The Wisconsin women’s basketball team’s 70-46 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday afternoon officially ended the Badgers’ season. It also officially ended head coach Lisa Stone’s second year at the helm for the Badgers.
From the outside looking in, it appears Stone’s squad has shown, at best, marginal improvement. UW finished last season sporting a 10-17 overall record, while going 4-12 in the Big Ten. This season, the Badgers notched a 12-16 overall record to go along with a 5-11 Big Ten showing.
Not exactly a drastic improvement.
But the success of the Badgers this season transcends just their “W’s” and “L’s.” The successes of this year’s squad cannot be measured in points, rebounds, assists, turnovers or any other statistical category. No, the success of this year’s squad is measured in the heart, effort and competitive nature they displayed throughout the season.
And really, that is exactly what Coach Stone wants. Don’t mistake what I’m saying — she is not here to coach a losing squad. But she also realizes that this team will not be built overnight, despite any expectations to the contrary. Stone does have a history of early returns in her career, and perhaps her previous successes have led to some unfair expectations here at Wisconsin.
When she took over the UW-Eau Claire Blugolds in 1988, Stone led the team to a 24-4 record and a trip to the D-III Elite Eight. When Stone took the helm of the Drake Bulldogs 12 years later, her team marched to a 23-7 record and a trip to the NCAA women’s tournament. In fact, a Stone-led squad had never finished below .500 in her first year at the helm prior to her reign here at Wisconsin (though she did finish 11-11 in her inaugural season at Cornell College in Iowa).
But Wisconsin is not Cornell College; it certainly is not a D-III school and definitely not a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Wisconsin plays in the Big Ten, one of the toughest women’s college basketball conferences in the nation (Penn State, Minnesota, Michigan State and Ohio State are all currently top-25 teams according to the latest AP Poll). It isn’t fair to expect Stone to duplicate the instant success she has enjoyed elsewhere here at UW.
But what Stone can, and does, replicate is her passion for the game. Wisconsin’s court general will be the first to admit she is fiery, intense and confident. Asking her about her personality will get you one of a million answers, all of which sound something like this.
“I’m intense, I’m energetic and I’m very confident and that won’t ever change,” Stone said. “And that personality hopefully will be embraced by everybody. You know, that’s a perfect world though and I’m not sure that that’s going to happen. But the long and short is that’s the way I’m going to keep going. And eventually that will be the personality of this team.”
The philosophy is already paying dividends. Several players, especially her touted freshmen class, have begun to buy into their coach’s personality and, more importantly, her philosophy on the floor.
“I like coach’s personality, and I try to make it part of my own personality out on the court,” freshman forward Danielle Ward said. “She’s always energetic and running around so it makes me want to do the same thing. If I’m out on the floor, I don’t want her to be moving more than me.”
These are the comments Stone is looking for, especially from her freshmen.
This year’s freshmen class was the first major recruiting venture for Stone at UW. It is this year’s class that has set the foundation for the future of Stone’s Badgers, and it is quite a foundation they have built.
This year’s team had two freshmen, Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks, start from day one and never look back. Banks and Anderson cemented themselves in the starting lineup for the entire season, becoming integral components of the Badger backcourt and two of the team’s top scorers.
Anderson became a one-woman highlight reel during the season, making seemingly impossible shots from all over the court, shots fondly known to teammates as “Port Wing shots,” a name referencing Anderson’s hometown.
But while Anderson’s scoring prowess garnered her the most attention this season, it was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year’s rebounding and defense that struck to the heart of Stone’s philosophy. Anderson became a solid defender and was second on the team in rebounding, a pair of qualities espoused in Stone’s philosophy and personality.
Banks similarly displayed the Stone philosophy. Despite not being nearly the scorer Anderson was, though she does possess the ability, Banks congruently became a solid defender, eventually the Badgers’ best, and a more than adequate rebounder. Again, another UW player buying into their coach’s philosophy.
But it wasn’t just the freshmen buying into their coach’s beliefs; several upperclassmen put stock into their coach’s ideals.
One needs look no further than junior forward Annie Nelson to find a prime example of this belief. Nelson entered the season having only played in 20 career games for a grand total of 91 minutes as a Badger, and entering the season, few would have predicted the contributions she eventually would make.
After only four games, Nelson had secured a starting spot on the floor, a spot she would not relinquish for the remainder of the year. Nelson became a walking example of hard work, rarely posting gaudy point totals, but, in what is becoming a theme, became UW’s top post defender and the team’s leading rebounder.
Year two of the Lisa Stone regime has been a success. Though the Badgers’ record may not show it, their stats may not show it and even their on-the-court play may not have always shown it, season two was a success nonetheless.
Stone has set in motion the makings of a solid foundation for her forthcoming seasons, based on effort, heart and a competitive fire. Stone believes in her philosophy and she has her players believing in that philosophy as well. Now it’s time for the fans to believe.
