Anna Wilson has become much more than defensive stopper in extended Stanford career

In today’s beam-me-up world of college athletics, the only portal that Anna Wilson cares to pass through is one to self-improvement.

Even her brother Russell played for two colleges – North Carolina State and Wisconsin – before moving on to NFL quarterback stardom. But what’s best for one sibling isn’t necessarily best for the other, even a decade later for Anna when collegiate player movement is easier than in Russell’s era.

“I believe in finishing something I started,” Wilson says. “It’s given me an invaluable experience and lots of learning lessons. It’s taught me a lot of resilience and perseverance.”

Or to quote Leo Tolstoy, as she recently did for an assignment on investing, the strongest of all warriors are time and patience. “That’s applicable to my experience being at Stanford and my teammates,” during two COVID-impacted seasons, Wilson said.

Granted, sticking it out with Stanford women’s basketball regardless of playing time has big-picture upside: The No. 1 seeded Cardinal begins its NCAA Tournament title defense Friday night vs. Montana State.

But after making just five starts in four seasons, Wilson could have left The Farm for a presumed greener pasture like former teammate DiJonai Carrington, who transferred to Baylor after the 2019-20 season. Instead, she was patient enough to earn a full-time starting role on Stanford’s 2021 national championship team and a second straight Pac-12 All-Defensive honor this season.

Her fifth season was a medical redshirt for missing all but six games of her freshman year, due to head and foot injuries. Her rare sixth season is thanks to the COVID exemption offered to all 2020-21 players.

To put her longevity in perspective, Wilson has gone through three Senior Day ceremonies (not knowing for sure if she would return after each of the first two) and played in 133 of coach Tara  VanDerveer’s 1,001 wins at Stanford. Her 155 games are the most played in school history.

“If I had more years to be here, I probably would be here for more,” Wilson only half-joked after  VanDerveer, the winningest coach in college women’s basketball history, reached 1,000 with the Cardinal in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals.

“For me, it’s was always about ‘am I around the right people’ more so than ‘am I, as an individual, being successful,’” she says. “That’s why I decided to come back for a sixth year.”

“In moments where I needed to be mature, I chose to be mature. Those are the things that make me most proud even more so over wins. Being able to learn from metaphorical losses.”

Tolstoy. Metaphorical. If you didn’t know Wilson played for Stanford, it would be an educated guess.

The 24-year-old had to grow up fast, prior to starting high school in Richmond, Virginia. Her father Harrison died from diabetes complications in 2010, a month before her 13th birthday. When older brothers Harry, who shares a July 12 birthday with Anna, and Russell are at her games, the father figure vibes are undeniable.

“It’s made my family closer and helped me mature at a very young age,” she says. “It taught me a lot about resilience so the stuff I was dealing with in college, I was able to persist through those things because of that experience of losing my father. It made me tougher and helped me to say ‘hell no’ when people told me no to things.

“My brothers have been majorly supportive knowing I’ve been going through these big stages of life  without my dad.”

On the biggest stage of her basketball life, Wilson was the primary defender for the final shot of the national championship, a top-of-the-key miss by Arizona’s Aari McDonald that left Stanford as a 54-53  survivor in the first all-Pac-12 final.

Wilson and McDonald were Pac-12 co-Defensive Players of the Year in 2021. Wilson still is a defensive stalwart this season but also shares point guard duties with Lacie Hull after the departure of Kiana Williams, a three-year full-time starter at the position.

The adjustment wasn’t easy. Wilson started the first six games then came off the bench for 10,  committing six turnovers in a loss to No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Dec. 21. Unsurprisingly given her history, Wilson regained her starting job Jan. 28 and overall has a hefty 2.4 assist/turnover ratio.

“Our team is in the position we’re in (No. 2 ranking) because of the improvement of Anna and Lacie,”  VanDerveer said at the Pac-12 tournament. “We needed them to improve so much, and they have.  They’re so much more confident handling the ball.”

The 5-foot-9 Wilson doesn’t shirk from her identity as a defensive stopper: “I don’t think it’s an insult. I think it’s quite the compliment. Our team’s identity is a lot on defense. If I can bring offense as well that’s  great too.”

She had two double-digit scoring games in the Pac-12 tourney when she went a combined 5-of-10 from 3-point against Oregon State and Colorado. Her role in the upcoming NCAA title defense will be more expansive than many outside the Pac-12 footprint realize and certainly her story resonates with each retelling.

Already with degrees in art practice (undergraduate) and media studies/communication (master’s),  Wilson most recently is taking business grad school classes. She could play pro basketball, overseas if not in the difficult-to-crack WNBA, but her ultimate horizon feels more expansive.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be set on my career path,” she says. “I’m very flexible. I’ve always wanted to be in a creative space so whatever allows me to do that. I never have to be locked into anything. I want to keep as many options open as possible, which is what I’ve been with my college career as well. I’ve  never tried to jump the gun on a decision.”