In recent weeks, Tara VanDerveer's go-to line about Jayne Appel and JJ Hones has been: "If we had a game today, they'd be playing." But instead, Stanford had its first official practice of the season on Friday night at Maples Pavilion and Appel and Hones ... well, they were playing. Appel, the senior All-American and national player of the year candidate, and Hones, a key factor in the Cardinal's Final Four run in 2008, are both coming off knee injuries.
Appel had offseason surgery for a torn meniscus for the second straight year. Hones, a point guard, sustained the second ACL tear of her career last fall in a non-conference game against Rutgers. Both are cleared, both took part in drills and scrimmaging on Friday and both were riding on the stationary bikes by the time the Cardinal closed practice with sprints.
"Why the extra pounding then they don't have to?" VanDerveer said after practice.
Stanford, widely regarded as the No. 2 team in the country behind defending national champion Connecticut, had a head start on Friday's smooth, efficient practice session. The Cardinal traveled to Italy last month, played a handful of exhibition games and got in a few days of practice as a team before they left. And with just two new players on the roster, it really wasn't that difficult to pick up where they left off.
Except that Stanford left off with a loss in the national semifinals last April, falling hard to the Huskies after an impressive 33-5 season and NCAA run.
After a 12-year absence, Stanford has been back to the Final Four two years running and has its legitimate sights set on making it three in a row. "I know it sounds cliche, but I think the building blocks are already in place," Appel said. "We don't have to spend a lot of time reviewing the little stuff."
Appel, who sat out the team's trip to Italy last month, said she "absolutely" is ready to play. "I feel good, it's exciting," Appel said. "It's the first day and everyone is going 2,000 miles an hour."
Hones, meanwhile, knows that the road back from an ACL injury is not always direct and smooth. She had swelling on the knee a few days ago and had to take a break, but said she felt strong Friday night. Two years ago, her last practice coming off a knee injury, she was out of shape and tentative, unsure how much she could push her conditioning on a healing knee joint. Now she knows better. "It's still just as frustrating, but I know how it's going to go, that there are going to be setbacks," Hones said. "I've been through it before and I'll do it again."
VanDerveer said, however, that Hones, one of the team's top 3-point shooters, is not all the way back yet. "She's not where she was last year," VanDerveer said. "But she's really working and in a month, she's going to be a lot better. Obviously, if she's healthy, she's going to help us."It is expected that Hones will be in the mix for the starting point guard spot with fifth-year senior Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, senior Melanie Murphy and last year's emergency fill-in Jeanette Pohlen, the junior who appears on the verge of a breakout season. Pohlen could end up back at the point, but will likely settle in the 2-guard spot.
Appel anchors a deep post game that includes explosive sophomore forward Nneka Ogwumike, junior Kayla Pedersen and freshman Joslyn Tinkle, one of the country's top recruits. Pedersen turned an ankle Friday night, the only wrinkle in another otherwise smooth evening for VanDerveer, who is starting her 24th season as the Stanford head coach.
"After all these years, I should have this figured out," VanDerveer said. "It was good. Usually, I feel lot more rushed, but we tried some new drills and thought we broke things down, did a lot of teaching."
Pohlen, who along with Pedersen, hasn't yet known a season that didn't end with a Final Four appearance, realizes that is something not to be taken for granted. "I can't even imagine losing before the Final Four, because I don't know that," Pohlen said. "We have so much potential and not to live up to it would probably be pretty hard, so we are improving each day so that doesn't happen."
