San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Cardinal superb with Brink, but subpar without her
Stanford is a better team when Cameron Brink is on the floor. That much might sound obvious; she was an All-American last season and is now a projected top WNBA draft pick, national Player of the Year candidate and probably a shoo-in for another AllAmerica nod.
Just how much better Stanford is with her than without is a bit alarming for the Cardinal, though. In Stanford’s first loss of the season, last Sunday at Gonzaga, Brink played only 11 minutes before appearing to ask for a sub because of illness. The game turned from there, and Stanford absorbed a 96-78 defeat, its worst loss since 2020.
Using tracking analytics from
STANFORD VS. PORTLAND When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Maples Pavilion.
TV: Pac-12 Network.
CBB Analytics, Brink’s impact becomes clear.
Stanford allows 28.8 fewer points per 100 possessions when Brink is on the floor. The team defensive rating with Brink and Kiki Iriafen on the floor is 65.3. When it’s Brink without Iriafen, the rating bumps to 77.3. Iriafen without Brink? 99.4.
Iriafen rates in the upper percentiles nationally in rebounds and opposing shooting percentage, but Brink changes the game for everyone.
On the offensive end, Brink is at the top of the nation in multiple advanced statistical categories. In player-efficiency rating, which sets a standard score of 15 as an average, Brink is No. 1 in the nation with an astounding 59.3. She leads the nation in another metric, win shares per 40 minutes, at .604.
Her 72.1 true shooting percentage — shooting percentage adjusted for 3-pointers and free throws — is in the 97th percentile of the nation.
“There’s not an answer for Cam,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer after an 82-79 overtime win over Duke on Nov. 26. “I mean, she can go up against anybody in the country and can score on anyone one-on-one.”
Young Kwak/Associated Press