot the jumper from about 15 feet, but I really will be spending almost all of my time on the low block.”

There are some big games coming up before the end of the year. How does Brooke prepare for the likes of Tennessee? “To be honest, I haven’t watched much tape on them yet. So I really don’t know what they will be like this year. But regardless of the individuals on the floor, they’re always very aggressive, they’re very big, they put a lot of pressure on the ball. They like to deny our favorite shots. That’s what they’re known for every year. So we have to work really hard to withstand their pressure. As we get closer to the game, our coaches will let us know exactly what we have to do.”

As you get ready for the first real competition, how do you feel? Are you ready to play a full game? “I love to play, so I want to be out there for as long as the coaches want me. I don’t have an ideal number of minutes per game. Right now, I feel really good. I have no general health problems, and thankfully, no strains or sprains. We all worked very hard on conditioning during the off season, and now we still lift weights three times a week.”

Off the court, Brooke remains a serious student in Human Biology. “This quarter, I’m taking Physics, Health Care in America, Cognitive Development, and a course on the Death Penalty. When basketball is over, I think I want to go into a medical field—I don’t know exactly which one just yet, but maybe a nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, possibly a physical therapist, something along those lines. Her major has helped Brooke with her own general health. “I’ve taken a number of nutrition classes. So during the season, I just try to stay on a regular balanced diet. I think organic foods are very important to the diet, so I eat a lot of those, along with a lot of whole grains. I’ve never had a serious weight problem, and I think that’s because I pay attention to my diet.”

I reminded Brooke that Duke is ranked very highly, and there is a chance Stanford might wind up playing her old school. Did she look forward to it? “It’s so far in the future, I can’t really think too much about it. But yes, I’d like to play them. They have a great team. And I still have some friends back there.”

From what we have seen so far in practices, all the fans should expect Brooke to perform at the top of her game, right from the first game. She’s calm, clear-eyed and focused. Bring on those Lady Vols and Blue Devils!

NEWS FROM THE THREE FRESHMEN

Article by Bob Iacopi

Photography by Don Anderson

They may not yet be as famous as The Three Tenors or The Four Freshmen, but Stanford's Three Freshmen are already starting to make some sweet music of their own on the basketball court. Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, Morgan Clyburn and Jillian Harmon all came to Stanford with very impressive credentials. But all the honors were earned while they were playing at the high school level, and now they are playing big-time college basketball with a team that ranks high in the pre-season polls and expects to contend for a national championship. Here's the big question: Can The Three Freshmen adapt their skills to a higher level of play, and make some contributions during the 2005-2006 season?

All three were on the Stanford campus this summer, along with the three freshmen on the men's basketball team. They took a couple of classes, worked out to improve their strength, and played pick-up basketball to get familiar with the Stanford system and players.

If you think summer school is a walk in the park, consider the selection of subjects. All of them took the same class in Human Physiology, and then each selected a different second class. Morgan took Computer Science, Jillian took a class in Social and Cultural Anthropology (along with Kristen Newlin), and Rosalyn a Management Science and Engineering class. Talk about student-athletes!

All agree enthusiastically that this summer experience paid off handsomely, because they had a head start when official practices started at the beginning of the school year on September 26 (more details below).

The team had a day off from practice on Tuesday of this week, so we had a chance to sit them down in street clothes and talk about their lives on and off the court. As you'd expect of Stanford basketball players, these three are intelligent, articulate, and very personable. But more than that, even a brief conversation about basketball shows quickly that they also understand the game, know their own strengths and weaknesses, and are very anxious to get on the floor in a Stanford uniform. Here are some notable quotes.

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude

To start with, I asked Roz about her personal background. "I'm a city girl, start to finish. I was born in Queens, New York and always lived right in the heart of town up until the time I came to Stanford. My mom lives in an apartment right across from a highway and I saw a lot of asphalt in my early life.

"My mother, Patricia Gold, is Polish. She was born in New York, after her parents immigrated to this country from Eastern Europe along with other Jewish families before World War II to escape the Nazis. My father, Austin Onwude, is Nigerian and is Catholic. So I'm right in the middle there.

"I went to public elementary school, and then to Archbishop Molloy High School, because in New York City, the Catholic schools have the best basketball league. And Archbishop Molloy was a very good school.

