Following a bad loss Feb. 19 at Miami, Stanford women\u2019s basketball coach Kate Paye assembled her team in the locker room inside Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. Stanford was on its way to a second straight season without an NCAA Tournament appearance \u2014 a major disappointment for the storied program. On Paye\u2019s orders, assistant coaches handed out stat sheets for the year. The head coach then issued a blunt assessment of her team\u2019s performance, according to two former players.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one [in the transfer portal] is going to want anyone with these numbers,\u201d the coach allegedly said.<\/p>\n
Paye\u2019s comments didn\u2019t stop players from trying to prove her wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
After the Cardinal\u2019s final loss of the season March 26, a stunning seven players turned their backs on Stanford basketball by entering the portal, in addition to three players who graduated early. The exodus of two-thirds of the 15-woman roster follows a season in which Stanford didn\u2019t make an appearance in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The disappointing season wasn\u2019t solely the fault of the coaching staff. However, two former players and four parents of players who spent the 2025-26 season with the Cardinal allege that Paye has fostered a dysfunctional and toxic environment, in which coaches intimidate and threaten players, and some student-athletes feel \u201ciced out\u201d of practices if they fall on coaches\u2019 bad sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The two former players allege that Paye conducted \u201cdistressing team meetings\u201d throughout the season, like the one that took place following the Miami game. During these meetings, one said, Paye not only threatened to bench players \u2014 a normal consequence of underperformance in the high-pressure world of Division I athletics \u2014 but also floated \u201cgetting rid of scholarships or refusing to give recommendations for grad school programs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents of former players said there was a culture of retribution for players who spoke out against what they perceived as unfair treatment. Players recounted to The Standard that at various practices during the second half of the season, Paye said, \u201cOur jobs are on the line, and this is how you play?\u201d One parent and one player also allege that multiple players were told they were \u201ctoo weak\u201d to play at Stanford.<\/p>\n Parents of players filed reports with the director and chair of athletics John Donahoe, alleging that Paye had created an unwelcoming and toxic environment, according to screenshots of email messages obtained by The Standard. In response to these complaints, two former players said, Angie Jabir, the executive associate athletics director, observed multiple practices, an uncommon occurrence.<\/p>\n Neither Paye nor Donahoe agreed to be interviewed, and the school did not directly address questions emailed by The Standard about the allegations against Paye.<\/p>\n Two parents of former players and one former player told The Standard that Paye is working to implement a rule that would prevent student-athletes from taking larger course loads and summer classes so they can\u2019t graduate early. <\/p>\n This comes after star Kiki Iriafen graduated in three years and transferred to play at USC ahead of her final college season in 2024-25, and after three other Cardinal players \u2014 Nunu Agara, Courtney Ogden, and Chloe Clardy \u2014 graduated early and departed Stanford this month. In addition, Stanford lost two players during the year: Point guard Talana Lepolo left the team in January, and walk-on guard Lauren Green left before the final WBIT game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Most of Stanford\u2019s transfers have ended up with other Power Four schools. Ogden went to Michigan, Agara to Maryland, Clardy committed to North Carolina, Carly Amborn to Cal, Harper Peterson signed with Tennessee, Lara Somfai to TCU, and Mary Ashley Stevenson joined Columbia.<\/p>\n Stanford did not respond to a question about the potential early graduation policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Paye said in a statement that her team, though depleted, is busy building for 2026-27. The program is bringing in recruits Elyse Ngenda, Jordyn Wheeler, newly signed Kiara Green, and Davidson decommit Gracyn Gilliard, and has brought in two transfers, junior Miami of Ohio forward Ilse de Vries and Michigan State forward and former recruit Ines Sotelo. There are 10 players on the current roster, four of them incoming freshmen.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cOur returners are outstanding young women who have recommitted to each other, Stanford women\u2019s basketball, and the entire university community,\u201d said Paye. \u201cThey are a focused group that has already begun working diligently to prepare for the year ahead and are excited to welcome our incoming freshmen into the fold this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>