Stanford star considered the best
■ TOP PLAYER: Cardinal
forward Kate Starbird seeks
a national title in final season
By Mark McTyre
Sports Editor
Is she the best player ever to
play women’s basketball?
Quite possibly. She has nearly
every credential to fit the billing.
In just over a year, Stanford se
nior Kate Starbird has been hon
ored with 15 awards including
Co-Pacific-10 Conference Player
of the Year, the NCAA West Re
gional Most Outstanding Player
Award, a Kodak First Team All
American selection and a 1995-96
Naismith Player of the Year
Award finalist. In her three years,
Starbird has collected a total of 21
honors.
What makes her so good?
“We have a lot of players who
are considered very versatile,”
said Amy Tucker, Stanford assis
tant coach, “and Kate Starbird
leads that group. Kate was not
only our leading scorer last year,
she was also our flashiest player.”
Since becoming a starter for the
Cardinal at the beginning of her
sophomore season, the 6-foot-2
guard/forward has averaged 18
points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 as
sists per game. Starbird’s ability to
play either the shooting guard or
small forward position, and her
knowledge of the game, are the as
pects her coaches most admire.
“Kate can play either wing po
sition for us,” Tucker said. “She’s
a good passer for her size and goes
to the basket very well. I think
she’s a heady player — somehow
she finds a way to score.”
With the popularity of
women’s basketball on the rise
across the country, Starbird’s tal
ents haven’t only been noticed by
coaches and award selection com
mittees. One sportscaster called
her the “Michael Jordan” of
women’s basketball. Starbird says
she is not quite sure how to re
spond to the high praise she has
received.
“It’s flattering and a little bit
scaring at the same time,” Star
bird said. “I really never thought
I’d end up where I am. I guess I
came around at the right time for
this sport.”
While she keeps adding to her
list of personal achievements this
year, including once again being
named a Naismith Award candi
date, Starbird’s main goal is to
help her team win a NCAA na
tional title.
Prior to her arrival at Stanford,
the Cardinal had won two of the
last four titles, but since has not
been able to return to the champi
onship game. During the Starbird
era, Stanford has been to the
Round of Eight and two Final
Fours.
“Definitely, this year is very im
portant to us four seniors,” Star
bird said. “We’ve been to the Fi
nal Four and lost — we don’t
want to do that again. We’re gun
ning for the title.”
Starbird is quick to mention,
however, that for her team to go
beyond the Final Four it must
concentrate on the Pac-10 sched
ule.
“We’re going to take this Pac-10
seriously,” Starbird said, “every
body is a threat. We have to come
out strong each night because the
minute we let down someone will
beat us.”
Last season, the Cardinal won
all 18 of its conference games, so
teams will look to knock mighty
Stanford from its high post. Star
bird only hopes it won’t happen
in post-season play.
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