NCAA Women's Elite Eight notebook: Does offense or defense reign in the Wilson family?
SPOKANE, Wash. — If fans at Spokane Arena spot Russell Wilson in the stands on Sunday, there's a simple explanation.
Wilson is the older brother of Stanford guard Anna Wilson. He was on hand Friday night to root on the Cardinal in the Sweet 16. That 72-66 win over Maryland advanced Stanford (31-3) into Sunday's Elite Eight battle with Texas (29-6).
Russell Wilson is a star quarterback who was recently traded to the Denver Broncos. In 10 seasons with Seattle, he threw for 37,059 yards and 292 touchdowns.
Unlike her brother, Anna Wilson isn't known for her offensive statistics. This season, she's averaging only 4.9 points. But she has 46 steals. She has twice been placed on the Pac-12's all-defensive team.
More: Longhorns guard Shay Holle sees her role grow for Texas
On Saturday, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer was asked if Anna Wilson was better on defense than Russell Wilson is on offense.
"I've not asked that question exactly," VanDerveer said. "I did ask Russell last night, I just said, now, in football, you got people that just play one thing. I said, basketball, you've got to play both. I know you like to play offense, but could you guard anybody?"
Holle, Gaston go from sitting to starting in NCAA Tournament
This marks the second straight year that Texas has reached the Elite Eight. But even though they were members of last year's team, this NCAA Tournament run has been somewhat of a new experience for Shay Holle and DeYona Gaston.
The sophomores didn't play much last March. Gaston was sidelined by a shin injury. Holle made two brief appearances that totaled three minutes.
Flash forward a year and both players are starting. Gaston said it meant a lot to be able to play this time around. Holle described this experience as fun and noted that she was able to learn from the Longhorns' previous successes.
More: No. 2 Stanford, No. 6 Texas meet for the second time this season in NCAA's Elite Eight
"I think last year, just watching how hard our team played and making all of the effort plays, getting all the 50/50 balls, that's what got us to the Elite Eight," Holle said. "I think just making sure we continue that in addition to the added talent we have this year."
Much ado about Texas point guard Rori Harmon's hair, nickname
As it has for much of the postseason, the spotlight on Saturday continued to shine on Texas freshman Rori Harmon. Of the 17 questions asked at the press conference for UT's five starters, eight were at least partially directed at Harmon. And two other questions were asked about her.
The answers to those questions did provide some insight. Senior Lauren Ebo disclosed that the youthful Harmon has been nicknamed "Fetus" by her teammates. Harmon has taken that in stride. "They must think I'm pretty cute or whatever," she joked.
'We're tough; we're gritty': Texas salvages Sweet 16 win as freshmen make defensive stands
Additionally, Harmon was asked why she dyed her hair orange. She said that because she's a Longhorn had nothing to do with the decision to dye her hair orange from her natural black.
"I've been wanting to dye it for a minute, even in high school. I was just too nervous to," Harmon said. "I was a little too scared. I like to take care of my hair. I just like this color on my skin tone."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas, Stanford prepare for Elite Eight showdown to get to Final Four
