Three players who have stepped up early on for the Stanford Cardinal

These three have really proven themselves to be pivotal if the Cardinal want to enjoy success this season.

Mar 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball against Stanford Cardinal guard Elena Bosgana (20) in the second half of the Pac-12 Tournament women's championship game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stanford is red-hot. Coming into a season unranked for the first time in over 20 years, the Cardinal have started to squash any doubts about expectations for them this season. Beginning the 2024-25 season with three blowout wins en route to both a 3-0 start and a return to the AP rankings. While the season is still young, several players on this year's team have stepped up and produced in big ways, proving that while the departures of stars such as Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen are not easy to overcome, there are ways around it.

Through three games, here are three players who have really stepped up and helped Cardinal basketball remain top tier.

Jzaniya Harriel, G

Coming off the bench last year, Harriel has taken on a bigger role and has become a starter for the Cardinal this season, and she has not disappointed. In three games, Harriel is averaging 13.7 points per, while also having gone 11-for-16 on three point shooting, including making six three pointers in the first game against Le Moyne while scoring a career-high 24 points. In the team’s most recent game against Gonzaga, Harriel scored 12 points in 24 minutes, going 4-for-6 from three while nabbing three rebounds and recording two assists. Harriel will most likely be relied on heavily as the season progresses, especially in situations where the games are closer and the Cardinal need the ball in the hands of a sharpshooter.

Nunu Agara, F

Another bench player turned starter, Agara came in as a true freshman last season and immediately became a big part of the rotation, playing nearly 14 minutes per game while averaging 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds. This season as a starter, Agara has not only become a more fierce defender but she leads the team in points per game and rebounds per game, averaging 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. In the team’s most recent game against Gonzaga, Agara scored 16 points, recording two assists and nine rebounds. While still young, Agara has a lot of experience. With a team that does not have a true big name superstar, she will look to be just that in a big year of change within the Stanford program.

Elena Bosgana, G

Talk about breaking out. After averaging 6.7 points per game last season as a starter, which had been a career high, Bosgana has become a major scoring threat for Stanford this year, currently second on the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game, while having started in all three of the team’s games and being essentially the floor general whenever she is out there.

To start off this year, Bosgana had two straight 19 point games against Le Moyne and Washington State, respectively. In the most recent game against Gonzaga, Bosgana scored 12 points in 23 minutes while also grabbing five rebounds and recording one assist. With Iriafen having transferred to USC, Bosgana has had to step up even more this year but with what she has shown, it is safe to say that the Cardinal are in good shape.