Stanford’s Anna Wilson finds joy, purpose in defense. We should celebrate her for it.

We live in a society that loves, and values, points. If you’re an athlete we’d like you to be either high-scoring or high-flying, but we’d prefer both. Stuff a stat sheet and we’re sure to pay attention to you.

But that was never in the cards for Anna Wilson.

Numbers from the fifth-year senior guard for the top-seeded Stanford women’s basketball team usually elicit a shrug, as Wilson averages just 4.8 points per game. But you’re probably looking at the wrong stat line, because Wilson’s value is found on the other end of the floor, where she’s blossomed into one of the nation’s best defenders.

After a college career defined mostly by injuries and frustration, Wilson has found purpose — and joy — in doing the dirty work, facilitating Stanford’s offense by first locking down on defense. She’s not known for steals but rather making opponents uncomfortable, forcing them into a bad shot or errant pass.

After playing just 12 minutes a game the last few seasons, Wilson has started every game for the Cardinal this year, pushing Stanford to the brink of its 13th Final Four. On Tuesday the Cardinal will take on Louisville, when Wilson will draw the assignment of defending two-time ACC player of the year Dana Evans. It’s a role she’s come to relish.

“Anna has basically forced my hand,” Tara VanDerveer told USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t have any choice: If there’s someone that we need to lock down, she has to be out there."

Wilson’s long, winding road to collegiate success, full of detours and heartache, isn’t lost on the Hall of Fame coach.

“I just love that in this world of instant everything — instant gratification, instant oatmeal, Instacart — you have a player like Anna who is in it for the long haul, who struggles as a freshman and sophomore, even as a junior sometimes, and now look what she’s doing,” VanDerveer says. “And I want her to come back.”

Wilson’s decision to buy into the less glamorous end of the floor deserves more attention and celebration. Her unselfishness, according to her Super Bowl-winning big brother Russell Wilson, is more proof that she’s the “ultimate teammate,” happy to forgo the individual spotlight if it means her team brings home a trophy.

Russell Wilson, an eight-time Pro Bowler with the Seattle Seahawks, knows a thing or two about dominating on offense, and society’s obsession with numbers. He also knows a good defender when he sees one. So just how good is his little sister?

“She beat me one time my third year in the league,” Russell admitted to USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t play her anymore.”

Lockdown defender is 'unsung hero'

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