Candice, a star for Ros Casares

Candice has signed with Spanish team Ros Casares for the remainder of the season. Ros Casares is reported to have the best team in its history. They lead the Spanish league with a current record of 12-1. The team is located in Valencia. Read more in this announcement (translated to English by Google)

Wiggins' Picture of Inspiration

Tom  Shanahan, sports columnist for voiceofsandiego.org, reports:

When Candice was a student at La Jolla County Day, her inspiration was a mural of Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan  Salaam.  A mural of her next to Salaam's was unveiled last week at LJCD as she was honored for the accomplishments that make her an inspiration to young athletes.  Read more ...

Alumnae Abroad 2008-09

This report was premature. Most of the European teams have posted their 2008-09 rosters now.  Corrections below in green

Seven  Five of our alumnae are playing professional basketball in Europe this season. Here are Seb and Kristen in Istanbul not playing basketball.

Kristen Newlin ('07) is playing for Fenerbahce in Istanbul, Turkey. She had a very successful start with her new team in a preseason tournament where she was selected MVP after scoring 17 (team high), 10 (some foul trouble), and 29 (game high). New had a very eventful summer, which included travelling to Turkey several times to get her Turkish citizenship, sign with Fenerbahce, and train with the Turkish national team. You can read all about it in her blog and see more pictures in her online photo albums.

Brooke Smith ('07) is playing in Italy again, but for Pool Comense in Como, scenically a great change from Rome. She too has started well. In her first game (against Viterbo, her team last season), she started, scored 8 points and had 6 rebounds. Being a leading member of the team must be a welcome change after her summer with the Phoenix Mercury.

Sebnem Kimyacioglu ('05) is playing for Galatasary in Istanbul, as she did last season.

Nicole Powell ('04) is playing for Fenerbahce. For the first time, she and New will be teammates.

Cori Enghusen ('02) is also playing her second season with Galatasary.

Bethany Donaphin ('02) : Familia Schio, the team with which she played the prior four seasons reports that she has retired.

Enjoli Izidor ('02) is not playing for Sibenik in Croatia, nor does her name appear on any other European team roster.

Candice rehabbing from knee surgery

See Candice rehabbing from knee surgery at Stanford, photographed and narrated by Mel and read about her surgery, her rehab, her favorite TV shows and more in her blog.

Candice rehabbing from knee surgery

See Candice rehabbing from knee surgery at Stanford, photographed by Mel and read about her surgery, her rehab,her favorite TV shows and more in her blog.

Candice is WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year

Candice had an outstanding first season in the WNBA, and was a shoo-in for the Sixth Woman of the Year award. Although she came off the bench in all but one of her 30 games as a Minnesota Lynx, she was second on the team in points, assists, and minutes per game. Her 15.7 points per game  set a new all-time WNBA record for scoring by a player off the bench. 

Read more about her achievements in this report from the WNBA.  And in this report by Michelle Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jennifer Azzi, Basketball Ambassador

Jennifer Azzi continues her work to motivate and inspire young women through involvement in sports, representing the women's contingent of a recent NBA awareness and recruiting trip to South Africa. She shared playing tips and techniques at the first NBA-sponsored basketball camp for 60 young women in Johannesburg and spoke about the impact of athletics in women's lives. Read more about it in an article in the International Herald Tribune.

Art + Basketball = Lindsey Yamasaki

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that former Cardinal and WNBA player Lindsey Yamasaki has been hired to coach women's basketball at an unexpected venue: the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. AAU is applying for NCAA Division II "exploratory status" and has begun to offer athletic scholarships in 13 sports, including women's and men's basketball. Even if AAU's application is turned down, the university plans to compete as an independent school. Basketball games will be held at Kezar Pavillion, located adjacent to Golden Gate Park. Read the whole story in Sunday's paper and, if you're in the Bay Area , watch for opportunities to see Lindsey coach and cheer her on.

Candice on the Radio

Candice Wiggins was on campus recently to watch the Olympic team practice at Maples prior to their departure for Beijing. KNBR managed to interview her while she was in town and get her thoughts on the transition from playing college-level basketball to playing in the WNBA, her childhood sports heroes, the recent dust-up between the Sparks and the Shock and a few other interesting topics. It is an endearing 9-minute conversation that demonstrates, once again, what a special person she is.

