COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘89-90 : WOMEN’S NATIONAL PREVIEW : Stanford Seems Ready for Prime Time

When it comes to women’s basketball, it’s probably not a bad idea to start with Louisiana Tech and Tennessee. They usually are there at the end anyway. Since the NCAA took over the women’s tournament in 1982, they have been in the Final Four every year. And only once in this decade--1985--did neither team play for the title. In addition, Tennessee missed the final in 1983, Louisiana Tech in 1986.

Now, however, a team from the West Coast is threatening those perennial powerhouses.

Stanford, guided by coach Tara VanDerveer, who helped turn Ohio State into a national powerhouse during her five years in the Big Ten, has emerged as a possible contender.

Louisiana Tech, with star center Venus Lacy, a candidate for national player of the year, is still top choice. The Techsters are ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press and Street & Smith magazine polls.

Tennessee, winner of last year’s national championship, is ranked second, after losing Bridgette Gordon, Melissa McCray and Sheila Frost.

But with senior guard Tonya Edwards--the MVP of the 1987 national championship team who missed last year’s run because of knee surgery--back and apparently strong again, and junior center Daedra Charles in the lineup, the Volunteers figure to do just fine.

The team features nine talented players, all of whom will get playing time, and will have the added incentive of playing host to the 1990 Final Four.

Georgia, Texas and Auburn also figure to be strong, and Cal State Long Beach and Purdue are seen as outside picks.

But Stanford, unranked two years ago, is the team given the best chance of breaking up the Tennessee-Louisiana Tech monopoly.

“And no doubt we have high expectations,” VanDerveer said.

The team has finished the last two seasons at 27-5 and 28-3, including an 18-0 mark in the Pac-10 last season. The Cardinal made it to the NCAA tournament both years and was one game away from making it to the Final Four last year, losing to Louisiana Tech, 85-75.

As for this year’s third-ranked team, VanDerveer said: “We could beat last year’s team by 20 points.”

Stanford has four starters back, among them Jennifer Azzi, last year’s Pac-10 player of the year and a member of this year’s national team. At 5-9, Azzi is considered one of the best guards in the country.

Others returning include All-American Sonja Henning, a junior guard; Katy Steding, a 6-0 senior forward and two-time All-Pac-10 player, and Trisha Stevens, a 6-3 forward who shot 54% from the field last season, was an NCAA Midwest Regional all-tournament performer and plays on the national team.

The four averaged 54.5 points, 18.2 rebounds and 15.7 assists a game last season. All started in 58 of the team’s 61 games.

Stanford also has depth. All-freshman performer Julie Zeilstra; Martha Richards, former national high school player of the year; Tammy Svoboda, Celeste Lavoie and Stacy Parson, former Los Angeles High MVP, all are expected to get considerable playing time.

Freshmen Molly Goodenbour and Val Whiting add a new dimension, one VanDerveer says will be necessary if Stanford is going to be successful against the powerful Southern teams.

“We were successful in the Pac-10 but we don’t have the big bruisers the (Southeastern Conference) does,” VanDerveer said. “But Val (Whiting) has been knocking people silly in practice. She’s bound to break somebody’s jaw.”

She might sell a few tickets, too, which would suit the Cardinal just fine. The school will be the site of the NCAA West Regional, giving the Cardinal a chance at playing as many as three postseason games at its Maples Pavilion.