STANFORD, Calif. -- The squeaking sneakers and moving bodies drew the attention of thousands upon thousands of people at the San Jose Arena.

	Milena Flores and Stanford are 2-1.

Milena Flores wasn't one of them. She was there; she just wasn't paying attention.

The Stanford point guard sat in the crowd at the 1999 NCAA Women's Final Four, no smile upon her face, no excitement in her eyes, ignoring both the teams on the court and the fans in the stands.

Instead, Flores stared at the scoreboard -- not at the names of the players or the school, on the clock or even the score, but on an advertisement display. The advertisement, Flores knew, was for Kate Starbird's new graphics company.

Starbird, Stanford's former National Player of the Year, was a friend and role model for Flores, having been to a few Final Fours herself, the last of which had been during Flores' freshman year. Since then, however, the Cardinal has been unable to win a single game in the NCAA Tournament.

There's not much else about that day in San Jose that Flores remembers. It's all pretty hazy, with the exception of a brief memory of the University of Georgia's band playing loudly in front of her -- and Flores thinking they were far too happy.

That's the end of the memory. Last year's Final Four was something she wanted to block out. It wasn't hers. So, after being in the stands for that semifinal game, Flores gave away her complimentary ticket for the weekend's championship.

But she didn't give away her hope for coming back the next year.

"I felt like we were letting the whole history of our program down," Flores said. "I just know coming into this year, that can't happen again."

There can't be another first-round loss to Harvard. There can't be another painful two-point loss to Maine. The 5-foot-6 senior will see to that.

Her quickness becomes apparent as soon the Stanford women's basketball team takes to the floor in Maples Pavilion for a brief Saturday-morning practice. Running line drills across the court, Flores jets out near the front, her ponytail swaying behind her.

Speed was never been a problem for the Washington native. Shyness was.

"When I was in kindergarten, I guess I was really shy during recess," Flores said. "I walked around, just watching the other kids. When I told my mom, she was horrified, so she signed me up for basketball."

It was a way for her to interact with the other kids. Some of them were on her team; all of them saw her talent.

Flores' father decided he would coach the 5-year old, and since the family didn't own a basketball, put a soccer ball in her hand and told her to dribble as he slid chairs into her path.

Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer doesn't exactly use the same approach, but Flores has flourished nonetheless, and the shyness doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. The point guard now leads the team in both points and assists and is considered one of the best at her position in the country. A second team Academic All-American and a first team All-Pac-10 selection, her list of accolades goes on and on. But without another trip to the Final Four, it doesn't mean as much.

So, while Flores left San Jose Arena depressed that March afternoon, she didn't leave town. In fact, the entire team stayed around in the summer, working out and training together. The team's alumni, who had supported the team even though it failed to get past the first round for two straight years, were there, too.

"It's hard when you fail right in front of their eyes. You're letting them down," Flores said. "It's become motivation for this year. I think the whole attitude of the team has changed. Coming and playing everyday with each other, you're going to have some improvements with chemistry."

The team that had five freshmen and got a bit too excited at times last year now finds itself with a lot more experience and an extremely motivated senior point guard.

"We had a young mentality," Flores said of last season. "We saw how that didn't quite work.

"We can be serious now, and take control of things out on the court."

For more information on the Cardinal, visit Stanford's official athletic site.