"I would never have to come to Stanford, if it had not been for my official visit. I was not entirely comfortable with my impression of California and Stanford before I came out here. But when we came in from the airport and drove up to the campus on Palm Drive, my jaw dropped. I'd never seen anyplace like this, and I knew right away that Stanford was something special. What a difference from my home town! There's some culture shock involved, but it didn't take me long to get comfortable with the place and the people."

I asked why Rosalyn took a Science Management class during the summer. "Well basically, I came here with interests in both medicine and business, and I got a taste of both in this class."

Speaking of medicine, I asked Rosalyn to give the real story about her high school injury, which had been reported in the media to be so serious that she might have to sit our her freshman year at Stanford.

"The injury happened on December 15, 2004. That was the last time I was on a basketball floor until September, 2005. I missed my entire senior season at high school, and could not even run very hard for about eight months.

"Basically, I tore my miniscus (a cartilage pad between the thigh and the tibia bones) in my leg. That would normally mean a three-month rehab, but I also damaged my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the same leg. I didn't tear it exactly, but I did some damage to the fibers. The ACL is still there. The doctors couldn't agree on how serious all this was to my basketball future. I heard so many different things. I went to one doctor, and he told me that I had just sprained my knee and would be back on the court in two weeks. A second doctor told me that I had completely torn my ACL, and my basketball career might be over. A third doctor said it was just a partial tear.

"Finally, we contacted the surgeon with the New York Nets basketball team. He went in with an arthroscopic camera, thinking he was going to do a full ACL reconstruction. I didn't like the sound of that, so I asked him to look very carefully before doing any cutting. On closer inspection, he determined that the ligament was still 90 percent there, and told me that a graft or replacement might not be better than what I had right then.

"So he left my ACL alone and cut out 20 per cent of my miniscus. Then I started right away on rehab for both the miniscus and the minor ACL damage, without major reconstruction.

"Right now, I am playing on an ACL that is about 90 per cent effective. I did rehab all spring at home at a professional therapy facility, and then when I came to Stanford in the summer, I started putting in extra work with the conditioning coach.

Roz makes no bones about the value of her summer experience. "Coming out here helped a lot, even though I resisted the idea at first. After all, the summer after high school is your last big vacation time. So I didn't know whether I wanted go to summer school and play basketball. But the coaches kept telling me that Jillian and Morgan were going to do it, and maybe I should consider joining them.

"And really, if I hadn't come, I would be so far behind everyone else, I might not catch up all season. The coaches might have asked for my scholarship back," she adds jokingly. "I would have had no idea about the school, the team, the practice routines, the conditioning. It would have been a disaster.

"At the start of the summer program, I didn't jump in with both feet. While the other players were doing full workouts, I was doing modified workouts. While they were running a mile, I was running a lap. But finally, I got up to speed, and when September 26 came around, I was ready to go.

I mentioned to Roz that I thought she was playing very effective defense in the full-court scrimmages. She laughed. "Yes, I am working really hard on my defense. I really get excited about it. And let me tell you, that is something entirely new for me. In high school, it was 'Give me the ball.' It was all offense. But things are a lot different here. It's not easy to put up big scoring numbers, and I have to find other ways to motivate myself. When I'm fresh, I can play good defense. What I have to work on is maintaining my intensity when I'm tired.

"On offense, I'm most comfortable as a point guard. I like the ball in my hands. I played a lot of shooting guard when I was younger, and I could score. But now I really feel good if I can set up someone else for a shot."

So what does she expect to do in her first games at Stanford? "I want to be a leader. I want to be strong for the team, and get things started. Coach told me to just take care of the ball, and get everybody going. No turnovers!"

Rosalyn echoed Jillian Harmon's opinion on Clare Bodensteiner (see below). "She is so vocal, and so positive, and so encouraging. There would be a lot of times in practice when I didn't know what I was doing, and Clare was right there, helping me and telling me I'd get it right the next time.

"Candice of course is another leader. We all want to follow Candice. And you know who else is really inspirational? Markesha Coleman. She's small, but she is very quick. Sometimes I can get a big passive with my moves, but not Markesha. When she drives, she gets to the paint and gets off her shot, regardless of what is going on around her. She makes me want to get to the hoop every time. I'm 5'10", which makes me big enough to shoot over smaller guards or take the ball on a drive. I just have to finish with a good shot.

"All of the juniors and seniors are so supportive. We're competing for playing time, but they want you to play well. If you mess up, they'll help you figure out how to make it work the next time."

