Stanford women's basketball program may be on the verge of something special, and the reasons why were on display in two gyms: Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., and State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
The current Cardinal fought through some adversity to defeat BYU 72-63 and earn a 12th straight trip to the Sweet 16 -- a remarkable streak that illustrates that the floor of the program is reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Stanford will take on No. 11 seed Missouri State in Chicago because the Bears upset No. 3 seed Iowa State.
On the other side of the country incoming freshman Francesca (Fran) Belibi dazzled an audience of her high school all-star peers at the Powerade Jam Fest. She is the first girl to win the dunk contest of McDonald All-Americans since Candace Parker in 2004.
Belibi showed off an array of dunks -- baseline reverse, two-handed, alley-oop and leaping over a seated teammate -- to win the title over Scottie Lewis. (You can watch all four on this ESPN video.)
Belibi spoke with Bria Felicien of High Post Hoops afterward and you can read her full quotes there, but her future teammate Haley Jones offered her take on the night (Jones was the one who tossed the pass off the backboard for the alley-oop):
“She just rose to the occasion,” Jones said. “All the expectations people have for her, she just broke through the roof and just did more than anybody could have ever expected. So being able to witness that and throw her a lob for one of those, it was just an amazing experience, I’m just so happy for her.”
Katie Barnes of ESPNW wrote a wonderful feature on the story behind Belibi's rise to stardom in women's basketball. That story makes it clear that the girl wearing the old-school goggles doesn't see herself as the future of women's basketball. She's not even sure she will play professionally, but what she is for sure is a perfect fit for Stanford's culture on the court -- hard work before anything else -- and off the court -- a sisterhood of fun-loving nerds.
Of course, while Belibi has grabbed national headlines in recent months -- and whenever she dunked during the past couple years -- it's Jones who is the No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class. And the girl Belibi jumped over for her best highlight yet? That was Ashten Prechtel, a top-20, 6-5 post who also is part of the Cardinal's No. 2 ranked class. (Here are two other angles of that dunk and one provided by Prechtel.)
Prechtel's travel team coach was Keith Van Horn and she'll bring a variety of skills to The Farm, including an exceptional shooting touch that extends beyond the arc. She's also highly regarded for her passing ability and rebounding.
Meanwhile, sitting courtside in Maples Pavilion was the fourth member of the class: Local Pinewood High superstar shooter Hannah Jump, herself the No. 50 overall recruit in the country. Jump cheered on her future teammates and when Stanford's open threes weren't falling VanDerveer may have been tempted to tell Jump to suit up. Jump finished her career making 357 threes (42% 3FG) in 120 games.
Belibi's dunks grabbed the most attention, and good publicity is always welcome, but the balance and versatility of the group is much more exciting for their future hall of fame coach.
And Stanford already has a commitment from the No. 2 recruit in the 2020 class: Southridge High's (Beaverton, Oregon) Cameron Brink. The lanky 6-4 forward won't necessarily knock an opponent over but she moves like a gazelle on the court. Her only classmate at the moment is Colorado point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, who led Cherry Creek High to its first state title this winter.
At this rate Nerd Nation's glasses may need to be converted to tinted.
