STANFORD — Cameron Brink knows Kate Paye very well.
The former Stanford All-American forward, selected this year by the Los Angeles Sparks with the second pick in the WNBA draft, worked extensively with Paye during her four seasons with the Cardinal.
Paye was an assistant coach then. Now, amid an offseason of change that has included legendary coach Tara VanDerveer’s retirement, Paye’s ascension to head coach and Stanford’s move to the ACC, Paye has been tasked with shepherding Stanford women’s basketball into a new era.
Brink thinks Paye is just the woman for the job.
“I knew that Kate would take this program and make it into something amazing,” Brink told this news organization after Stanford’s 107-43 win over Le Moyne on Monday night. “It’s been amazing, but she’s lived and breathed Stanford. Her family went to Stanford. She walked on. She went to law school here. So people really appreciate her commitment to this university and how she stuck around, and she’s raising her kids here. It’s a really cool, full-circle moment for her.”
Stanford Cardinal head coach Kate Paye talks with Kennedy Umeh (45) in the second half of their NCAA game against Lemoyne at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
One of Paye’s gifts is her ability to relate to players, something she displayed countless times during her 17 seasons as a Stanford assistant coach. Now in the main chair, she’ll be able to channel her youthful energy from the top down.
“Our relationship is very real,” Brink said. “When I played for Kate, she would have a way of getting to the real stuff immediately with me, which I really appreciated. She could read me like a book. Like, ‘What’s wrong, Cam?’ And then I would always break down, and she would make me feel better immediately.
“She definitely had a way of making people feel seen. She still is doing a great job of that. She’s a really great person in and out. So I’m very thankful for her in my life.”
Some might have thought Stanford would look outside the family for VanDerveer’s replacement. Not those on The Farm.
New Stanford Cardinal head coach Kate Paye, right, greets former longtime Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer, left, before their NCAA game against Le Moyne at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
“There’s no one else for this job,” Brink said. “It’s simple. It’s Kate. It’s been Kate. Ever since I was a freshman, Tara ran the show. But Kate was right behind her, drawing up every play and making our offense and our defense go. So she’s learned from the best from Tara, and she’s truly an amazing coach.”
Paye is a gifted teacher, but she and her pupils will be challenged this season. Stanford must adjust to a new league as one of just two West Coast-based members alongside rival California. The 15 other ACC schools competing in women’s basketball are all based in the Central and Eastern time zones.
It’s an odd visual seeing the letters “ACC” on the Maples Pavilion court. But this bizarre world provides an opportunity for Stanford to compete against some of the most storied programs in college basketball, among them Notre Dame, Duke and North Carolina.
“(I hope) they have fun,” Brink said. “It’s a transitional year to the ACC, and I hope that they have fun with each other and play hard for Kate. I’m sitting up there with Tara watching, and I’m always going to be cheering them on.”
Stanford Cardinal’s Cameron Brink (22) takes a shot against Ole Miss’ Marquesha Davis (2) in the third quarter in their second-round NCAA Tournament game at Maples Pavilion at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., on Sunday, March 19, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Brink, a West Coast native, doesn’t regret missing out on the Cardinal’s frequent cross-country trips this season. But she thinks Stanford’s players are up to the task of handling an unprecedented travel load this campaign.
“I’m glad that’s something I don’t have to think about,” Brink quipped. “(But) they’re more than capable of dealing with travel, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too tough.”
Former longtime Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer with former Stanford player Cameron Brink, top left, during their NCAA game against Le Moyne at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)