Ogwumikes cheer on alma mater
DALLAS — Chiney Ogwumike made it to three Final Fours with Stanford. Her older sister, Nneka, made it to four.
They know what it’s like, and they’re delighted the current Cardinal players who weren’t around for the Final Four in 2014 will get to experience it
Chiney, who’s in Dallas working for the Pac-12 Networks as an analyst, said the adversity of having to come back from big deficits has made Stanford stronger. The Cardinal rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat Notre Dame in the regional final.
“Their weakness is becoming their biggest strength,” she said. “They don’t have a superstar. Their strength is the collective. Some teams need a kick in the butt to get them going. Top teams need a little adversity, and this team has had a lot of adversity.”
The top pick in the 2014 WNBA draft, Chiney has played two seasons for the Connecticut Sun. She missed the 2015 season while recovering from a micro-fracture in her right knee.
Her advice to the Cardinal? “Stick to who you are. Don’t change because of the big stage. That’s the beauty of Stanford. You don’t know which of them is going to make the big play.”
Nneka, the WNBA’s MVP in 2016, has played five years for the Los Angeles Sparks. Last year, she was elected president of the WNBA Players Association.
She couldn’t watch Stanford’s big win over Notre Dame because she’s playing for the Russian pro team Dynamo Kursk.
“Hearing that Stanford had advanced to the F4 brought feelings of nostalgia and great pride,” she said via email. “It’s no surprise that CODE RED (one of the team’s slogans) is in full effect. With Tara (VanDerveer), a great staff, and player leadership, March has and always will be a special time of year for Stanford.”
Kobe’s support: Former Lakers guard Kobe Bryant sent a video pep talk via Twitter to the Stanford players.
“I know you’ve got more left in the tank,” he said in part. “If I could add another word to your shirts, I think ‘Champion’ would fit pretty nicely.”
He sent a similar message to UConn, which, like Stanford, is a Nike school. Briefly: Karlie Samuelson, the Cardinal guard, said she and sister Katie Lou of UConn are texting each other regularly. If the teams meet in the final, she indicated, the texts would stop. “We’re probably going to focus just on the game,” she said . ... Forward Alanna Smith said her parents arrived from Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday. “My aunt and uncle flew in from Ohio, as well,” she said. “So we’ve got a nice little Australian support system here.”