Jayne Appel: An In-Depth Look


For more information on Jayne Appel click here

Quentin McCall, Swish Appeal
When asked about what makes Jayne Appel such a great collegiate player recently, Tara Vanderveer recently commented that she’s almost too selfless to the point that she sometimes finds herself yelling at her All-American center to shoot the ball instead of passing. So when thinking about Appel’s pro prospects, that is perhaps the most telling thing her – her most immediate impact might be as a post presence that can defend and help facilitate scoring opportunities for others rather than becoming a flashy big-time scorer. She is surprisingly quick for her size on both sides of the ball and a very smart player who establishes excellent position whether that be offensively or defensively. Perhaps not as evident within Stanford’s methodical offense is her ability to fill the lanes to score or pass in transition. While she has struggled with injury throughout her career, her performance in the last two weeks as she continues to break school and Pac-10 records shows that she is returning to what everybody expects from her: an active, hard-working post presence whose game is as much about hustle as it is about skill.

Although one of her greatest assets as she develops offensively will likely be her outstanding footwork and attention to detail, she relies heavily on her strength at the college level to score around the basket and that will not come as easily to her at first in the WNBA. In addition, most of her scoring in college has come right around the basket – she has yet to show a consistent mid-range jumper, as described by the folks at C and R Stanford Women's Basketball Blog (http://womenssportsinformation.com/blog.html). Appel might be an example of a player whose success ultimately depends on the situation she lands in: if she ends up on a team that expects her to seamlessly continue her dominant post-scoring in the WNBA, she will be a disappointment. However, if she lands in a situation that tempers expectations and maximizes her strengths and focus on the intangibles, she could develop into a reliable post player that anchors a rotation for years.

Elliot Almond, Oakland Tribune & San Jose Mercury News
1. Appel has battled some injuries throughout her career at Stanford. How have those affected her development? Where is her health at right now?

Jayne has had her share of injuries throughout her Stanford career. In June, she underwent her second surgery to her left knee in less than a year. The operation sabotaged her chance to play with the U.S. team at the World University Games. It is difficult to know whether that affected her development; Kayla Pedersen has come back so much stronger after the summer with the U.S. team whereas guard Jeanette Pohlen now is struggling with her shot. But I would suspect Appel would have benefited greatly from the competition and experience. She says she is fine now and not feeling the after affects of the injury or surgery. But Appel has not rounded into shape yet. We’re starting to see glimpses of her former self but it might not happen until March.

Just this week things have taken a bleak turn. As Stanford prepares for second-place UCLA and USC Appel has not practiced this week. She has had swellin in her foot and now has an infection that physicians can't quite figure out. It's just another setback in a tough-luck season for her. We’re just starting to see glimpses of her former self but it might not happen until March the way it's going.

2. It's widely considered that Tina Charles and Jayne Appel are the top two centers in America. What makes Jayne stand out from the rest of the talented posts in women's collegiate game? What makes her special?

When Jayne is playing at her peak she has an innate sense around the basket. With a big and strong body and the famous wide wingspan she is able to frustrate bigger post players. Lately, we haven’t seen that. She has struggled to make the inside shots that once came so fluidly. A couple factors, it seems, have played into this change. The first involves her health. She hasn’t returned 100 percent this season and it shows. But equally important is the fact Stanford is a different kind of team this season. Appel has moved out of the post more often to make room for Nneka Oguwmike to operate underneath. I think Jayne still is adjusting her game to this personnel change.

But I would include this as one of her great attributes. Jayne plays a complete game. It’s not about getting 20 a night. Despite seeing her scoring production drop this season, she is rebounding with passion. And she might be the best passing post player in the college game. She already was good at seeing the court but her passing has improved this season. She also has stayed out of foul trouble and played excellent defense. In other words, Jayne does all the little things. She’s a four-star player with a blue-collar attitude. That alone makes her special.

3. What do you is Jayne's biggest strength as she prepares to enter the WNBA? What aspect of her game does she need to work on the most in order to enhance her chances at succeeding in the WNBA?

As stated above, her biggest strength is blending into a team, doing what that team needs her to do to win, first and foremost. She mostly needs to work on staying healthy because a healthy Appel is a running, blocking, rebounding, scoring Appel. The way she is shooting around the basket at this moment in the season won’t cut it in the WNBA. She’s not attacking the basket with strength and confidence like last season. We’ll know more once we see her in March.

4. Where do you see her fitting on a WNBA roster. 5-10 years down the line, is she a perennial All-Star, a nice bench player on a good team or a good, solid WNBA post player that averaged 10-12 points and 6-8 rebounds per game?

Jayne’s special qualities allow me to project her as a future component of the U.S. national team. In other words, she has all the potential to be one of WNBA stars who comprise the Olympic team and carry the torch from the Lisa Leslies. But it is predicated on health, as with any professional athlete. At the least Jayne should have a bountiful WNBA career. The reason I see her as a possible star is because Jayne has a lot of room to improve, which she will playing WNBA competition on a regular basis. She is such a fierce competitor that she will rise to the occasion – if her body allows it.

5. What about Jayne has impressed you the most over her 4 years at Stanford?

I could talk about her 46 points in an NCAA regional final last year. I could recall any number of Big Game Jayne numbers that have highlighted her college career. But I’ve been even more impressed by her growth and transformation as a player and teammate. The first one that stands out is the transition from freshmen to sophomore where she asserted herself but also complemented Candice Wiggins. Jayne made Candice better. And once Candice left Jayne transformed herself again -- into team leader. More than anything else this is a player who wants to win and will do whatever it takes to help her teammates reach that goal. Even as she struggles with scoring this season she has kept her composure and fire and personifies what a college athlete is all about.

Tom Fitzgerald, San Francisco Chronicle
The 6-foot-4 Stanford center recently became the leading rebounder in school history. She gets excellent position and her size makes her tough to dislodge, although she is not an excellent leaper. What makes Appel stand out from other top posts is her passing ability, and her fine defense. She's unselfish, almost to a fault. On offense she's good at powering to the basket with either hand, but she generally doesn't need or use a jumpshot because she gets so many baskets on the inside. She's so intent on setting up her talented teammates that she doesn't take advantage of as many one-on-one situations as she could. She still is bothered by a balky knee, which I suspect has limited her a little bit. Her biggest strength in preparing for the WNBA is her rebounding. She needs to work on a short turnaround jumper and improve her foul shooting (just 65 percent). I don't watch the WNBA so it's hard for me to predict, but I'd guess she'll be a good, solid post player who averages 10-12 points and 6-8 boards. What has impressed me the most is her unselfishness and her willingness to sacrifice individual stats for the team.

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