[TheFarm07]

Something that hasn't been mentioned, that would really be interesting to hear, and that we're not likely to be able to find out ... is what other recruiters are saying about us (Stanford WBB) to dissuade prospects from Stanford and to lure them to their schools instead. It might not be fair, or necessarily true, maybe not even be direct, just insinuated, but recruiting is a job like many others and you do what you have to do to get people to your school. I imagine Tara's tight rein on guard play for many years turned off many past PG prospects, just as an example. The triangle might have turned off run-and-gun--type players. I would put Diggins in both those categories, regardless of the fact she chose her hometown college.

I think we can agree that Stanford WBB doesn't get a lot of air time on the East Coast, so I think the strongest (only?) impression a lot of prospects might have is from our appearance in post season play, especially elite-eight and final-four action. And, in that case, what might be more important than how far we advanced in a particular year's tournament, is how we looked and performed in losing that last game. I know for me, our ineptitude/unpreparedness against Tennessee's/UConn's press YEAR-AFTER-YEAR on national television, though many years in the past, is still a burr under my saddle. I'm sure that was used in some fashion in recruiting against us.

I guess what I'm saying is that our prospects are not deciding in a bubble; they're probably hearing at least some anti-Stanford ... let's say propaganda, from competing recruiters that they bring into their considerations, consciously or subconsciously. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during those recruiting visits.

That's an interesting theory.  I'm on the East Coast now and without the Pac-12 network out here, it's hard to see any more than maybe 2-3 Stanford games at most on TV and it's usually ESPNU, which I have, but many don't.

Our last games in the Final Fours have not been a good representation of our team's quality (either we hang with our opponent for the first half and then get demolished-2010, 2012, 2014 or we blow a big lead late - 2011)

I also wonder whether Tara's publicized embrace of watching the Warriors and adopting some of their more run-and-gun, guard-oriented kind of play might help

[TheFarm07]

Something that hasn't been mentioned, that would really be interesting to hear, and that we're not likely to be able to find out ... is what other recruiters are saying about us (Stanford WBB) to dissuade prospects from Stanford and to lure them to their schools instead. It might not be fair, or necessarily true, maybe not even be direct, just insinuated, but recruiting is a job like many others and you do what you have to do to get people to your school. I imagine Tara's tight rein on guard play for many years turned off many past PG prospects, just as an example. The triangle might have turned off run-and-gun--type players. I would put Diggins in both those categories, regardless of the fact she chose her hometown college.

I think we can agree that Stanford WBB doesn't get a lot of air time on the East Coast, so I think the strongest (only?) impression a lot of prospects might have is from our appearance in post season play, especially elite-eight and final-four action. And, in that case, what might be more important than how far we advanced in a particular year's tournament, is how we looked and performed in losing that last game. I know for me, our ineptitude/unpreparedness against Tennessee's/UConn's press YEAR-AFTER-YEAR on national television, though many years in the past, is still a burr under my saddle. I'm sure that was used in some fashion in recruiting against us.

I guess what I'm saying is that our prospects are not deciding in a bubble; they're probably hearing at least some anti-Stanford ... let's say propaganda, from competing recruiters that they bring into their considerations, consciously or subconsciously. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during those recruiting visits.

That's an interesting theory.  I'm on the East Coast now and without the Pac-12 network out here, it's hard to see any more than maybe 2-3 Stanford games at most on TV and it's usually ESPNU, which I have, but many don't.

Our last games in the Final Fours have not been a good representation of our team's quality (either we hang with our opponent for the first half and then get demolished-2010, 2012, 2014 or we blow a big lead late - 2011)

I also wonder whether Tara's publicized embrace of watching the Warriors and adopting some of their more run-and-gun, guard-oriented kind of play might help