VANESSA NYGAARD
#13
Carlsbad, CA
Redshirt Freshman
6-0
Forward
A large (233K) photo of Vanessa
Honors
1992-93 Parade Fourth Team H.S. All-American
1992-93 First Team All-State (California)
1992-93 San Diego County Player of the Year
1992-93 Student Body High School President
At Stanford
Vanessa Nygaard (pronounced NYE-guard) was thought to be the best
player to emerge from the high school ranks in the state of California in
1992-93....A lefthander, she is expected to play a small forward position as a
redshirt freshman at Stanford...Vanessa has been plagued by injuries now for a
span that has touched onto three straight seasons...That includes a broken
ankle as a senior in high school, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her
first game (an exhibition) as a true freshman last year, and now she is
suffering a stress fracture as we enter this season...The trainers are
guardedly optimistic that she will be ready by the start of the season,
however..."Vanessa must be healthy," said VanDerveer. "That's her first
priority. If Kate Paye is our most versatile player, Vanessa is our most
intense. She's very aggressive, and our most physical player. I suspect she is
one of our best three-point shooters as well. Certainly, she has the longest
range of anyone on the squad. Her key will be her ability to run the floor and
play "D"...Whereas last year she would have played the `4', this year she will
play the `3'...Vanessa chose Stanford over UCLA and Colorado..."Vanessa was one
of the most intense high school players I have ever seen," said Associate Coach
Amy Tucker. "She plays very hard at both ends of the court and is not afraid to
mix it up. Nobody is going to want to guard her in practice. She could become
an enforcer."
The 1993-94 Season
One can make a case in saying that Vanessa's `93-'94 season
lasted about 20 minutes--in an exhibition game at that...Vanessa had impressed
the coaches enough to start the exhibition game against an Australian National
Team in November...By very early in the second half, she had pulled down eight
rebounds...But she landed funny after taking a shot and tore her anterior
cruciate ligament in her right knee--and suddenly her season was over...She
rehabilitated the knee about as quickly as possible, and was running as early
as April of 1994.
In High School
The good news during Vanessa's senior year was that she
averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists, and she set career school
scoring and rebounding records at Carlsbad High School...The bad news is that
she broke her right ankle and missed 10 games during the middle of that
season...Vanessa helped her team win the Avocado League title for each of the
last three years...Carlsbad HS won the CIF title in `92, and was the CIF
runner-up in `93...In the post season state title hunt, Carlsbad lost in
overtime in the quarterfinals to the eventual state champion in `93...As a
senior, Vanessa was named a Parade Fourth Team All-American...She was also
named First Team All-State, the San Diego County Player of the Year, and the
Avocado League Player of the Year (the latter for her last three years)...She
was also her Team MVP her past three years...As a junior, she averaged 16.8
points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 4.3 steals, and 2.6 blocks...She was a
summer AAU All-American in Clovis, New Mexico in the summer of `92...Vanessa
had a 4.03 GPA, was a member of the Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll, and was a
member of the National Honor Society...She was her Student Body President...She
also played volleyball and soccer in high school, but only through her
sophomore year...In summer camps, Vanessa has been the MVP (at Mt. Carmel and
in Palm Springs).
Personal Information
Born March 13, 1975...Hails from Carlsbad, 35 miles north
of San Diego...Full name is Vanessa Ann Nygaard...Her father went to the
University of Arizona, her mother went to Arizona State...Father (Paul) is an
electrical engineer, mother (Julianne) is a councilwoman...Vanessa is one who
thinks "Elvis is still alive."
Nygaard in the News
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