Jillian Harmon

"I was born in New York, but moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon, when I was six years old, and stayed there right up through high school. I was always interested in basketball, right from the get-go. No one else in my family ever played the sport, but I've always loved it. I can remember playing in a Lake Oswego rec league when I was in the third grade. Actually, there are two high schools in Lake Oswego. Former Stanford player Katy Steding played at Lake Oswego High School, and Chandra Benton played at Lakeridge, so our area has a long history with Stanford.

"One of the reasons I really liked Stanford is because I used to go to Katy's camps when I was a kid.

"I played four sports in high school. I ran cross country for two years, ran track for a year and played tennis for two years."

Like Roz, Jillian really values the time she spent on campus during the summer. "The coaches couldn't be in the gym with us, but the trainer was always available. We worked out at 6:30 in the morning, went to class, and then came back to play pick-up basketball four nights a week. Other players from San Francisco and Santa Clara would come in, and some of the guys would join us.

"The conditioning work was no joke. We lifted weights four times a week, and did a lot of running on the track. Everyone on the team who was not injured did the same kind of running. We had to do the famous one-mile team run, and I finished first with a time of 6:08. But Cissy Pierce and Candice Wiggins didn't run it, or I probably wouldn't have won it, because Candice broke six minutes last year.

"Actually, we all ran a mile four or five times during the summer, and we each had individual times that we had to beat in the official run. If we didn't, we had to run it again.

"I'm so glad we had a chance to work together during the summer. It made the transition so much smoother. We got to know the team, we got accustomed to Maples Pavilion and the campus, and really started university life right then, rather than waiting until September."

A lot of observers feel that Jill is good enough to start on a lot of college teams, maybe even this one. So what does she expect to do the first time the coaches call her name? "I'm going to be aggressive, right off the bat. I don't want to come and be timid. I know the coaches expect me to be aggressive from the first minute. I think I play confidently, and I can go out and defend well on the perimeter. And I definitely want to take the ball to the basket. My main offensive strength is slashing and driving to the basket. If I have to improve anything on offense, it's my perimeter game.

A favorite shot? "The jumper, face up or turn around. But I'm 6'1" and a 3 (shooting forward), so I have to develop both the jump shot and the drive."

When I asked Jill if she is a good rebounder, she hemmed and hawed modestly, but both Morgan and Rosalyn nodded enthusiastically. So she finally admitted, "Yeah, I go to the boards hard, and that's something the coaches want me to do and expect me to do, especially on the offensive end."

Where do you look for leadership on the floor? "Definitely, Clare Bodensteiner. I've never seen anyone who loves basketball so much. She works so hard every time she is on the floor. I've never seen Clare ease up for even a single play."

Morgan Clyburn

Morgan was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "My first basketball experience with a real team was in the fifth grade, when my dad was the coach of an Upper St. Clair elementary school traveling team. We had try-outs and everything. It was sort of like a downscaled version of AAU basketball, and I traveled with the team and played some. But I really started playing basketball seriously after I moved to Texas.

I asked Morgan if she was tall at an early age. She laughed, "Oh yes, I was always bigger than everybody else, even with the elementary school team."

So how tall are you now, officially and for the record. "I'm 6'4", and I'm pretty sure I am through growing.

"After we moved to Texas, we lived in Woodlands and actually, I should have gone to Woodlands High School. But instead, I was accepted at a "magnet school," Oak Ridge High, where I was enrolled in an advanced wing of the school called The Academy of Science and Technology. I took special courses in math and science there, and went to the other regular high school courses and played basketball at Oak Ridge. I had extra requirements at the Academy, but I graduated from both schools. There were 465 in my graduating class, so it was a pretty big high school.

"In high school, I was strictly a basketball player. I tried volleyball in the eighth grade, but it didn't work out too well."

"It was great to be able to take classes here during the summer, and meet all the players before official practice started. Everyone was so helpful, including the players on the men's team. We worked out, went to class, played basketball, so we got used to what our regular routine would be like after school officially started."

After her time on campus, Morgan went home to Texas for about a month. "But when I got there in late August, all of my friends were away at college already. I was really bored, so I went and got a job, selling tickets at the local movie theater, until I could return to Stanford for orientation and the start of classes."

What does Morgan hope to bring to the team during her first minutes on the floor? "I don't want to hurt the team when I get in there. I really want to do my job on defense, and if I could shoot a little bit, that would be nice.

