Things don’t appear to be going well in the Stanford women’s basketball program.
In a bombshell report from the San Francisco Standard, Cardinal head coach Kate Paye was accused of creating “a dysfunctional and toxic environment” by former players and parents.
Two anonymous former Stanford players told the outlet that Paye and her staff would “intimidate and threaten players” and hold “distressing team meetings” during which they would threaten to pull scholarships and grad school recommendations.
Players were allegedly told they were “too weak” to play for the team. A harsher consequence Paye allegedly floated was “getting rid of scholarships or refusing to give recommendations for grad school programs.”
Head coach Kate Paye of the Stanford Cardinal looks on against the mduring the first quarter of the first round of the Women’s ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena on March 04, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. Getty Images The pair of former players told The Standard that some felt “iced out” of practices if they got on Paye’s bad side and “there was a culture of retribution for players who spoke out against what they perceived as unfair treatment.”
The Cardinal had seven players enter the transfer portal, making them one of five Power Four programs to have that many players hit the portal this offseason.
They have just five players returning for next season.
“The girls did not want to leave Stanford,” one parent told the outlet. “It will be spun that way, but it was not about NIL.”
The results on the court haven’t been up to the Cardinal historical standard either.
Stanford Cardinal Head Coach Kate Paye paces the sidelines in the game between the SMU Mustangs and the Stanford Cardinal on February 26, 2026. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After making the NCAA Tournament in all but one season since 1988, including a national title in 2021, under legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer, Stanford has missed the tournament in each of the past two seasons under Paye.
They have gone 16-20 in ACC play in two seasons with Paye at the helm.
