[81alum]

One other thing. Can someone tell me about Melanie Murphy?

Mel had surgery in the off season to repair knee damage and was not healthy enough to play until January.  She is a 5th year senior.  Tara has used her situationally but not regularly.  This week, though, Tara dropped hints at press conferences that Mel would play.  I think Tara has known for some time that Toni\'s ankle is not fully healed.  

Texas A&M was exactly the wrong team for us to be playing when we were short handed on quick ball handling guards.  JJ Hones lost her last year of eligibility, Hannah Donaghe was out for the season, and the bright spot of Toni was rendered ineffective by her injury.  Jeanette\'s height and upright posture makes her somewhat vulnerable to shorter quick guards.  Mel was the best option once we saw that Jeanette was not handling the pressure well.

Tara has done a great job getting us through a very successful year with a real shortage of quick guards, but she has known the weakness was there.  That is why she recruited 2 very talented point guards (and another guard capable of ballhandling).  With a healthy Toni we will have a lot of young, very talented ball handlers next year.

I am heartbroken for our seniors, who came close so often, but the season ends on a down note for 342 out of 343 women\'s teams, including as it turns out Tennessee, Connecticut, and Baylor, who are all licking their wounds too.  This loss will fade in my mind and I will choose to remember December 28, Gonzaga, and a whole panoply of balletic plays that made me look at Stanford women\'s basketball as artful choreography.  

[81alum]

One other thing. Can someone tell me about Melanie Murphy?

Mel had surgery in the off season to repair knee damage and was not healthy enough to play until January.  She is a 5th year senior.  Tara has used her situationally but not regularly.  This week, though, Tara dropped hints at press conferences that Mel would play.  I think Tara has known for some time that Toni\'s ankle is not fully healed.  

Texas A&M was exactly the wrong team for us to be playing when we were short handed on quick ball handling guards.  JJ Hones lost her last year of eligibility, Hannah Donaghe was out for the season, and the bright spot of Toni was rendered ineffective by her injury.  Jeanette\'s height and upright posture makes her somewhat vulnerable to shorter quick guards.  Mel was the best option once we saw that Jeanette was not handling the pressure well.

Tara has done a great job getting us through a very successful year with a real shortage of quick guards, but she has known the weakness was there.  That is why she recruited 2 very talented point guards (and another guard capable of ballhandling).  With a healthy Toni we will have a lot of young, very talented ball handlers next year.

I am heartbroken for our seniors, who came close so often, but the season ends on a down note for 342 out of 343 women\'s teams, including as it turns out Tennessee, Connecticut, and Baylor, who are all licking their wounds too.  This loss will fade in my mind and I will choose to remember December 28, Gonzaga, and a whole panoply of balletic plays that made me look at Stanford women\'s basketball as artful choreography.