Men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson introduced her as “arguably the best player Tara VanDerveer has ever coached” at the men’s tip-off event. VanDerveer prefers words like “fantastic” or “spectacular.”

Talking heads and sportscasters across America, such as ESPN.com’s Graham Hays, hail her as “the best all-around, inch-for-inch player in the country.” But on the campus of Stanford University, Candice Wiggins receives surprisingly little public recognition.

The relative anonymity of one of Stanford’s best female guards of all time is surprising, though it doesn’t seem to bother the 5-foot-11 (and a half) player from San Diego. When Stanford suffered a stunning second-round loss against Florida State in last season’s NCAA Tournament, Wiggins quietly took it in stride, heading back to the gym to prepare for this, her senior year.

“The ending of last year absolutely motivated me to change,” Wiggins said. “Last April I had the opportunity to speak to Armintie Price from Ole Miss (an All-American last season), and she told me about how Ole Miss went from having a losing season two seasons ago to going to the Elite 8 last season. [She] was very honest about how their team turned everything around: hard work. It was simple.”

Luckily, working hard is one of the things Wiggins does best. VanDerveer highlighted athleticism, competitiveness and intelligence as qualities that set Wiggins apart, though she knows that the phenom is more than a sum of her parts.

“There is something really special [about her],” Van DerVeer said. “[But,] it’s hard to put your finger on; it’s a lot of intangible things. She’s very unselfish and she really understands . . . that basketball’s a team sport.”

Wiggins proved her dedication to this team mentality throughout the 2006-07 season, when she was not only plagued by several minor injuries — including a recurring hamstring strain — but also asked to play the point guard position after both Rosalyn Gold-Onwude and JJ Hones were taken out of the mix with knee injuries.

In true Wiggins fashion, she rallied away from her preferred shooting guard spot and still managed to place second on the team in assists (96). She led the Pac-10 in three-pointers (82) and ranked third in the conference with a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. Wiggins also led the team in scoring (16.9 ppg) for the third consecutive season.

The same kind of success has surfaced already in the Cardinal’s 2-0 start to the season. Wiggins led the team with 19 points against then-No. 3 Rutgers, and she dropped two foul shots with less than a second on the clock to secure a 60-58 win.

“I knew I had the opportunity to end the game right then and there,” she said. “Free throws are extremely mental, so it’s just about going to the line and exuding confidence and being relaxed.”

In such situations, Wiggins draws on the confidence that developed under the careful prodding of skilled teammates and coaches at Stanford. With Hones and Gold-Onwude back alongside junior Jillian Harmon, freshman Kayla Pedersen and sophomore Jayne Appel in the frontcourt, the quality of surrounding players remains top-notch. With a strong supporting cast behind her, Wiggins hopes to continue her maturation as an all-around player.

“I think the biggest improvement of my game since I’ve been here is versatility as a guard,” she said. “[I’m] able to take my player off the dribble but also knock down my perimeter shot. [But] the most important thing for me to do is to not force shots and to let the offense come to me. There will be times [when] I have to be aggressive and look to score, but I also have great teammates who can take some of the offensive scoring load off me.”

Coach VanDerveer also looks to correct the few remaining flaws in the National Player of the Year contender’s game.

“She always wants to improve, and I think that’s how she’s always been; that’s all she knows,” VanDerveer said. “I [still] always want to challenge Candice to improve. I think she could be a better defender. I think she could be a more efficient scorer. There are things that she can do better, and I know she wants to have an outstanding senior year for her team.”

Wiggins, though, is well aware that the season only moves one game at a time and is trying not to look too far into the future.

“Right now I am just working hard to enjoy every second of the season, whether it be practice or games,” she said. “It goes by fast and the sense of urgency really kicks in your last year. I am so excited about this team and all my energy is focused on helping us develop into a Final Four team. The opportunities that may come up in the future will be there, but instead of looking ahead I’m really trying to work one day at a time.”