Molly Goodenbour Heads to Irvine

After two very successful seasons coaching the Chico State Wildcats (52 wins/11 losses), Molly Goodenbour is moving south to coach the Irvine Anteaters. Goodenbour is an Iowa native who played for Stanford from 1989 to 1993, which included two national championship teams in 1990 and 1992. Check out this interview and recap of her career at the UCI website.

Jennifer Azzi Inducted into Hall of Fame

This summer, Jennifer Azzi received yet another recognition of her extraordinary career - induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 also included Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Jennifer Gillom, Sonja Hogg, Ora Washington and Jill Hutchinson. Ironically, the Hall of Fame is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, not far from Jennifer's hometown of Oak Ridge.

Brooke Scores for the Mercury

Brooke-with-the-Hook Smith is playing with the Phoenix Mercury this season, at least, when the Atlanta Dream is in town. Read about her experiences in the WNBA in these recent articles, from Arizona and from her home town paper, the Marin Independent Journal. After the WNBA season, Brooke will return to Italy to play for the Lake Como team. Until then...buona fortuna, Brooke!

Val Whiting, Newspaper Columnist

Several Cardinal alumnae have found careers in the sports world, including Val Whiting, whose GameShape business in Wilmington, Delaware, provides coaching for athletes who want to improve their performance. Val has recently expanded her scope, writing a column for the Wilmington New Journal on athletic performance. Catch a sample of her words of advice in this recent article.

The Cult of Candice

Cardinal fans have known for four years that Candice  is a star player and an impressive young woman. 

But now, after leading Stanford to the Final Four and two months as an outstanding WNBA rookie, her circle of admirers is widening. It now includes Ann Killion, San Jose Mercury News sports columnist, and Don Zierden, Minnesota Lnyx head coach.

Zierden is beginning to sound a lot like Tara:

"Candice is a joy to have."
"She's a gem, isn't she?"

Read more of Killion's story and, if you haven't been keeping track of Candice's professional career, her Lynx stats.

Anita Kaplan Update

The Albany (NY) Times Union recently ran a profile of Cardinal great Anita Kaplan that's fun to read. The article recaps Anita's college and pro basketball careers and updates her activities since she retired. Anita now lives in Palo Alto with her husband and three sons. Samuel, the eldest, is pictured here, keeping his mom company at mid-court during last season's Alumni Recognition celebration. On March 12th, he was joined by twin baby brothers, Leo and Jack. Without a doubt, all three will attend Cardinal games in years to come.

WNBA - Who's in and who's not

Here's a report of the four Cardinal alumnae who are playing in the twelfth season of the WNBA and two who aren't.

In a preseason interview, Candice said, "I learned at an early age that the way you feel changes how you play the game. I feel great about our team and am so excited for this season." She was at first a bit wary of going from being the "mother hen" at Stanford to just "a chick" as a rookie, but couldn't be more complimentary of her new teammates. Sounds good so far.

Teammate Charde Houston said, "Expect everything from Candice. Energy. Intensity. Desire. You have no choice but to feed off her energy ... She's amazing!" 

Brooke was signed to a training camp contract by the Phoenix Mercury early in the preseason and earned her place on their 2008 season roster. Here is the start of Brooke's WNBA career.

Nicole is back from her winter season in Russia, eager to start her fourth season with the Sacramento Monarchs.  Here is a brief interview with Nicole and some of her teammates, and her WNBA career statistics. Last season, she was the Monarch's leading scorer and their #2 rebounder.

This is Jamie's third season with the Connecticut Sun. She still has her sweet touch from beyond the arc -- her percentage last season was .451, the best in the WNBA, and almost as good as her freshman year at Stanford (.455).

She's known as a tough-minded player -- described as a "hardnosed point guard who plays aggressive defense" in her WNBA profile.

New played for the Phoenix Mercury and then the Indiana Fever in the preseason, but was waived.

