For the first time in 25 years, Stanford women’s basketball is unranked in the preseason AP poll. Coming off an offseason where legendary coach Tara Vanderveer retired, star forward Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC and two-time Pac-12 player of the year Cameron Brink departed for the WNBA, it’s no surprise that the media is not too high on the Cardinal coming into the 2024-25 season.

But that has not stopped the Cardinal from setting its sights high.

“Our program goals remain the same. We want to win a conference championship,” Paye said. “We want to go to the Final Four in Tampa Bay. We want to win a national championship.”

Paye spent 17 years on Vanderveer’s staff, helping the team win the 2021 national title and leading them to two other national title games. Despite this world-class experience, doubts still remain about the viability of the program without Vanderveer’s leadership.

“Obviously, with Tara being gone, everyone is expecting nothing,” sophomore forward Nunu Agara said. But Agara also qualified that the team’s motivations lie in “proving ourselves right, not proving them wrong, but proving ourselves right, and knowing that we can get the job done.”

Cardinal fans, and women’s basketball fans at large, will be interested in observing how Paye manages the team in its first year in the ACC. 

“She’s quite different from Tara, her energy is different, she’s jumping in drills,” Agara said.

Senior forward Brooke Demetre describes Coach Paye as “really fiery, really intense,” but also someone who “can crack some jokes.”

Paye sees a versatile nine- to 10-player rotation in this group, where many players could play different roles and spread the floor out.

“We might not be the biggest team, might not be the fastest or the quickest, but really the hardest working,” Paye said.

While the team hopes that returners like Agara, Demetre, sophomore guard Chloe Clardy and others can improve their game, the Cardinal will also rely on newcomers to assist the group.

Transfers Mary Ashley Stevenson and Tess Heal should provide instant production for Stanford, while freshmen Harper Peterson, Shay Ijiwoye and Kennedy Umeh will have ample opportunity to play early on in their careers. 

Each of the freshmen bring distinct skills to the team.

Shay Ijiwoye brings athleticism and quickness on the perimeter. On the inside, Kennedy Umeh will be the biggest player on the team this season, a force both offensively and defensively who will be crucial in blocking shots, making steals and getting baskets. Meanwhile, Harper Peterson will bring length, passing and shooting.

Unlike other teams dominated by a star player, Stanford will pride itself on being a team of unselfish play, where it could be anyone’s night.  

“Tara used to always say, it’s like an orchestra, and everybody can have their solos,” Demetre said.

But in the face of new changes, Paye is also trying to maintain what VanDerveer started.

“[The] overarching goal [is to] uphold the sisterhood,” Paye said. “I think that’s a pretty great goal.”