I noted that the coaches had been working with Morgan on her footwork and basic moves. Is she comfortable with that? "Oh yeah! Remember that everything is just different here. I mean, I started doing stuff when I was little, and no one really worked with me to improve. I was taller than everyone else, and I could take whatever shots I wanted. But now, I have to pick up little differences here and there that will help out when I'm up against these bigger defenders."

What's your favorite position? "I like to play the 4 (power forward), and that's where I expect to play the first time I go on the floor. I've been learning both the center and forward positions, but forward is my best spot. Hopefully, Brooke Smith and I will be on the floor at the same time, and that will be great. She is such a leader and inspiration to us. She has accomplished so much. I have to guard her a lot in practice, and I must admit, I'm tired of that hook shot going in over my head. I've really learned to respect her."

Are you comfortable with your back to the basket? "Well, yes. I play more of a finesse game, so I have to adjust my moves so I can get some shots off against really strong defensive players. I'm not ambidextrous, but I can go to my left off a drop step. But I like to face up a lot, too.

"My free throw shooting is OK. I know that's a big thing here. We all have to shoot free throws well if we expect to win consistently. My dad is from southern Indiana, which is basketball Heaven, and for a long time, he had me shoot 100 free throws every day. Even with the elementary school team, my Dad was very big on free throws. Most coaches preach the same gospel. It's just been drilled in my head for so long.

Ready for a surprise? Morgan, what's your favorite shot? "The three" she answered, without batting an eye.

Are you a shot blocker? "I try. I hold all the records at my high school. I once blocked about 20 in a single game. But remember, I played against a lot of shorter girls, and sometimes, they just insisted on trying to shoot over me. What could I do, except swat them down? I know it is a lot different at this level, but I hope to get a few blocks and disrupt a lot of shots"

At the end of the interview, I mentioned to Morgan that some of the other Pac-10 teams were starting to load up with some impressive new talent, especially USC and Cal. She just looked me in the eye and flashed that infectious smile. "Let them load up," she said, "I think Stanford will be ready for whatever they have to throw at us."

How's that for freshman confidence!

Stanford’s New Director of Basketball Operations

Article by Bob Iacopi

Photos by Don Anderson

Stanford has a new Director of Basketball Operations this year. Eileen Roche brings an impressive set of credentials to her new job, and we managed to get her to take a few minutes out of a very crowded schedule to tell us something about herself and her job.

“Sports have always been a big part of my life,” Eileen admits. After my childhood in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, I went to Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), where I played field hockey, softball, and basketball. I was a guard, or a wing, as we say here. I graduated in 1981 with a BA in Physical / Health Education and a Minor in Coaching . After earning 12 varsity letters , I was honored to be inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall Of Fame in 1989.”

It was natural for Eileen to move from playing into coaching. “First I was an assistant basketball coach at Virginia Tech University for a year. Then I came out to Stanford in 1982, where I was an assistant under Head Coach Dotty McCrea for three years. That was a great time; among our players was Debbie Gore-Mann, who is now Senior Assistant Athletic Director here.

“Tara Van Derveer became Stanford’s head coach in 1985-1986. I actually met Tara in 1979 because a former OWU teammate, Beth Burns, was her graduate assistant at Ohio State. Amy Tucker was playing on the Ohio State team at that time.

”It’s funny how things work out. It’s just a wonderful situation. I am very fortunate to be a part of this unique program. Tara told me I have been recycled.”

But Eileen soon realized that she had a natural aptitude for administrative work, and moved off the court and into directing athletic championships. For 14 years, she was a Site Director/Event Coordinator with the Central Coast Section (CCS), which includes 130 high schools from San Francisco to King City.

“Each school participates in 15 leagues, and they all have a championship series of some kind, in November, February and May,” she said with a sigh.. But I had my summers off, so I could carpool my own kids to camps and be a full-time Mom.”

For the past two years, Eileen has been running the game clock at Stanford games. “This gave me a chance reconnect with coaches I have known for years. Tammy Stephens, the Operations Director, left Stanford in April of this year to take a new job at San Diego State. The position opened, I applied and was hired.

Eileen spends her days behind a desk or in meetings. “I’m not involved in coaching or in recruiting. I am an administrator, which means I am working behind the scenes all the time. I see myself as a support and background person. If you never hear my name, that means I’m doing a good job.

