ANITA KAPLAN
#55

Delmar, New York
Senior
6-5
Center

A large (154K) photo of Anita in action

Honors

 1993-94 Member, Goodwill Games U.S. National Team (St. Petersburg, Russia)
1993-94 NCAA West Regional All-Tournament
1993-94 First Team All-Pac-10
1993-94 First Team Pac-10 All-Academic (3.19 Psychology)
1993-94 Stanford "Most Improved Player"
1992-93 Member, Jones Cup U.S. National Team (Taiwan)
1992-93 Pac-10 All-Academic (Honorable Mention)
1991-92 Pac-10 All-Freshman
1990-91 Parade First Team H.S. All-American
1990-91 Street & Smith's Second Team H.S. All-American
1990-91 Naismith State H.S. Player of the Year (New York)
1990-91 USA Today Top 25
1990-91 USA Today Third Team H.S. All-American
1990-91 U.S. Olympic Festival (East Team)
1989-90 Naismith State H.S. Player of the Year (New York)

At Stanford

 Until this season, Anita was Stanford's tallest player in history (with Jill Yanke) at 6-5...Incoming freshman Chandra Benton at 6-7 is now Stanford's tallest...Anita made a nice transition from the high school ranks to college ball in '91-'92...It was so nice in fact that she was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team...For the last two summers, Anita has played for a pair of U.S. National Teams...Two summers ago, Anita played for the USA Team that competed in Taiwan for the William Jones Cup (June 26-July 4)...Then last summer, she competed on the U.S. National "A" Team that was coached by Tara VanDerveer and that went on to win a gold medal at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia...Anita has an uncanny ability to shoot hook shots with either hand (a la George Mikan and Bill Russell)...In 1993-94, she led Stanford in scoring (16.7 ppg) and became the Cardinal's go-to player in the second half of the season...Anita was one of Stanford's most improved players in 1992-93...It all began with the team's trip to France in late August-early September of 1992...In one game versus the professional team from Moscow during the Eurostars Tourney, Anita hit a big time turnaround basket from about 10-feet away over a defender bigger than she, all with about 55 seconds remaining...She was fouled on the play, and then calmly sank the free throw...From down by a point, Stanford was now up by two...It was the game's biggest moment... Stanford went on to defeat Moscow, 84-82, in a quarterfinal game and advanced further into the tourney...Anita scored 21 points in that game...Her confidence carried into the regular season..."Anita's strengths are her discipline and her work habits," said VanDerveer. "She's also a scoring machine, both from the high and low post, and she has a good outlet pass. Her attitude is excellent, and she really improved her defense and her intensity. She is coming off last season with a lot of momentum. Right now, she must be considered one of the top centers in the nation." Anita is now Stanford's 16th all-time leading scorer with 1050 career points...She is also 16th in career rebounds with 502.

The 1993-94 Season

 Named First Team All-Pac-10, along with Christy Hedgpeth and Rachel Hemmer...Played in all 31 games, starting 30...Anita led the team in scoring (16.7 ppg), points (517), minutes played (926), field goals made (243), field goals attempted (440), field goal percentage (.552, 7th best in the Pac-10), and blocked shots (20)...She established a new career high with 34 points against USC...She also scored 31 in a victory over UNLV...She scored in double figures 28 times, including her last 12 games in a row...She scored 20 points or more eight times...She led Stanford in scoring seven times...She averaged 7.0 rebounds, second high on the squad...She had seven games in which she had 10 rebounds or more...She led Stanford in rebounding 11 times...Her high-rebounding effort was 14 twice--versus UNLV at home and the Oregon game on the road...In FG percentage, Anita shot 60 percent or better from the field 11 times...In addition, Anita was named First Team Pac-10 All-Academic, and Stanford's "Most Improved Player".

The 1992-93 Season

 Played in all 32 of Stanford's games, starting two (at Tennessee, and versus UCLA at home)...Anita averaged 10.0 points per game, and 5.1 rebounds per game--both 4th best on the team...She scored in double figures 17 times...She had four double-doubles...Her then-career-high scoring effort came against Arizona State at home--25 points...She tallied 24 at Long Beach State, and she had 20 at Hawaii...She was credited with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against UCSB...Her .518 field goal percentage was highest on the team...Her 21 blocks and 0.7 blocks per game average were both 2nd best on the team...She was named Pac-10 All-Academic (honorable mention).

The 1991-92 Season

 Anita was Stanford's top reserve this national championship season...She averaged 14 minutes per game, sixth most on the team--although she was just a freshman...She was Stanford's sixth-leading scorer at 6.4 ppg, and the team's fourth-leading rebounder at 3.7 rpg...Her field goal percentage was .485--sixth best on the team...Her free throw percentage was .647...Her 18 blocks tied for second most on the team (with Rachel Hemmer)...Anita started one game--the San Diego game--scoring a then-career-high 21 points, which led the team that night...She also had 10 rebounds in that game, marking one of two double-doubles she had on the season...She also had 13 points and 12 rebounds in an earlier contest against Oral Roberts...Overall, she scored in double figures nine times in '91-'92...She had double-figure rebound efforts twice...Scored two points in the national championship game against Western Kentucky.

In High School

 Anita Kaplan entered Stanford with superb credentials... At Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, New York, Anita averaged 30 points, 20 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, and 4 steals as a senior...She shot 62 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the free throw line in leading her team to the sectional finals and a 19-4 overall record...As a result, Anita was named First Team All-American by Parade Magazine, Second Team All-American by Street & Smith's, and Third Team All-American by USA Today...Anita was also one of USA Today's Top 25 her senior year... In addition, as a senior, Anita was named Player of the State of New York by Naismith, Sportswriters, Converse, and Gatorade...She was her Area MVP and her Team MVP...In the summer of '91, Anita was a member of the East Team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles..."Anita is a very hard worker and is a very motivated person," said VanDerveer. "She rebounds very well, and can score on the low block. She'll be able to trigger our fast break. I think she'll be able to take control of the paint."...She chose Stanford over Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Georgia, and Duke...It was as a junior that Anita had even more phenomenal numbers...She averaged 37.2 points, 20.0 rebounds, and 4.5 blocked shots, shooting 64 percent from the field and 78 percent from the line...Her squad reached the semifinals of the sectionals...As a junior, she was named an AAU All-American, a Street & Smith's preseason All-American (5th team), and was the Naismith and Gatorade State High School Player of the Year...As a sophomore, Anita averaged 27 points and 20 rebounds...She was All-Area as a result...Played tennis her first three years in high school.

Personal Information

 Born April 22, 1973...Majoring in Psychology...Enjoys playing tennis and swimming...Given name is Anita Lynn Kaplan...A member of the National Honor Society, and part of the Bethlehem Athletes Against Drugs program...Her parents are tremendous fans, and, despite the distance from New York, have traveled to see their daughter play several times during the season.

Kaplan in the News
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