VanDerveer says Stanford is better this season. Is it?

Nneka Ogwumike (30) is a potential star/AP Photo Paul Sakuma

As a general rule of thumb, a coach's early-season praise for his/her team is inversely proportional to the team's preseason rating.

The more the team is expected to achieve, the more the coach will bemoan the team's shortcomings. The worse the team is likely to be, the more the coach will point out the team's strengths.

It's a pretty accurate of gauge of what the team can do -- in a backward sort of way.

Except when you are dealing with Tara VanDerveer. Her public assessment generally is what she privately believes.

After No. 2 Stanford took apart Pepperdine 99-50 on Thursdy in the Cardinal's season opener, she offered a succinct comparison to last year's squad: "We're better."

Whether the Cardinal really is better than last year's team, which got to the Final Foul, will not begin to be determined until Stanford goes through its five-game, 25-day gauntlet when it plays Gonzaga, DePaul, Duke, Tenessee and Connecticut in succession.

For now, all we can do is look at what the Cardinal has accomplished in three games against teams less talented than the Cardinal.

The good things:

1. Jayne Appel, while not completely back to midseason form, seems to be moving well and is getting into better shape each game. The offseason knee surgery does not seem to be affecting her movement, and by mid-to-late December, about the time Stanford plays Connecticut on Dec. 23, she should be near full strength.

2. Sophomore Nneka Ogwumike has suddenly become one of the best post players in the country, averaging 20.0 points so far. Ogwumike has actually outplayed Appel through the first three games, although the fact that defenses are focusing on Appel and that Appel is still regaining her conditioning have something to do with it. Easily the best athlete on the team, Ogwumike certainly has All-American potential, and if she continues to play at this level, opponents will be reluctant to double-team Appel. That is a big deal.

3. Kayla Pedersen has adjusted to the small-forward position. After being a post player who played with her back to the basket for the first season and a half at Stanford, Pedersen was asked to become a perimeter player midway through last season. She struggled at first, but now is comfortable facing the basket, where she is better able to use her varied skills (she can do more things than anybody else on the team). Having a 6-4 player who can hit three-pointers yet still gets double figures in rebounds is a big luxury. People don't realize how good Pedersen is.

4. JJ Hones is moving well and hitting her threes. VanDerveer is always worried about Hones' health after having two serious knee injuries, but Hones seems to be moving pretty well, and her outside shot has been outstanding.

5. Jeanette Pohlen is almost as versatile as Pedersen. Pohlen starts games playing point guard and usually spends some of the game at a forward spot. She looks at least as reliable as she was last season, and teams have to have a bedrock-type player like that.

The question marks:

1. Stanford's lack of perimeter quickness could be an issue: Teams will try to pressure Stanford defensively to minimize the impact of the Cardinal's inside game, although that has always been the case and the Cardinal has handled that well enough in the past. With the possible exception of backup guard Melanie Murphy, Stanford has no one who can break down a defense in a one-on-one situation. There's no Candice Wiggins out there. That's a non-issue against most teams, but it could be a problem against top-10 teams. The Cardinal also has no one who can defend athletic perimeter players. UConn's Maya Moore comes to mind as a problem. Of course, she's a concern for everyone, but the Cardinal needs someone who can at least stay in front of a player like Moore. Ogwumike probably will be asked to fill that role, one she will have to grow into.

2. Freshman Joslyn Tinkle has not played much because of injuries (she now has a foot problem), and the depth she was expected to bring to the frontcourt is now in jeopardy. She has not played enough for VanDerveer to know how much she can contribute or in what capacity. She figured to be adjusted to college ball by the Pac-10 season. Now her learning curve is uncertain..

3. Injuries. Like most teams, the Cardinal will be hurt by an injury to one of its key players. The Cardinal has six players VanDerveer considers starters, and they will get most of the playing time against the elite teams. If any of them is lost for an extended period, Stanford may not have the depth to make up for the loss.

4. The schedule could be a grind. Not until January will we know whether the tough schedule VanDerveer laid out for her team was a good thing (toughening the team and raising its level of play) or a bad thing (wearing the team down and putting some doubt in its mind).

Generally, Stanford looks like a more versatile, more mature team that it was a year ago. But it has only played three games heading into Sunday's road game against UC Davis.

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