“I am also Director of Tara VanDerveer’s Basketball Camps, which is a big job and getting bigger. We had just under 1,000 campers this past year, and we’re trying to get it back up above 1,500. During the season, I am in charge of scheduling practice times, when the team is here and on the road. And when visiting teams come here, I work with Stanford Facilities Department to make sure there is time for their practice and shoot-arounds. On a typical Thursday-Saturday home schedule, one visiting team will want a shoot-around on Thursday, and then the second team will want a full practice on Friday and a shoot-around on Saturday. Sometimes it gets a bit tricky, because the men’s basketball and the volleyball teams also need some time at Maples.”

Most important for us, Eileen also coordinates events with the Fast Break Club. “That’s a real kick,” she admits, “because I still know people who were around back in the days when I was an assistant coach and from my involvement with the 1999 NCAA Final Four in San Jose. Many FBC member’s were volunteer’s under my position as Liaison with the WBCA. I’ve been a fan of this basketball program for more than two decades now, and it’s really nice to get the fans involved.

“FBC members have such incredible spirit and energy. We have almost 200 members now, and we’ll get more once the team starts playing.

“I’m still on the learning curve. There are new things to deal with every day. But I never get bored, and I love the challenge. My theory is that whatever needs to be done, I do it. I’m very organized and I believe that if I’m not part of the solution, I’m part of the problem.

“The rest of the staff is wonderful. Every day, when we leave the office, everyone tells me ‘If you need anything, just call me’. They are so supportive. We’re all trying to get the same job done as efficiently as possible. I’m very blessed to be back here, and I think I fit in well.”

Even though Eileen is not directly involved with the players, game day brings a whole new set of responsibilities. “I’m in charge of coordinating all the activities at the scorer’s table, the 30-second clock, the game clock—I’m really replacing myself—and the official scorebook. If there are any Fast Break Club pre-game or post-game activities, I’m in charge of coordinating those, making sure the rooms are available, and the speakers all show up on time. “It’s very similar to the CCS championship management in that I am the first one there, and the last one to leave.

Eileen brings a special perspective to The Farm. “As a former player and coach, I really enjoy watching this team. Coach Tara is such an incredible strategist, and she is working with very intelligent players, so this is basketball at its best.

“When I coached, the really strong player was the exception. You watch these women now—they’re all tough. They’re fundamentally sound, they’re strong, they know the game. In a program like this, all the players know that they have to get ready for post-season games. They know that the teams that are still strong in March will have the best chance of success. This is not a sprint, it’s a long-distance run.

“At the same time, the players are into other things. They are not single-focused. They define the term student-athlete. That makes them efficient. When you are carrying 12 units, and you have to perform like any other student on campus despite your basketball schedule, you learn how to get things done. You don’t have time to fool around and waste your time.”

Eileen opted not to travel with the basketball team during the regular season. She and husband Robert Broom have two sons, and she likes to be involved with their school activities and attend their sports events whenever possible. Conor, 16, is a junior at St. Francis High School, and Christian, 13, is in the seventh grade at St. Pius in Redwood City. They swim, play water polo, and play basketball. Because of their mother’s background, Conor and Chistian grew up with a slightly different perspective on sports. “I remember one time when the boys were about 3 and 7,” Eileen recalls, “we were all at the San Jose State Event Center watching a double header basketball game, women followed by men. San Diego State was in town. Coach Beth Burns invited Eileen’s family to join the Women Aztecs to a post game dinner. Between games, while we were waiting for the women’s team to get on the bus, the men’s teams ran by us , out onto the floor. Christian got very excited and started shouting , ‘Mommy, look. The boys get to play, too’.” I remember thinking I really ought to start taking the boys to some men’s games for some balance. Who knew?

When the basketball team travels, there is a big support team behind the players. “Dee Dee (Johnson Zawaydeh) takes care of all the travel arrangements, including the hotels. Aileen Reyes handles the marketing. I just stay focused on what the team needs in terms of practice times and facilities at the arenas. We all have to work together to make sure everything is covered, including media relations and special events with alumni groups. Sometimes there are speakers involved, and the coaching staff has to be plugged in to everything that is happening.

“It sounds complicated, but we have very good people, and we’ve all been through this many times before. It’s challenging, but it’s also a lot of fun.”

The Lowdown on Kristen Newlin

Article by Bob Iacopi

Photos by Don Anderson

A number of Stanford players have made news this summer, either with international teams or local pro-am teams. But we haven’t heard anything from junior center Kristen Newlin. So I sat down with her earlier this week to catch up on the Wyoming native’s situation.

