Thoughts on the state of Stanford Women’s Basketball under Kate Paye

Recently, reports have surfaced about the culture of Stanford women’s basketball under head coach Kate Paye. According to several of the players who have left the program, there was a negative environment under Paye, prompting them to seek a better situation. These same concerns were made known to me shortly after the season ended and I chose to share details I felt comfortable sharing with subscribers on the Cardinal Sports Report message boards. Other details I didn’t share given the sensitivity of what was being said and in matters like this I want to be fair to all parties involved. Especially when I’m only getting information from one side.

READ: Stanford Women’s Basketball hit hard by Exodus of talent

Given that these reports have since surfaced, I feel like I should weigh in with my own perspective since I was present at every home game, conducted post-practice interviews, and was around the program from the beginning of the season until the end. None of what I’m sharing is intended to undermine anybody. I’m just offering my perspective.

First of all, what is established just from my own intel is that several of the players who hit the transfer portal were not happy with the vibe of the program under Paye. When several players hit the transfer portal, especially at Stanford, that’s reason to be alarmed. And by vibe, I’m just talking about the way Paye was coaching them. There were complaints about Paye being too negative and putting too much pressure on them in practice.

Secondly, according to sources, athletic director John Donahoe has met with Paye to discuss the experiences that these players had under her coaching. Upon meeting with Paye and investigating these concerns, Donahoe has made the decision to retain Paye, recently doing a webinar with her and men’s basketball head coach Kyle Smith with donors/season ticket holders. In that webinar, Paye and Smith both outlined the vision they have for their programs and the challenges they face.

Third, due to my experience covering the program, I have a more nuanced view than what has been reported in these recent articles. That isn’t to say the concerns raised by the players and their parents aren’t legitimate. They should be taken seriously and they are absolutely sincere. At the same time, I don’t feel comfortable saying those concerns represent the full picture.

In every setting I was around her, I never heard Paye criticize players publicly. From my experience, Paye made a real effort to at least project a sense of confidence in her players and in her team. Even after a tough loss. There were many instances where I would ask a question about a particular player making a certain play and Paye would thank me for highlighting that a certain player made the contribution that they did. She also would compliment her players in the press room after the game (players typically only speak to the media after a win). She would often say “Good job” to the players and at least publicly appeared to be trying to build them up. Many a time she would say “I love our team.”

At the same time, it was also clear that Paye expects a lot from her players. She mentioned having a real heart to heart conversation with rising sophomore Alexandra Eschmeyer, who has chosen to stay at Stanford, about what she can do to be a better player. Paye didn’t go into details about what those conversations were like, but she made it clear that she isn’t afraid to be blunt about what her players can do to be better.

It’s no secret that her predecessor Tara VanDerveer was an extremely demanding coach and that playing under her was not easy. Eschmeyer in a recent video posted on social media talked about learning to have tough conversations with coaches and the growth that can come from that:

“Over communicate – Having hard conversations with coaches is scary but it is also the only way to get better, show you care, and build positive relationships.”

One other thing I wanted to mention is that my personal interactions with Paye and her staff have always been positive and nothing in those interactions suggested the kind of issues described in the reports. This doesn’t at all invalidate the concerns of the players who left or mean that there wasn’t a different vibe behind the scenes. As a reporter, I only get a slice of the perspective of what is going on. At the same time, I still feel like my slice is worth sharing.    

It also needs to be understood that while many players have chosen to leave the program, there are some who chose to stay. In addition to Eschmeyer, rising sophomore Hailee Swain, rising junior Shay Ijiwoye, rising junior Kennedy Umeh, and rising sophomore Nora Ezike have all made the decision to stay with Paye on The Farm. Eschmeyer and Swain are two players who absolutely would have had a long list of possible destinations had they chosen to enter the portal. The fact that they have chosen to stay at Stanford should also be factored into the equation when evaluating the health of the program.  

At the end of the day, the most accurate thing to say is that several of the players who left the program left having had a negative experience under Paye. That’s their story to tell and they deserve to tell it however they feel comfortable. Their experiences are what they are and regardless of whether or not their reality is perfectly fair to Kate Paye and her coaching staff, it is a fact that it’s on Paye to make sure she fosters an environment that is conducive to bringing out the best in her players. It’s hard to argue she accomplished that goal this past season given they missed the NCAA tournament for a second straight season.

Looking ahead, it’ll be interesting to see how things go for Paye and Stanford next season, what adjustments she makes, and how Eschmeyer and Swain do as the projected one-two punch. One thing is certain: The pressure is going to be on Paye to get the Cardinal back to the NCAA tournament. Especially with the field expanding to 76 teams. If that doesn’t happen, it’s fair to wonder how much longer Paye will remain as the head coach of this Stanford program.

Note: Cardinal Sports Report has you covered for all the latest news on Stanford athletics. 

Try Cardinal Sports Report out for $1 and get your first year for 50% off! 

Don’t miss out on this great offer!

Sign up here: https://www.on3.com/sites/cardinal-sports-report/join/

CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), & Bluesky: @StanfordRivals

Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Bluesky: @slamdunk406

Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com

Join the conversation on CardinalSportsReport.com