Olympia had been in the WNBA since graduating from Stanford. She played for eight seasons, missing only 2003 because of a knee injury. This year, she signed with the Los Angeles Sparks as a free agent, but was waived in the preseason.

Here is a summary of Olympia's basketball career and some personal information.

Candice always a competitor

An article  from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune begins, "Those who have seen Candice's determination on and off the court have no doubt that she will shine in her next challenge with the Minnesota Lynx," and goes on to tell Candice's story from age 3 to a week ago.

And another one tells lots more about Candice: four short tales; eleven quotes about Candice from her coaches, teammates and family members; and five quotes from Candice.

Candice Scores 18 in First Lynx Game

The Minnesota Lynx played their first exhibition game this past week, posting a 68-57 victory over the Connecticut Sun. Candice contributed 18 points - a promising kickoff to her WNBA career. Lynx coach Don Zierden is trying out the team's new players while waiting on the arrival of several returning players who played overseas this winter. Check out the game summary and comments by both coaches and several players at the Lynx website.

Bethany Donaphin's Team Wins Eurocup

In her third year playing with the Beretta-Famila team in Schio, Italy, Bethany Donaphin contributed 16 points to the team's victory over BC Moscow to win this year's Eurocup Women Title. Read all about it on the FIBA Europe website. Bethany is holding the trophy in the post-game photo.

The 2008 WNBA Draft and Candice's Impact on It

Here's a thoughtful rumination from ESPN's Graham Hays on this year's WNBA draft, including analysis of Candice Wiggins' impact on the decision making process.

Candice in Minneapolis

Candice's short stay in Minnesota to meet her new Lynx fans before heading to China is part of a larger phenomenon. Many WNBA players are busy overseas even as the WNBA season kicks off this month. An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune describes the reasons behind the players' globetrotting and the impact on their American teams.

Candice meets and greets her new team

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the press conference in which Minneapolis Lynx CEO Roger Griffith introduced Candice and Nicky Anosike.

Candice talked about her father's death, her mother's support and her busy schedule, which included playing for a national title this week.

Alumnae Gather in Tampa

Stanford's Final Four appearance this weekend brought any number of former players together, to cheer the Cardinal and catch up. Charmin Smith, Kate Stargird, Milena Flores, Jamila Wideman and Heather Owen were some of Stanford's greats from past seasons who descended on Tampa, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Vanessa Nygaard goes to San Antonio

Another former Stanford player will start coaching in the WNBA this year. Vanessa Nygaard has been hired by the San Antonio Silver Stars as assistant coach and video coordinator. After four years at Pepperdine as an assistant coach, Vanessa will join Coach Dan Hughes as the Silver Stars launch the 2008 season against the Sacramento Monarchs on May 17th.

Clare Tries Out for the Tall Ferns

Clare Bodensteiner, a New Zealand native, is in Australia right now, trying out for New Zealand's Olympic-bound national women's basketball team. The team is coached by Mike McHugh, the Tall Ferns coach. Coach McHugh is also looking at Jillian Harmon, another Cardinal with New Zealand roots, but not until Jillian has helped Stanford go after the National NCAA title this weekend in Tampa Bay.

Regan Freuen Drew - a Spokane Connection

The Spokane Regional Tournament inspired an update on a member of the Cardinal team that went to three Final Fours in the 1990s. Regan Freuen Drew now lives in the Spokane area, teaching and coaching the girls basketball team at her alma mater, Mead High School. She provided some strong local support for our current team as they pursued the regional title last weekend, as reported in the local media.

Katy Steding to Atlanta Dream

Katy Steding has been named assistant coach for the WNBA's newest franchise, the Atlanta Dream, in an announcement by head coach Marynell Meadors. Since 2001, Katy has coached the Warner Pacific College Knights, in Portland, Oregon, after a career in both the ABL and WNBA, leading them to their first conference championship in 2005/06. The Dream play their first home game on May 23rd against the Detroit Shock.

Clare and Jillian May Play in the Olympic Games

Clare Bodensteiner and current player Jillian Harmon may join the New Zealand Olympic team for this summer's Olympics in China, according to news reports in the New Zealand press. Check out the article in FBC's Stories of the Season or go direct to stuff.co.nz for the whole story.