Had she played any basketball during the summer? “No, I couldn’t,” she replied. “I had this laser-type procedure in July to correct the plantar fascitis in my right foot, and even though I walked out of the clinic afterwards, I had to pretty much stay off the foot for six weeks. So all I could do was ride the exercise bike, work out at home and do some swimming. I really enjoy swimming. I swam competitively for 15 years and still have a lot of friends in the sport.

“I couldn’t do any basketball drills until classes started here on September 26, and I have been restricted in my on-court activities until this week.

“It’s so nice to be pain-free. I played with the problem all of last basketball season, and after trying all sorts of rehab procedures and cortisone treatment, the doctors decided that I had to have the surgery. It really wasn’t surgery. The Stanford doctors didn’t cut anything, but they did subject my heel to a continuous pounding for half an hour, to get the foot to start bleeding internally and in effect cure itself. . The procedure itself didn’t hurt, because I was under anaesthesia. They sent me home with some pain killing medication, and I was never really uncomfortable, but I had to stay off my foot for about six weeks. This is a relatively new procedure, but I’m glad I did it, because the pain is completely gone now.”

This is a relatively new procedure, but I’m glad I did it, because the pain is completely gone.”

If Kristen can stay healthy for the entire season, what can we expect of her? “I am always working to improve all aspects of my game, but I am really concentrating on two areas this season. The first is defense. Last year, T’Nae Thiel was so important to our defense. We relied on her a lot. She played so hard, and not only did she defend her own player, she helped all of us with the entire defense. We are really going to miss her. Now it’s time from Brooke Smith and me to step up our defense to try and fill the gap left by T’Nae. I want the coaches to be able to rely on me to stop a post player down low. It’s going to be hard to replace T’Nae, but if the team is going to succeed, we have to play great internal defense. This is my top priority, and I hope you’ll see some big improvements over last year.

“The second is on offense, where I have to take some of the burden off Brooke and provide more floor leadership. Brooke and I have been playing a lot together and having a lot of fun, and I really look forward to playing next to her this year. And I have a lot of experience now, so it’s up to me to show the freshmen how to play Stanford basketball. We have good freshmen, and when they are on the floor, we have to help them play the best game possible.

“Again, T’Nae did so much of that last year, along with Azella Perryman. They were great examples for all of us, and I have to step up and do the same thing.

“I think of myself as a good free throw shooter, and I like to shoot the three-pointer. The coaches tell me to take the three when I’m open and feel comfortable with the shot. I hope I can continue to make a high percentage of them (she made two out of three last year).”

Who are the other leaders on this year’s team? “Different players step up at different times. But I have to single out Clare Bodensteiner. Ever since her freshman year, Clare has been a leader, on and off the floor. She is very vocal, and most importantly, very encouraging to everyone. She has great character, and she leads by example (see more about this in the last paragraph of this story). And of course, we have Candice. When she is on the floor, she sees everything. She’s the general. Not only does she run the offense, she helps us with our spacing and positions and pushes us to play hard. The fact that she is an All-American doesn’t hurt, either. All the young players look to Candice for help, and she is right there to do everything she can.”

In addition to the four one-hour practices a week (until October 15), all of the players lift weights three times a week. “Strength is such a big part of the game today. If we’re going to be able to play hard at the end of those tough games, we have to be strong. I don’t work on anything in particular. We have a routine to build up upper and lower body strength and improve our overall conditioning, and we do a lot of work on the abs. We also work out at the track and on the bike

What about diet? At 6’5”, and burning all those calories every day at practice and at games, how do you stay healthy? “We have a nutritionist available to us if we need help with diet. But we aren’t told what to eat. We have training table at Jimmy V’s five days a week, and the coaches make sure we get a balanced diet. I know some of the players have gone to the nutritionist’s classes, but I don’t really need that. I’m not big on supplements or special diets.”

She smiled, “I just eat everything. It was a little tough when I was recovering from the foot treatment. But I stayed with healthy foods and got through it OK without any significant weight gain. Now I’m back on my regular diet.”

Speaking of tough games, I reminded Kristen that Tennessee was coming to town on December 4. But she didn’t need any reminding. “Right from Day One, coach tells us that we have to practice hard right now, because we are going to play Tennessee and the Lady Vols are really going to put us to the test. That game is always in the back of our minds. They have so much talent, and they’re tough, and they play great defense. We haven’t been able to win the last few years, but we know that if we can pull out a win this year, on our home court, it will be a big boost in our morale and help our expectations for the rest of the season. If we can play with Tennessee, we can play with anybody. It’s going to be a really hard game, but we’re excited.”

