2011 Stanford Basketball Preview
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
2010-11 Results
Overall: 15-16
Conference: 7-11 (t-7th)
Roster
Seniors
Jarrett Mann
Josh Owens
Jack Trotter
Andrew Zimmermann
Juniors
Andy Brown
Gabriel Harris
Sophomores
Aaron Bright
Anthony Brown
John Gage
Josh Huestis
Robbie Lemons
Dwight Powell
Freshmen
Wade Morgan
Stefan Nastic
Chasson Randle
Jack Ryan
Head Coach
Johnny Dawkins
Key Losses
Last season’s leading scorer, Jeremy Green, made a curious decision to head into an NBA draft and he was not surprisingly left out. Green averaged 16.7 points and hit 42.9 percent of his three-pointers last season, but the Cardinal should quickly recover from his loss. Stanford may just have to shift more of its focus inside, where it has six players of great potential at 6-8 or taller.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent / Event |
| Sun., Oct. 23 | Cardinal-White Game |
| Sat., Nov. 5 | vs. Ryerson (exhibition) |
| Fri., Nov. 11 | vs. Central Arkansas |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off | |
| Mon., Nov. 14 | vs. Fresno State (First Round) |
| Tue., Nov. 15 | vs. Colorado State (Second Round) |
| Wed., Nov. 23 | vs. Oklahoma State (Semifinals) |
| Fri., Nov. 25 | TBA (Final/3rd Place) |
| Regular Season | |
| Fri., Nov. 18 | @ UC Davis |
| Mon., Nov. 28 | vs. Pacific |
| Thu., Dec. 1 | @ Seattle University |
| Sun., Dec. 4 | vs. NC State |
| Sat., Dec. 17 | vs. San Diego |
| Mon., Dec. 19 | vs. Bethune-Cookman |
| Thu., Dec. 22 | vs. Butler |
| Thu., Dec. 29 | vs. UCLA * |
| Sat., Dec. 31 | vs. USC * |
| Thu., Jan. 5 | @ Oregon * |
| Sat., Jan. 7 | @ Oregon State * |
| Thu., Jan. 12 | vs. Utah * |
| Sat., Jan. 14 | vs. Colorado * |
| Thu., Jan. 19 | @ Washington State * |
| Sat., Jan. 21 | @ Washington * |
| Sun., Jan. 29 | @ California * |
| Thu., Feb. 2 | vs. Arizona State * |
| Sat., Feb. 4 | vs. Arizona * |
| Thu., Feb. 9 | @ UCLA * |
| Sun., Feb. 12 | @ USC |
| Thu., Feb. 16 | vs. Oregon State * |
| Sun., Feb. 19 | vs. Oregon |
| Thu., Feb. 23 | @ Colorado * |
| Sat., Feb. 25 | @ Utah * |
| Sun., Mar. 4 | vs. California * |
| Pac-12 Tournament | |
| Wed., Mar. 7 | TBA |
| Thu., Mar. 8 | TBA |
| Fri., Mar. 9 | TBA |
| Sat., Mar. 10 | TBA |
| *Conference Game | |
2011-12 Preview
Stanford has had three straight losing conference seasons and Dawkins has a 39-47 record since going 10-0 in the non-conference 2008-09 season. But Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby gave Dawkins the recruiting tool he needed in a 2 year contract extension through to 2016, saying he believed in the future. The recruiting lag that was caused by the early loss of the Lopez twins and Dawkins’ late 2008 hiring has at last been compensated for with a talented young roster stacked with potential. Dawkins believes he now has the talent in his team to reverse the trend of recent seasons.
Stanford was not pretty to watch last season, but they were effective at times by throwing size, athleticism and changing defenses at opponents. Now it has some legitimate skill and experience on both sides of the ball. If Randle is ready from the start and able to force a more frenetic pace, and Anthony Brown and Powell make the anticipated progress, Stanford will be able to compete for the Pac-12 title.
6-2 junior guard Gabriel Harris (1.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg) is returning from minor knee surgery. Harris is a strong combo guard who can slash to the basket and there are choices at point guard. Returning starter Jarrett Mann (4.9 ppg, 4.1 apg), a 6-4 senior, will be desperate to improve on last season, he was a poor shooter both from three-point territory (1-for-17) and at the free-throw line (.492).
Aaron Bright (5.1 ppg, 2.0 apg), a 5-11 sophomore, can hold his own offensively when at the point, while 6-1 freshman Chasson Randle (22.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg.) may get the chance to start. A top 100 player in the 2011 class, Randle has played mostly shooting guard but has the qualities to make a very effective point guard.
Despite limited experience, both 6-8 senior Josh Owens (11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and 6-9 sophomore Dwight Powell (8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg) were causing problems for opponents inside last season. Powell was a freshman from Canada, while Owens was a junior who lost the previous season through a mystery illness.
Owens was a double-digit scorer and the team’s leading rebounder last year, pouring in 10 early points and the game-winning bucket against Washington in January. He also averaged nearly a block and a steal per game, playing a key role in a tight Stanford defense that reduced opponents to just 65.2 points per game.
Powell averaged 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals in conference games. He has a great combination of slashing ability, ball-handling and rebounding and is rated one of the most talented players in the conference by Dawkins.
He headlined the 2010 recruiting class along with 6-6 wing Anthony Brown (8.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg), but the Cardinal has yet to showcase another potential star from that group in Stefan Nastic. A native of Serbia, Nastic suffered a broken foot last season. At 6-11, he has the potential to develop into a versatile big man with the ability to play both inside and out.
The Cardinal have plenty of other options inside with 6-9 senior Jack Trotter (3.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 6-9 sophomore John Gage (3.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg), 6-8 senior Andrew Zimmerman (2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg), and 6-7 sophomore Josh Huestis (2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg).
Huestis, made an impact in the second half of last season, showing a varied game with the ability to take defenders outside and play solid defense. Gage averaged only 8.3 minutes a game last season but was one of Stanford’s offensive efficiency leaders, a big target who made 37 percent of his three-pointers and sank 8-of-10 free throws. He was the team’s fourth most prolific three-point shooter, with 17 made over his 20 games played.
On the perimeter, the Cardinal will look to Anthony Brown to compensate for the loss of Green. Brown is an athletic, versatile guard who made the USA’s U19 World Championship team this summer.
The Cardinal also have another skilled wing in 6-7 junior Andy Brown (14.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg). If he’s fully recovered from a bad run of injuries, Brown could add experience and leadership to the team plus plenty of skills.
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