Karlie reflects on her time at Stanford

Hi Cardinal Fans! 

It is crazy to be writing my last blog as a Senior. Everything that I am doing this year is my final time around. I have grown so much not only as a basketball player but as a person as well. When I think about the time I have had at Stanford, I know I chose the perfect place for me. 

For this blog post, I wanted to reflect back on my first three years here at Stanford and name some of the major highlights.

Freshman year (2013-2014):

1. Traveling to Italy my first summer for three games. These were my first games with the entire team, and it was very special to be able to play with Chiney and my sister Bonnie. We were there for 10 days and visited Rome, Florence, Venice, and Siena. It was such a memorable experience and my first time traveling out of the country.
   
2. Making it to the Final Four in Nashville. Going to the Final Four as a freshman was a crazy experience. I did not completely understand how hard it is to make it that far in the NCAA tournament at the time. I was so glad to be able to play with Chiney her senior year. She was a great role model and leader to play with.

Sophomore year (2014-2015):

1. Beating UCONN our second game of the season at home in overtime. This was such a fun game and I remember the feeling that we had when Bon passed to Amber to make that three to send us into overtime. I get goosebumps whenever I think about that game. I would love to play them again, hopefully soon at some point in my final season (to play against my little sister Katie Lou would be so fun!).
   
2. Not a clear highlight, but when I broke my pinky right before tournament time. I was out for the rest of season. This was not how I wanted to end my sophomore year (especially just because of a pinky!). However, this really taught me how big of an impact you can still have on the bench during a game. Being enthusiastic, communicating, and encouraging can be just as important as hustling on the court or making shots. My injury also opened my eyes to how special it is to be able to play college basketball. I do not take my health for granted and remind myself to enjoy every minute of being able to play this sport. This was also my last time playing with Bonnie and I am so grateful to be able to have experienced my first two years of college with my older sister.

Junior year (2015-2016):

1. Being named a captain. This was a highlight for me because I wanted to be a leader of the team and being named a captain puts the pressure on you to really try to be your best every day and be a role model. I think being a captain helped me think about the team first and to play my best for my teammates and coaches. This was also the first year that I have ever played on a team without one of my sisters. Finally didn’t have to deal with them (just kidding!). It was a difficult transition for me, but luckily Bonnie stayed up in the Bay Area taking extra classes for Optometry School so I got to see her quite a bit.
   
2. Beating Notre Dame in the Sweet 16. This was a huge game for our team. We moved the ball well, played together and for each other, and left it all out there on the court. Of course we wanted to win our next game, but this game stands out to me because of the overall team effort to take down that number one seed.

Senior year (2016-2017):

1. I have to say a highlight of this year is being able to play with Bird and Bri. We have been through a lot together these four years and I love both of them. I love them as people. I love them as players. Bri is someone I can talk to about anything. Bird is one of the most positive people I know and she can always put a smile on my face. One thing we all have in common is a love for this game. Thinking back, these two were a major reason I really re-discovered how much I love playing basketball. I know I am going to have life-long friendships with my two fellow seniors. I cannot wait to see how the rest of our final season goes.
   
2. One final highlight that I will mention here is the people that I get to hang out and work with every day. I absolutely love my Stanford family and have so much fun traveling and working with these people. We still have a lot of games left this season. I am excited to see what else is to come for us! I hope it doesn’t fly by too fast!

Thank you for supporting Stanford Women’s Basketball! I hope to see you at the rest of our home games this season. Go Card! 

--Karlie