Stanford to play for spot in Final Four.
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer is a tough grader — she only gave the Cardinal a ‘B’ after its commanding 89-62 win over No. 5 Missouri State in the Sweet 16.
But she gave an ‘A’ to senior guard Anna Wilson, who made 5-of-6 shots
Sunday while continuing the shutdown defense that made her the Pac12 co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Next up for Wilson is Louisville’s two-time ACC Player of the Year, guard Dana Evans, who is coming off a career-high 29 points in a Sweet 16 victory Sunday against Oregon.
Stanford (28-2), the top overall seed, will face No. 2 Louisville (263) tonight in the Alamo Region final, with a trip to its 14th Final Four on the line.
When Wilson was asked to do a
TV interview heading into halftime on Sunday, she first apologized and said she needed to catch her breath. The fifth-year senior had been shadowing Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Brice Carlip, who hadn’t made a field goal in the first half and finished with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting.
That’s nothing new for Wilson, who has shut down the four highest-scoring guards in the Pac-12 this year. She held both Pac12 Player of the Year Aari McDonald of Arizona and UCLA’s Charisma Osborne to 3-of-18 shooting, Oregon State’s Aleah Goodman shot a combined 10 of 30 in two games against Wilson and Washington State’s Charlisse Leger-Walker went 2 for 11 in two games.
But the surprising part came on the other end of the court. While Stanford’s other four starters — Kiana Williams, Haley Jones, Lexie Hull, and Cameron Brink — all have averaged at least 10 points this regular season, Wilson checked in at just 4.6. She had 13 against Missouri State, with only one missed field goal attempt.
“Tara always talks about this — she didn’t recruit any of us for our defense. And so I think for me it’s just trying to find time to be aggressive,” Wilson said. “When you’re on a team where you have such great offensive talent they get a lot of attention. And I’ve been able to just be open at times and maybe trying to get some things in transition.”
A McDonald’s All-American in high school, Wilson had a concussion and a stress fracture in her foot that forced her to miss most of her first year at Stanford. But after starting just five games in her first four years, she was granted a fifth year by the NCAA and has started every game this season.
VanDerveer said Monday that Wilson might return for a sixth season, taking advantage of the NCAA’s decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to Division 1 winter sports athletes because of
the disruption the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their college careers.
Wilson is scheduled to earn a master’s of art degree focusing on design and visual communications this year, according to her LinkedIn page.
“If she is drafted” in the WNBA “that is great for her but she also really appreciates a Stanford education and the opportunity to get even another master’s,” VanDerveer said.
If Wilson were to return the Cardinal would have an experienced leader who has gone through more than most to become an elite player.
“This is what college sports is all about — someone that struggled early with injuries, with adjusting to college,” VanDerveer said Sunday. “I also think that for what goes on right now is that a lot of players want instant success. And basketball is kind of a slow-cooking game. It’s not instant oatmeal. It’s the slow kind. And Anna is a great example of someone dealing with adversity, being resilient and determined, and being persistent and staying with it.”
VanDerveer said Wilson has a great leadership model in her brother, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who cheered on his sister at the Alamodome on Sunday.
Now Wilson is a critical part of a team that is looking for Stanford and VanDerveer’s third NCAA title, to go along with championships in 1990 and 1992.
Like her coach, Anna Wilson thinks there’s still plenty of room for improvement, with rebounding and free-throw shooting as focal points.
“I still don’t think we’re playing our best basketball yet,” Wilson said. “We’re playing really well. We’re clicking in a lot of different ways than usual. But I think that each player has a lot more to give to the team. And I have more to give to the team.
“And I think that with the trajectory that we’re going in, I think that it will be good timing. We don’t want to peak too early. We want to peak right at the right time. So everyone’s doing really, really well. But I think there’s another gear that we can kind of get into.”