Kokenis accepts 'dream' offer from Stanford
Toni Kokenis' dream has come true.
Hinsdale Central's senior point guard and the 2008-09 Daily Herald All-Area girls basketball captain got the call from Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer on Thursday with a scholarship offer. Kokenis readily made a verbal commitment to the school.
"It was exciting - it seemed like it wasn't really happening," Kokenis said. "It was always my dream to play there."
Kokenis, considered the best point guard in the state and one of the top guards in the country, also considered Vanderbilt and DePaul.
But there was no doubt where her heart was.
At home there is a picture of a 5-year-old Kokenis dressed in Stanford attire. Her mom, Marie, was born in California and attended UCLA. Her dad went to USC.
"When (Stanford) sent me a letter when I got to high school," Kokenis said, "the idea of playing there became a little more realistic."
Kokenis attended basketball camps at Stanford the past two years. She made an unofficial visit in September.
Last season Kokenis averaged 17.9 points, 5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals in leading Hinsdale Central to a Class 4A sectional final, where the Red Devils lost to eventual state champion Bolingbrook. Kokenis, also a standout soccer player, went on to lead Hinsdale Central to the Class 3A state soccer title in the spring.
Coaches are not permitted to talk to prospects during the recruiting "dead period" the first half of July, but they did watch Kokenis at AAU events. VanDerveer made the call to Kokenis on the first eligible day she could resume contact. Kokenis, a stellar student at Hinsdale Central with a 5.6 cumulative GPA, first had to be accepted academically by Stanford. She plans to study kinesiology at the Palo Alto school.
At Stanford Kokenis joins former Warren standout Sarah Boothe, the 2008 Illinois Ms. Basketball and Daily Herald Lake County All-Area captain.
In 23 seasons in Palto Alto, VanDerveer has led Stanford to two national championships, eight Final Fours and 22 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. Last season the Cardinal went 33-5, won the Pac-10 and advanced to the Final Four before falling to eventual champion Connecticut in a national semifinal.
"She really knows a lot about the game, someone you can learn a lot from," Kokenis said of her future coach. "She really knows a lot about the mechanics of the game."