[81alum]

Bob tipped me off about a recent article about Pivec's commitment:

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-...gon-state/

Many expected Pivec, a 4.0 student, to pick Stanford. And while she felt she had a good relationship with longtime coach Tara Vanderveer, she said she worried a bit that Vanderveer might retire before she graduated.  “Stanford has great academics, but there were a few red flags,” she said. “I thought that it may not be as good fit for me…I’m not sure how much longer (Vanderveer) is going to coach…but if I’d chosen Stanford I don’t think she would have been there the whole time.”

Pivec said she likes the atmosphere at OSU, which is coming off its best season in school history as Pac-12 champions, just missing the Sweet 16 after getting upset by Gonzaga. “At some schools, it (basketball) gets to be more like a business and you lose that personal touch with the coaches and the players,” Pivec said. “You definitely want to win, and that’s the ultimate goal, but you can have fun while you’re doing it, too.”

Well, there are only so many possibilities. 

1) Pivec did not get past admissions and is looking for a face-saving excuse.  I don't know how likely this could be with her grades, but Stanford does turn down the majority of the 4.0 students who apply.  In thinking about this from the student-athlete's point-of-view, it takes a strong ego for a high school kid to seek a slot on our program given that something that is generally so private (admission) can become somewhat public, and I would not blame a family or recruit at all for seeking a way of concealing that outcome.  It can create a dilemma that no other Division I scholarship school creates. 

2)  She simply may have connected better with Rueck than with Tara, who does tend to emphasize that students approach the game in a professional, business-like manner.  Tara has lightened up a lot over the decades, though, and it is clear that the players do have a lot of fun together.  It is hard to believe someone would trade a Stanford degree for an Oregon State degree for that reason alone, though.   

3) She may actually believe what she said about Tara and retirement but the information was baseless rumor-mongering.  This might have been information other coaches used to raise those "red flags" in her mind.  "Why only a two year extension?"  etc.  Would the other Pac 12 coaches like Rueck engage in that kind of behavior?  Pretty despicable if true.

4) Finally, and we should ask this ourselves, could there be any truth to the retirement rumors?  Tara has always been impeccably honest in her dealings with everybody, so if she herself is taking it a year at a time and cannot guarantee to a recruit that she will stay for 5 more years, then this could explain the inexplicable--why both Katie Lou and Pivec went elsewhere.  While this may not be the case now, at some point in the future she will consider retirement, and given her honesty her recruits will know of it before it happens.

So...anyone have evidence as to which of the four it is?

Mikayla Pivec, who was reading the Cardboard, has been in touch with Bob to clear up this speculation.  She was admitted to Stanford--has the coveted admissions letter in hand--and decided to go to Oregon State for personal reasons.  This communication has taught me a couple of things--first, Mikayla seems like an outstanding young woman--she is obviously bright but also polite and quite thoughtful about both her decision and her communication.  I will certainly be cheering for her every time she plays someone other than Stanford!  Second, we here on the Cardboard should always keep in mind that recruits, players, and their families do sometimes read this board.  That should not change our robust and substantive conversations, but we (I) should temper how we phrase our speculation about these young people.  Good luck, Mikayla!

[81alum]

Bob tipped me off about a recent article about Pivec's commitment:

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-...gon-state/

Many expected Pivec, a 4.0 student, to pick Stanford. And while she felt she had a good relationship with longtime coach Tara Vanderveer, she said she worried a bit that Vanderveer might retire before she graduated.  “Stanford has great academics, but there were a few red flags,” she said. “I thought that it may not be as good fit for me…I’m not sure how much longer (Vanderveer) is going to coach…but if I’d chosen Stanford I don’t think she would have been there the whole time.”

Pivec said she likes the atmosphere at OSU, which is coming off its best season in school history as Pac-12 champions, just missing the Sweet 16 after getting upset by Gonzaga. “At some schools, it (basketball) gets to be more like a business and you lose that personal touch with the coaches and the players,” Pivec said. “You definitely want to win, and that’s the ultimate goal, but you can have fun while you’re doing it, too.”

Well, there are only so many possibilities. 

1) Pivec did not get past admissions and is looking for a face-saving excuse.  I don't know how likely this could be with her grades, but Stanford does turn down the majority of the 4.0 students who apply.  In thinking about this from the student-athlete's point-of-view, it takes a strong ego for a high school kid to seek a slot on our program given that something that is generally so private (admission) can become somewhat public, and I would not blame a family or recruit at all for seeking a way of concealing that outcome.  It can create a dilemma that no other Division I scholarship school creates. 

2)  She simply may have connected better with Rueck than with Tara, who does tend to emphasize that students approach the game in a professional, business-like manner.  Tara has lightened up a lot over the decades, though, and it is clear that the players do have a lot of fun together.  It is hard to believe someone would trade a Stanford degree for an Oregon State degree for that reason alone, though.   

3) She may actually believe what she said about Tara and retirement but the information was baseless rumor-mongering.  This might have been information other coaches used to raise those "red flags" in her mind.  "Why only a two year extension?"  etc.  Would the other Pac 12 coaches like Rueck engage in that kind of behavior?  Pretty despicable if true.

4) Finally, and we should ask this ourselves, could there be any truth to the retirement rumors?  Tara has always been impeccably honest in her dealings with everybody, so if she herself is taking it a year at a time and cannot guarantee to a recruit that she will stay for 5 more years, then this could explain the inexplicable--why both Katie Lou and Pivec went elsewhere.  While this may not be the case now, at some point in the future she will consider retirement, and given her honesty her recruits will know of it before it happens.

So...anyone have evidence as to which of the four it is?

Mikayla Pivec, who was reading the Cardboard, has been in touch with Bob to clear up this speculation.  She was admitted to Stanford--has the coveted admissions letter in hand--and decided to go to Oregon State for personal reasons.  This communication has taught me a couple of things--first, Mikayla seems like an outstanding young woman--she is obviously bright but also polite and quite thoughtful about both her decision and her communication.  I will certainly be cheering for her every time she plays someone other than Stanford!  Second, we here on the Cardboard should always keep in mind that recruits, players, and their families do sometimes read this board.  That should not change our robust and substantive conversations, but we (I) should temper how we phrase our speculation about these young people.  Good luck, Mikayla!