Two-Sport Dilemma For Stanford Standout
Yamasaki's volleyball prowess clouds future with Stanford basketball team

Susan Slusser, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, December 9, 1999

When Lindsey Yamasaki joined the Stanford volleyball team this fall, the comparisons were quick to follow. Kristin Folkl, one of the all- time great two-sport athletes, had played volleyball and basketball at Stanford, and Yamasaki was already well on her way to stardom in basketball, leading the team in scoring as a freshman last season.

Now, Yamasaki is one of three Cardinal volleyball players who almost never leave the court; through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the 6-foot-2 outside hitter has a team- high 26 kills. The Pacific Regional begins at Maples Pavilion tonight, with No. 7 UC Santa Barbara (28-5) facing No. 10 Nebraska (27-5) at 5 p.m. and second-ranked Stanford (28-2) taking on No. 18 Arizona (21-10) at 7:30 p.m. The winners meet tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Maples for the right to go to the Final Four in Hawaii next week.

But when the NCAA volleyball tournament ends and Yamasaki returns to basketball, things might not be as simple as they were for Folkl. Stanford basketball coach Tara VanDerveer repeatedly has said how much she likes her squad's current chemistry and she is vague when pressed about Yamasaki's status.

``Obviously, Lindsey hasn't been here the first three months of practice, and that's going to be difficult,'' VanDerveer said. ``It's kind of a wait-and-see thing. The team has been playing really well and I don't think it's good to

project stuff -- that would just be idle chitchat.''

Even Folkl, an All-American in both sports, didn't earn a starting spot on the basketball team when she returned from volleyball, though she played as many minutes as a starter. As VanDerveer is quick to point out, Folkl was a once-in-a generation kind of player, one who made the transition between sports with ease -- and also earned a 3.66 GPA in economics.

Yamasaki, the Oregon volleyball and basketball player of the year while playing at Oregon City High School, has spoken to Folkl about the demands of a two-sport schedule, and Folkl was encouraging. But Yamasaki admitted that, unlike Folkl, time-management is not her greatest talent.

``Realistically, I know it will be hard, fighting my way back into the lineup and re-establishing myself as a basketball player,'' she said. ``Tara laid it all on the table when I first started talking about volleyball. But I'm prepared to suffer the consequences.''

Not forever, however. If she doesn't perform up to her capabilities on the basketball floor, Yamasaki said she will give serious thought to dropping volleyball, in part because she wants a shot at playing in the WNBA after graduation.

VanDerveer has had one other volleyball player on her squad -- Paula McNamee, who got a little bit of playing time, but only came out for one season, in 1997. ``I think the thing that's important to realize is that it's not just the Kristin experience,'' VanDerveer said. ``She was so phenomenal, comparing people to her is just not fair to those people. It's just so demanding physically and mentally to play two sports.''

Meanwhile, the basketball team is 2-1 and ranked No. 22 in the country, and freshman Jamie Carey is performing capably at the shooting guard spot that Yamasaki held last year. ``The funny part is that they're doing so much better than last year. I was like, `Oh, no, maybe I was the problem,' '' Yamasaki said.

``People are taking advantage of the opportunities and are doing great,'' VanDerveer said. ``The players who have worked hard and stayed here have been doing well. We have something really special.''

Reading between the lines, this sounds ominous for Yamasaki. But VanDerveer, who has taken Stanford to two national titles, isn't going to overlook talent, no matter how much practice time has been lost. ``If someone new can come into the mix and can help us in practice or be able to contribute, great,'' she said.

What is a potential headache for VanDerveer was a boon for Stanford volleyball coach Don Shaw. Even after sitting out the sport for a year and missing training time following kneecap surgery in March, Yamasaki was an honorable mention selection to the all-Pac-10 team.

``We knew what kind of volleyball player she was,'' Shaw said. ``She wasn't just going to lose that. It took awhile to get that consistency back, but when a big game comes along, you can tell she's a top athlete.''

Setter Lindsay Kagawa, who has followed Yamasaki's career since both were playing at the club level, agreed. ``I was so excited she decided to play volleyball this year -- Lindsey brings a lot to the team,'' Kagawa said. ``She's just a winner, and she gets what she wants. It was amazing how quickly she rose to the top Division I program level after not playing for a year.''

Though she's less enthusiastic about two-sport athletes, VanDerveer checked out some of the women's volleyball action last week and nearly had a change of heart.

``I was really impressed watching (freshman) Logan Tom play,'' VanDerveer said, adding with a chuckle: ``I was kind of hoping maybe she'd want play basketball.''