Stanford FBC: Cardinal Interviews

Interview and photo by Bill Busse

(Preamble: My wife, Barbara, and I were high bidders at the Annual Auction for Lunch at Jimmy “V”s with Charmin Smith. Since Charmin had moved on to “blue and golder” pastures, we invited Bobbie to come off the bench for lunch and a brief quiz. Here are our delightful new assistant basketball coach’s answers.)

Let’s start at the beginning of your Stanford experience. What influenced your original decision to come here as a student? My family most of all. My parents are both educators and the chance to come to Stanford was exciting to them. And then when I got here it was “wow!” I was somehow expecting a scene like the Southern part of California, and this was so superbly different from my expectations.

How were you approached by Tara and what was the key factor in your decision to return to Stanford as a coach? I called her. Three years ago she had asked me to come back and I took a position at Virginia Tech instead. My Mom said it won’t come around a third time, so you’d better go for it. If offered the position I knew it would be hard to pass up, certainly while Tara was still there.

What is your fondest Stanford basketball memory? Winning the National Championship…by far the fondest!

During your playing days at Stanford what was your biggest challenge and who was the toughest teammate to go up against? My biggest challenge was fighting through two ACL injuries. One, just before I came to Stanford and one my last year. The toughest teammates to practice against were Chris MacMurdo and Molly Goodenbour.

Other than basketball what is your fondest memory of your time as a student at Stanford? Getting to know non-athletes. There are some amazing people at Stanford. I joined a sorority and thoroughly enjoyed the association with my sisters at Delta Sigma Theta.

What did you major in and what prompted you to follow a career in basketball after leaving Stanford? I majored in communications and had thought about television in some form. But somehow, deep inside, I knew I wanted to coach. So off I went.

What were the highlights of your journey between Stanford as a player and Stanford as a coach? All of the experience in coaching at various-sized schools from Evansville to Florida were very rewarding. It was a great opportunity to learn different systems and different coaching styles.

Outside of basketball, what are your interests? I love to travel and, of course, basketball provides some of that opportunity. I also enjoy the theater, and art and history museums. Washington, D.C. is a fabulous place to visit for that reason.

We just learned that Kate Paye will also return as an assistant coach. What do you recall about Kaye from your playing days? We came in together, so there is a long history between us. You know, she came in as a walk-on! She really worked hard until she made a place for herself on the team. After Stanford she went on to play pro ball for a number of years. She was one of the strongest players on the team. As for me, I was a 140 pound string bean!

Besides occasionally being called on to brief the Fastbreak Club, what will be your most challenging duty? First, I always liked coming to “The Tent” when I was here before and enjoyed interacting with the boosters. It will be a special pleasure being a “briefer” this time. Second, I’ve experienced a great deal coachingwise and intend to make sure I do what Tara wants done. (The good thing is that she gives her coaches a lot of autonomy. She doesn’t micromanage the way some head coaches do.)

What do you think about this year’s team and its prospects? I don’t like to make bold predictions, but, if we stay healthy, we could make the Final Four. This is a bit bold, however…as time goes on I hope to help our players win another National Championship.

What else would you like the FBC to know about Bobbie Kelsey? Well, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be back here. What a gift! They should also know that I am a people person and look forward to getting to know the members of the Fast Break Club. (“ Barbara and Bill, you can call me any time and we can have lunch again, without your having to win me via Charmin and the Annual Auction.”)