Change came to the Stanford women’s basketball program last offseason. Superstar Cameron Brink was chosen No. 2 in the WNBA draft. Budding star Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC. And, most significantly, coaching icon Tara VanDerveer retired.
But Charmin Smith, who played for VanDerveer and is in her sixth season as head coach at Cal, isn’t expecting anything less from the Cardinal: “They’re still Stanford.”
And when the Bears (9-1) open their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday night at Haas Pavilion, it will be Stanford (7-2) standing in the doorway.
“Losing Cam and Kiki, you’d think it would be hard to replace that talent but they’re doing it as a unit with so many pieces that are confident and aggressive on the floor together,” Smith said.
Smith never beat her mentor, going 0-10 against VanDerveer. Cal has lost 11 straight against Stanford, now coached by another former Cardinal star, Kate Paye.
As it turns out, it may be Cal — not Stanford — that has changed the most in a year.
“We’re a fun team,” said Marta Suarez, a senior forward from Oviedo, Spain. “We’re fast. We have a lot of great shooters, a lot of people who can score all over the place. We move the ball very well and try to find the best shot.
“Last year served as a great foundation, but it’s a completely different feeling this year, on and off the court.”
Smith never viewed VanDerveer’s presence as a psychological obstacle for Stanford’s opponents. “I honestly was more worried about Cam and Kiki than I was Tara,” she said. ‘It felt like it was really hard to stop all of the weapons.”
Asked the same question, Suarez wasn’t sure how much weight to give VanDerveer’s mere presence.
“We have a lot of respect for her . . . that respect is still there,” she said. “But it is true that now that Tara isn’t there we may be able to get a little more confidence.
“This (Stanford) team is better than a lot of people thought they would be.”
Perhaps the same could be said for the Bears, who are coming off a victory over No. 19 Alabama, and also claim wins over 2024 NCAA Tournament entries Gonzaga, Auburn and Arizona. Cal’s only defeat was a six-point neutral-site loss to Michigan State last month.
“If you had told me we were going to be 4-1 against those teams I would have been really excited,” Smith said. “We’ve put ourselves in a really good position and we’re still a team that has a lot of ways in which we can grow and be better.”
The Bears know they must rebound better and limit turnovers. But they share the ball, shooting 39 percent from 3-point range as a team. Lulu Twidale and Ioanna Krimili rank 1-2 in the ACC in 3-pointers made at 3.1 and 3.0 per game.
Stanford is more efficient still from the 3-point arc, converting 42 percent to rank third nationally. The Cardinal also have a plus-10.0 rebounding margin, led by sophomore forward Nunu Argara, who averages 18.8 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Cal’s win over Alabama lifted the Bears to No. 28 in this week’s AP voting, one spot ahead of Stanford, which just missed a huge road upset, falling 94-88 in overtime at No. 5 LSU last Friday.
The Bears have ascended to No. 31 in the NCAA’s NET computer rankings, again shadowed one spot back by Stanford.
And ESPN’s Charlie Creme is projecting Cal as a No. 8 seed into the NCAA tourney. Yes, one spot higher than Stanford.
Suarez calls Friday night’s rivalry game “a huge opportunity.” Smith knows it’s just another step toward the Bears’ goal of playing in the NCAAs for the first time since 2019, but she’s also embracing the moment.
“I don’t know if we could be any more confident,” she said. “We’re 9-1, we’ve beaten a top-20 team for the first time in a few years, but just really trying to stay humble and stay hungry because we know we’re still extremely flawed.
“But boy, have we improved. And boy, is this year a lot more fun with how people are playing and the selflessness we have as a team.”
Budding star for Saint Mary’s
Power forward Paulius Murauskas, a sophomore transfer from Arizona, delivered his best performance yet for Saint Mary’s on Saturday, scoring a career-high 29 points as the Gaels beat Utah 72-63, their first win over the Utes in Salt Lake City since 1958.
Murauskas, a native of Lithuania, shot 6 for 10 from the 3-point, including three made 3s in the final four minutes to help clinch victory. He is averaging 14.7 points and 9.5 rebounds.
“He’s a talented guy, and it just felt like every time we made a mistake, he made us pay,” Utah coach Craig Smith told the Deseret News.
The Gaels put their 9-1 record on the line Saturday against Boise State (6-3) at Idaho Falls.