It’s an early, wet January morning in Palo Alto. Stanford’s campus is sleepily rising, with many college students nonetheless not again from the vacation break. The solar has simply begun to slowly peek out of the unrelenting clouds atop of Maples Pavilion as the primary few employees members start to reach on the facility. It’s quiet sufficient you can hear the sounds of the gymnasium lights flickering on. A stark distinction to what it was like simply 72 hours prior, when the stands shook and followers screamed, cheering for the Stanford ladies’s basketball group as they confronted one among their Pac-12 nemeses, No. 15-ranked Arizona.
Maples roared as Cameron Brink drove to the basket and obtained a bucket by contact for the and-1. Stanford’s bench went loopy each time Haley Jones related with Hannah Soar for a 3—once more, many times.
It was the primary check of the brand new 12 months for Haley and Cam—a senior and junior, respectively—one which they took care of handily. They held a close to 20-point lead a lot of the recreation, pushed by Haley’s 18 factors and 16 rebounds.
Now just some days later, the Cardinal duo arrives on the facility for his or her SLAM shoot. Cam even nonetheless has a number of battle wounds from the sport. Each are comparatively quiet at first, given the early morning name time, however the pleasure of the second slowly builds by the minute.
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There’s an extended day forward: SLAM shoot, observe, movie and winter class prep. It’s simply one other day of enterprise for the 2021 nationwide champions, however it’s a day neither one among them ever imagined taking place once they met throughout their first AAU battle.
“I performed in opposition to you while you had been on the Northwest Stars and I used to be on the Cal Stars the summer season earlier than we performed collectively,” Haley tells Cam with a smile on her face as we start the interview. “I assumed she was actually good.”
Haley is a 12 months older than Cam, so to shine in opposition to—and ultimately with—among the finest gamers within the nation was particular. That’s when their journey collectively started; Cam joined Haley on the Cal Stars program the next summer season.
Now they sit side-by-side, smiling and laughing as they at all times do, having fun with the fruits of what they’ve achieved during the last three years since becoming a member of the legendary Tara VanDerveer at Stanford.
Bringing dwelling back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Reaching the Ultimate 4 for 2 consecutive years. Successful the primary nationwide championship this system has seen in practically 20 years.
“Be so for actual proper now!” Haley says whereas exploding in laughter, when requested if she ever thought she could be on this place—a Natty, Ultimate 4 Most Excellent Participant and a SLAM cowl. “You’re mendacity!!”
“I actually wouldn’t consider you!” Cam shortly follows up additionally laughing. “I had no concept as a result of with COVID, every little thing was so unpredictable and unprecedented, however you understand, we’re simply dwelling life right here.”
Cam was a particular piece of that nationwide championship group, one of many few freshmen on the squad. However this has been part of her plan since she was 13, when she attended her first Stanford basketball camp. It was barely two years after that when she obtained her official supply to hitch the historic program.
“I’m providing her a scholarship,” Stanford’s affiliate head coach on the time Amy Tucker recalled with David Kiefer on GoStanford.com of the primary time she watched Cam play in 2015. “At that age, and with that measurement…You don’t see that form of package deal fairly often.”
The 6-4 ahead dedicated to her dream college barely midway by her junior 12 months. And only a month later, across the main signing interval for the Class of 2019, Haley dedicated, too.
“It is going to be nice to be part of a program that’s at all times up there competing for nationwide championships,” Jones shared with ESPN’s Katie Barnes in 2019. “Taking part in for a coach like Tara, who’s a Corridor of Fame coach, goes to be an awesome expertise.”
Stanford has had a repute of scaring away prime expertise on account of its excessive tutorial requirements. It’s at present tied for third with Harvard and Yale within the U.S. Information Greatest Nationwide College Rankings. Some might say it’s a spot that’s too school-focused for athletic achievement for top-notch expertise. However let’s check out the information. Not solely is Stanford one of many top-ranked tutorial establishments on the earth, the varsity has additionally gained 158 nationwide championships throughout 20-plus sports activities as of Could 2022.
It’s a college that calls for onerous work, dedication and dedication, all of which is mirrored in VanDerveer’s blueprint, a blueprint she’s developed over her storied 37-year profession at Stanford.
A blueprint that has introduced dwelling a number of nationwide championships—three, to be actual.
A blueprint that has made WNBA champions, Olympic Gold medalists and future Corridor of Famers.
When Haley stepped onto campus for her first season in 2019, she knew she was going to be challenged by VanDerveer, however even then, the primary day of observe felt like a little bit of a shock to the system.
“Oh my gosh, I used to be gassed. It was three hours,” the 6-1 guard recollects. “I used to be like, I’m sorry, what? Three hours every single day? And I’m coming in taking part in in opposition to an All-American and a Pac-12 First-Workforce. I believe the 12 months earlier than I obtained there, they went to the Elite 8 or one thing like that. So, I imply, you come right into a group stuffed with expertise, it’s intimidating, however you’re simply so excited. It’s additionally form of an ego verify on the similar time.”
It’s a three-hour observe that begins with a particular mindfulness session led by Dr. Fred Luskin, a senior guide in well being promotion at Stanford and who Cam and Haley name “Dr. Blissful.” It then graduates into an in depth warm-up, then working complete drills, units and performs. Each minute of your complete 180 minutes is deliberate strategically to benefit from the time that VanDerveer and the Stanford teaching employees have with their elite group.