In the 2004-2005 media guide, Kristen reported that the toughest player she had ever faced was Shawntinice Polk of Arizona. So I asked her what she remembered most about Polkie. “That was such a tragedy. Her death was totally shocking. Of course, it was a great personal loss for her family. As for basketball, it was a big loss not only for Arizona, but for basketball in general. She was one of the prominent players in the entire country, and we all will miss her. Her death hit our team really hard. Not only had we played against her on the court, but a lot of us knew her personally. We were all in total disbelief that an athlete, our age, could die like that.

“What I remember most about Polkie was her ability to stay calm when the opposing team was doing everything to stop her. She would be double-teamed, triple-teamed, and still she played her game and didn’t get flustered. She had great presence on the court and she inspired the rest of her team. When we played the Wildcats, our whole defense revolved around stopping Polkie. She knew it was coming, but she didn’t let it bother her. She handled the attention so well.

“When I guarded Polkie, I knew I was going to foul her. Sometimes, it was the only thing I could do. But I knew that I had to be very physical and stay aggressive with her. If you backed off of Polkie, she would take the ball to the hoop every time.

“It makes you think about life. Here was such a young person, with a great personality and a great future in life, and she’s gone. None of us can take anything for granted, can we?”

Kristen is known as a shot-blocker, but she has refined her techniques since the high school days in Riverton, Wyoming. “In high school, I was always trying for the blocked shot, and sometimes I would get faked out a lot, and wind up off-balance or out of position. Now, I just concentrate on playing good, solid defense. If the opportunity is there, and I can get a block, great. But often, if I can disrupt a shot, it’s just as good as a block. It’s really all about timing. I have to keep my hands active and my feet active, and stay on balance. If I jump unnecessarily, that’s just a foul waiting to happen.”

So what happens to Kristen Newlin when she stops playing basketball. “I really haven’t made up my mind yet. My major is cultural and social anthropology and I’m really interested in economics. This quarter, I’m taking three classes in my major and trying to balance the academics with basketball. I should graduate with my class, but if I don’t, I can come back for one more quarter and finish up anything I need. Then maybe I’ll go to business school. We’ll see.”

After the interview, I stayed at Maples Pavilion to watch practice for a while. During the first half hour, Kristen worked in all the half court drills, where she jumped well, made spin moves easily, and looked comfortable handling the ball.

The last half hour of practice was spent in a full-court controlled scrimmage. Kristen played the whole time. On offense, I thought she looked rusty and hesitant to take her usual shots, especially her favorite, the turn-around jumper. Kristen is not ambidextrous, but she works hard on shots with the left hand. “I really like to turn and drive left, because I don’t want my opponents to be able to predict what I’m going to do. So I really want to develop that move.”

On defense, Kristen made her presence known right away. She worked mostly against Brooke Smith, which is no easy task. If you liked Brooke last year, you are going to love her this year. She exudes confidence, and appears to be on top of her game, probably because of the international experience she gained this summer. So Kristen had her hands full, but she held her ground, clogged up the middle effectively, and did not commit any foolish fouls.

Kristen even ran wind sprints with the rest of the team. She is never going to be the fastest Cardinal, but she didn’t seem to favor the right foot and didn’t show any noticeable limp when the sprints were over. All in all, I thought it was a very encouraging workout, and Kristen is sure to get better. She already looks improved over last year - the maturity shows.

“I feel good,” she said, “and I have complete confidence in the foot. After all the problems last year, this is a big relief. I don’t wear any brace or special wrapping now, just orthotics inside my shoes. I don’t feel tired, and just have to play my way back into my usual game.” All players must have their ankles taped or wear ankle braces for each game, and Kristen gets more support from that.

Kristin introduces rookie Morgan Clyburn to the finer points of post etiquette at the college level. Welcome to the Bigs, Morgan!

And true to Kristen’s statements, Clare Bodensteiner was very vocal with her leadership at both ends of the court during the entire practice. After Rosalyn Gold-Onwude made a very nice defensive play and slapped the ball out of Candice Wiggins’ hands, Clare rushed right to her side and said, “Don’t back off. Keep it up.” It was enough to make a fan smile.