Mar 8th, 2010
If we at JakesTakeOnSports had any influence over Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer – and it may come as a surprise that we don’t – we would use our best debating skills to try to persuade her not to play Jayne Appel in the Pac-10 tournament.
The crux of the debate, of course, is Appel’s ankle, which she sprained last week, causing her to miss Saturday’s game against Cal. VanDerveer said Appel probably could have played in the game if it had been an NCAA Tournament contest, although it would have required rolls of tape and would have limited Appel’s mobility. Appel said afterward she expects to play in the Pac-10 tournament, which starts Friday for Stanford.
It suggests the sprain is not terribly serious and that Appel (pictured at left in photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) probably could play in the Pac-10 tournament, though possibly at a limited capacity.
Having laid the background for the debate, we need to establish two perspectives on the situation, which will greatly affect whether Appel should play or not.
Perspective 1 is the Appel-Is-A-Senior-And-Wants-To-Play-In-Any-And-All-Remaining-Games Perspective: We all know Appel is a competitor – you don’t become an All-American without being one – so she is going to want to play every game, especially since she is down to the final few games of her college career. If she feels good enough to play, is it fair to deny her one of her final chances to play in a college game? VanDerveer won’t want to cheat Appel out of any college basketball experiences at this point of her career, and the Pac-10 tournament is a quality basketball experience.
Perspective 2 is the The-Final-Goal-Is-All-That-Really-Matters Perspective: Appel and all her teammates have stated on numerous occasions that the only thing that will make this season a success is winning a national championship. It goes without saying that the Cardinal’s chances of winning that national championship are greatly enhanced if Appel (a.) can play and (b.) can play at nearly full capacity. The knee that bothered her through much of the season seems to be strong enough now, and it is only the ankle that could slow her down. If she plays in the Pac-10 tournament, which no doubt will required the Cardinal to play three games in three days, there is clearly a danger of Appel reinjuring the ankle, possibly worse than it is now. Her availability or at least her effectiveness for the NCAA Tournament would be jeopardized. In any case, it’s unlikely the ankle will get any better if she plays in the conference tournament.
If, however, she stays off the ankle another week and avoids the pounding of playing three games in three days, the ankle figures to be stronger for the NCAA Tournament than it would be for the Pac-10 tournament. Stanford probably would still win the conference tournament without her, and even if it loses, the NCAA Tournament committee will take Appel’s absence into consideration and probably give Stanford a No. 1 seed. Appel is experienced enough that a two-week layoff would not significantly affect her timing, plus her playing time probably could be limited in the first round or two.
So, what should VanDerveer do? Well, if the ankle does not heal as quickly as expected and is no better than it was Saturday, VanDerveer will no doubt keep her in street clothes. If it improves enough that Appel could play, which is more likely, then it’s a tough call and depends to some extent on how close to 100 percent the ankle is. From this corner, where we gravitate to Perspective 2, we say, keep her on the bench no matter how good it feels Friday morning. The risk is too great considering the limited reward, even for Appel, who would be the saddest creature on Earth if she could not play in her final NCAA Tournament at close to 100 percent efficiency.
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