And it’s not solely the teaching employees that pushes them to the sting of greatness, but additionally their teammates. Everybody’s at all times hungry to get extra out of themselves.
“I really feel prefer it’s extra fiery between positions, particularly the bigs,” Cam says. “The publish gamers, we simply go at one another and it’s exhausting and there are days we’re like, Oh my God, however that’s what makes you higher.”
But it surely’s not at all times strictly enterprise.
Cam, Haley and their teammates do have their enjoyable. They pull pranks on “T Dawg” on a regular basis, even rearranging the numbers on the record of accolades (nationwide championships, WNBA gamers, Olympians, and so forth.) adorning their locker room to see how lengthy it takes VanDerveer to note. Presently, they’ve 32 nationwide championships and solely 3 WNBA gamers, per their newest prank.
It’s clear to see simply how shut this group is. It’s even clearer that it’s that closeness that’s translated to on-court success. They’ve discovered a steadiness in one another that retains them level-headed, even within the largest of moments. Take the ultimate seconds of their 2021 Ultimate 4 matchup in opposition to newly established rival South Carolina for example.
There’s 39 seconds left on the clock with a spot within the title recreation on the road and Stanford is down by 1. Haley, Cam and your complete Stanford crew are within the huddle whereas VanDerveer is speaking the gameplan. They appear calm. That is the second that each single a type of 180-minute practices ready them for.
Haley inbounds to Lexie Hull, a play designed for her to attain, however she misses and there’s a battle within the publish for the rebound. The ball goes free, however Jones is there. With no hesitation, she pulls up for the jumper. Everybody holds their breath whereas the ball is within the air…earlier than ultimately splashing by the web. Stanford is up by 1 now, however there’s nonetheless time on the clock.
South Carolina’s Destanni Henderson inbounds to the perfect heart within the nation, Aliyah Boston, a play designed for her to attain. However Cam, Haley and Ashten Prechtel suffocate the publish and the shot is blocked by Brink. South Carolina will get the ball again, however with 16 seconds on the clock, Prechtel comes up with the steal. It’s Stanford’s ball. South Carolina makes use of their two remaining fouls to offer, and within the last inbound with 9 seconds remaining within the recreation, Cam is trapped and the ball comes free. South Carolina has one last shot with no timeouts left. However the Cardinal shortly get well on protection, ultimately stopping Aliyah’s put-back try within the last second.
It was a recreation so dramatic that we’ll doubtless speak about it for years to come back. Stanford, although, appeared cool, calm and picked up your complete time.
“I’m glad we didn’t look pressured, [but] me, personally, on the within, I used to be pressured,” Haley says with amusing. “Yeah, I used to be pressured,” Cam provides.
“I believe it was actually simply form of placing on a face [for] each other, however it’s additionally being, like, there’s actually no motive to emphasize as a result of that is the final 30 seconds we’re gonna should play with this group of women on this setting,” Haley displays. “Do you wish to be all pent up and wired? Or do you wish to be having fun with the sport that you simply love with a few of your finest pals, simply having fun with your time on the market? You recognize, no matter occurs occurs. When you depart it on the market on the ground and have that psychological understanding of the scenario, it makes it simpler to settle into.”
It’s that maturity that led Stanford to face an analogous shut scenario within the nationwide championship recreation in opposition to Arizona.
With six seconds left and up by 1, Stanford needed to play textbook protection. Everybody within the constructing knew the ball would go to Aari McDonald. Cam, Lexie and Anna Wilson trapped McDonald, forcing her to place up a troublesome shot, which she missed. Stanford was again on prime for the primary time in 29 years.
“We knew Aari was going to shoot it,” Brink recollects of the second, when she was solely a freshman. “After which the one factor I keep in mind after, I used to be simply getting jumped on after the canine pile. Yeah, I don’t keep in mind as a result of I believe I used to be so pressured, however I do keep in mind my teammates being actually calm.”
It was a second that they’d ready for time and time once more at Maples Pavilion. It was a dream come true.
However what comes with one title is the starvation for one more, and so they got here again the following 12 months able to defend their place on the prime. The roster remained virtually the identical that subsequent season, solely shedding a number of seniors, f
The 2022 NCAA match proved simply that.
Each group performed their finest recreation in opposition to Stanford, and finally, the Cardinal got here up simply brief within the Ultimate 4 in opposition to one other storied program, UConn.
“It was heartbreaking for positive, however I really feel like on the similar time [it was] an enormous accomplishment as a result of the Ultimate 4 is a giant deal in itself,” Cam says. “I believe it’s a steadiness of your errors, watching the movie, correcting errors, but additionally giving your self grace.”
“I believe that everyone on this group hates shedding greater than we love successful,” Haley says. “Once you lose, that sucks, and also you gotta go watch the movie and also you don’t wish to watch it, however you need to as a result of I believe all of us have targets in our thoughts, and the targets that we’ve got are tangible.”
She later provides: “[But] it’s actually cool to form of be leaving this legacy of our personal.”
Because the lights and cameras flip off and VanDerveer enters the gymnasium, their recreation faces are again on. Haley and Cam wipe off the make-up from our picture shoot to start observe. It’s time to get to work. They’ve a nationwide championship to reclaim.
“As somebody who’s gained a nationwide championship as a freshman, what’s the objective after that?” our producer asks Cam.
“One other one. And one other one.”
Portraits by Alex Woodhouse. Hair and make-up by Sarah Hyde.