Brooke To Join Kristin in Phoenix

A second Cardinal alum is going to train with the Phoenix Mercury. The WNBA reports that Brooke Smith has signed a training camp contract with the Mercury and will join Kristin Newlin in Phoenix this spring.

Four More Years for Nicole

Good news for Nicole Powell fans! Nicole has signed a 4-year contract with the Sacramento Monarchs, according to the WNBA, promising many opportunities to watch her hit 3 point shots and help the Monarchs win another championship.

Krista Back in Sweden

Krista Rappahahn returned to Sweden in January, to play for the Brahe team. Her first Swedish stint was with Stockholm, helping that team win the national championship in 2007. This time, Krista will be playing half the season, before she returns to the U.S. to attend medical school. In an interview with the local newspaper, Jnytt, Krista talks about her love for Sweden, and how much she enjoys living in the small town of Huskvarna, which is similar to the environment she grew up in in rural Connecticut. Although the interview is in Swedish, World Lingo offers a delightfully idiosyncratic translation into English. Krista's blog also relates her adventures abroad.

Chico State Wildcats and Molly Goodenbour win CCAA Title

The CSU Chico Wildcats, led by second-year coach Molly Goodenbour, beat Cal State LA last Friday to clinch the California Collegiate Athletic Association title. The Wildcats have earned a 23-5, 16-3 CCAA record this year, including an early season exhibition game loss to Stanford at Maples. In an article in the Chico Enterprise-Record, Coach Goodenbour commented that "I like the idea of us winning the conference over the course of the season, getting better all along to be the best team at the end of the year."

Kristin Newlin Signed by Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury signed Kristin Newlin to a training camp contract last week, as reported on the WNBA website. Kristin has been playing great basketball in Turkey. Currently, she is averaging 18.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and played in the Turkish All-Stars game. Kristin would add strength to the Mercury lineup, which lost Jennifer Lacy in the expansion draft. Two other big Phoenix players, Kelly Schumacher and Olympia Scott, have not yet been re-signed.

Alumnae Day at Maples

February 2nd was Alumnae Day at Maples Pavilion. It was a great day to see former players. Jennifer Azzi was the featured speaker at the Women in Sports luncheon prior to the UCLA game. Several other grads attended the luncheon and all basketball alumnae at the game were recognized at center court during half-time. Here are photos of that ceremony. The players in the group photo are (from left to right) Nancy Lovvold Guerland, Kathy Levinson, an alum we are still trying to identify, Mary McCready, Mary Ann Somerville, Jennifer Azzi, Ann Enthoven, Emily Wagner Gallagher, Kim Kupferer, Fran Liu, Anita Kaplan Fiedel, Heather Owen and Stephanie Erickess Caluya. Sarah Dimson, shown below, was also present but missed the group photo.

Val Whiting Becomes a Marathoner

Last November, Val Whiting finished the Philadelphia Marathon, her first distance race, according to an article in the 1/23/08 Wilmington, Delaware, News Journal. Val is now retired from the WNBA and, with her husband, Jay Raymond, operates GameShape, the Athlete's Performance Center, in Wilmington. Last spring, Val decided to take on a new challenge and started to train for the marathon. In the article, she reports that despite the cold, rainy day, finishing the race felt like a great accomplishment, and she might try another marathon. If she does, she "would do it to make a time, not just to finish." Go to the News Journal article to read Val's entire interview.

Susan Borchardt update from Spain

Susan King Borchardt is living in Granada, Spain, with husband Curtis, who plays for the Granada men's team. In this recent interview found on YouTube she describes her recent activities. Watch the video to test your Spanish comprehension skills and find out what she has been doing. Here's a summary in English: Susan is not presently playing basketball. She is working for a couple of the men's clubs, including Granada, which is Curtis's team. Granada does not have a women's basketball team, although she wishes they did because she would love to play. She loves Granada and living in Spain, and runs to keep in shape. Her brother is a collegiate track and cross country runner in the U.S. The Granada team has recently lost a number of games, but she thinks they are working hard every day and that's all they can do.