Jayne Appel knelt down along the bench, both hands flat on the floor as she yelled encouragement to her teammates in the waning moments of Stanford's Final Four-clinching victory over Xavier.
When Jeanette Pohlen drove for the game-winning layin as time expired, Appel anxiously waited with her arms in the air before dashing onto the court among the first to start celebrating.
As important a part of the top-seeded Cardinal's success as the 6-foot-4 Appel is, her senior season also has been about letting go a bit - handing off the reins of the team to the future, like Pohlen and Pac-10 Player of the Year Nnemkadi Ogwumike.
Appel fouled out Monday night in the Sacramento Regional final and had no choice but to try to will her teammates to a win from the sideline, and watch them get it done in dramatic fashion.
``It's just like a mentality: staying up and staying in it,'' Appel said of her antics. ``(Coach Kate Paye) is always on me, 'Don't show it on your face and stick with it in that way.'''
There's one thing left on Appel's to-do list before she ends her spectacular Stanford career: winning a national championship. She is headed to her third straight Final Four with a chance to do it.
And she will take on whatever role is needed from her to make that happen.
Appel has pushed through a pair of knee surgeries, a shoulder procedure and a tender ankle that has bothered the star center for several weeks and through her team's first four NCAA tournament games.
She won't say whether she's playing in pain.
``I'm a senior and want it to go as long as possible,'' Appel said of this special run. ``During the game I don't feel it at all and put it out of my mind. My teammates make that easy for me and allow me to focus on the game. It's not the focus for us. It's the trainer and I dealing with it, and that's how it should be. And after the game it's that same similar story of putting it in the ice bucket and working on it day to day.''
Appel is sporting those signature neon pink nails - a custom for her at tournament time - all the way to San Antonio for what she hopes are two more games and another celebration to cut down the nets with a national title in hand. She has repeatedly said her last hurrah on women's basketball's biggest stage won't be complete without a championship, though everybody knows that almost certainly means getting through undefeated defending champion Connecticut.
Stanford (35-1) has won 26 straight games since its lone loss at No. 1 UConn back on Dec. 23. The Cardinal are the last team to beat the mighty Huskies, in the 2008 national semifinals.
``This year I have sensed a tremendous sense of urgency and leadership of this team and commitment to Stanford. She tries as hard as she can to put this team on her back,'' coach Tara VanDerveer said of Appel. ``Going to the Final Four was so much fun for them and they want a shot at winning a national championship, having been twice before.''
Two years ago, it was Appel taking a back seat at the NCAA tournament to superstar senior guard Candice Wiggins. Appel learned a thing or two from that experience and has applied those things to how she handles herself now that she's in the national spotlight as the face of the Cardinal program.
``It's kind of that leadership role,'' Appel said.
Her teammates have noticed, too. Especially Monday night when Appel was in that unfamiliar spot on the bench in such a tight game. She knows she easily could have been headed home in an early exit, because Xavier's Dee Dee Jernigan missed two wide-open layins in the closing 12 seconds before Pohlen made the play of her life.
``It's great playing with Jayne. I've seen her face during great highs and during adversity. Where I really gain the most respect for her is because she is the same person,'' fifth-year senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude said. ``I remember how big of deal it was to get Jayne. When she committed to Stanford the coaches pretty much had a party that day. It wasn't a party, party, but they were just happy and smiling at practice. They really wanted Jayne. I've seen that only with a few recruits here at Stanford. All I got was a pat on the back and a ribbon or something.''
Appel is constantly evolving her game to maintain a dominant level - just as she will surely do this summer as a rookie in the WNBA.
Those tweaks to her game have included a newfound focus on conditioning following her sophomore season and making a commitment to a high-post jump shot in her senior campaign. Appel is never satisfied.
She's playing at a heavier weight this season because she didn't feel she held her own in the low post enough last year being a good 10 pounds lighter. At the time, she was down 15 pounds from her sophomore year, making her quicker and more agile.
``I don't think I've necessarily lost any of that but I felt I was light last year in the post,'' Appel said. ``It kind of helps to have a little bit more power behind it, and that was my goal coming into this season, to be a little bit stronger.''
Even VanDerveer acknowledges Appel is better a little heavier than she was last season. Appel has come so far since she was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
``She was so much bigger than everybody she could just go down there and put her hand up,'' VanDerveer said of Appel's high school style. ``Jayne to me just has such a great low-block presence. She really wants to expand her game. She's a tremendous passer. She does work on using her body well in terms of getting good position. She's a very intelligent player and is always looking for an advantage on how to improve, especially this year.''
In Stanford's first three tournament games - decided by a combined 98 points - Appel had ample time to rest her tender ankle down the stretch with reserves on the court. She will probably be needed for a lot more if there's a rematch with UConn in that highly anticipated title tilt.
``I think we have everything we need to win a national championship,'' Pohlen said. ``It's just a matter of putting everything together. Obviously, we would love to have another chance at them.''
