Women's Basketball, Candice Wiggins at Stanford
The Current WNBA Star Continues to Play with Enthusiasm
Oct 26, 2009
She joined seniors Sebnem Kimyacioglu, T’Nae Thiel and Kelley Suminski, and sophomore Kristen Newlin as starters in her first collegiate game. Krista Rappahahn, Brooke Smith, and Azella Perryman, among others, were on the bench.
Wiggins led Stanford with 24 points in a 63-57 victory over host Utah, setting the tone early in her remarkable career.
“It was an amazing experience,” Wiggins said of that first season. “It was so different than what I expected. The seniors were great; they made it easy to join in. It was a fun group.”
Early Cardinal Connection
Wiggins wanted to attend Stanford since watching on television Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer coach the U.S. team to the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“I was thinking ‘Oh my gosh, I’m at Stanford, I’m playing for Tara. Of course, over the course of the year we talked and worked together, but still I’m in awe of her.”
There was the Pac-10 championship game against Arizona State that same year. She had just committed a turnover in the final minute of play and VanDerveer called time to admonish her young guard.
“She had gotten on me a lot and it was no big deal but this time, for some reason, I lost it,” Wiggins said. “I was getting overwhelmed and then started tearing up. The seniors grabbed me and told me not to worry.”
Out of the timeout, the Sun Devils inbound the ball to Amy Denson, who went up for a layup.
“I blocked her shot,” Wiggins said. “I still had tears in my eyes but I got lifted up by my teammates.”
Wiggins also grabbed the rebound on the following miss, which allowed Stanford to seal the 56-42 victory.
The Senior Leader Within
“Now people look up to me like I looked up to the seniors when I was a freshman,” Wiggins said. “I love that role because it is a two-way street. I've made a lot of friends, and I’m in a sorority now, which is a big part of my life. This is my most special year, though I love them all so dearly.”
Wiggins is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority at Stanford. Their motto is: One Mission; One Sisterhood, and their guiding principle is: “Empowering Communities through committed service.”
The idea of focusing one’s energy on a goal outside of oneself seems to fit Wiggins as easily as all the honors accorded her over the years, which include three Pac-10 Player of the Year awards, and four All-American honors.
“The biggest things to remember are things come with being a freshman,” she said. “I tell them to keep that beautiful, youthful energy they have. Sometimes as you get older you tend to lose some of that. I’d like to see them keep that desire and remember what made them successful in high school.”
There's Something About Candice
Perhaps that's why VanDerveer enjoyed having her around four years.
“There isn't enough ink in your pen to write down all the good things I can say about Candice,” said VanDerveer, whose Olympic team won all 60 games it played in 1996.
"I've not only had great players at Stanford, but great Olympians and I can't say I've ever enjoyed coaching anyone more than Candice," VanDerveer said. "She's a special young lady and, as a coach, you might get someone like this only once in your career if you're lucky. What separates Candice from other players is just her competitive desire. She plays at a hard pace and brings other people with her."
“She brings so much energy to the game. You can tell she loves it,” Stanford guard JJ Hones said. “Candice is a humble person. When we’re out and people come up to tell her ‘you’re so good!’ she just thanks them. She never gloats and she never talks about it. She is very intense in every drill. She always goes all out. She has confidence and she’s inspirational to all of us. Even more, she holds everybody accountable."
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