The Stanford basketball program brings in former UAB head coach Jerod Haase and only loses one player from last year’s squad.
STANFORD CARDINAL
Last Season: 9th, 8-10 in Pac-10, 15-15 overall
Predicted Pac-12 Finish: 9th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Reid Travis (Jr)/Grant Verhoeven (Sr)/Trevor Stanback (Fr)
PF: Michael Humphrey (Jr)/Josh Sharma (So)
SF: Dorian Pickens (Jr)/Cameron Walker (So)/Kodye Pugh (Fr)
SG: Christian Sanders (Sr)/Marcus Sheffield (So)/Malcolm Allen (Jr)
PG: Marcus Allen (Sr)/Robert Cartwright (So)
Gone: F-Rosco Allen
Stanford basketball Strengths:
Had Rosco Allen not left early for the NBA (which was a bizarre decision), the Cardinal would have returned every player from last season. They still bring everyone else back and didn’t suffer any roster turnover despite the coaching change. That depth should serve Stanford well and provide Haase with plenty of options to mix and match his lineups.
Stanford Basketball Question Marks:
Christian Sanders led Stanford in assists last season despite only averaging 2.6 per game. Getting Robert Cartwright back should help some since he missed all of last season with injury but the team overall lacks a true distributor to get his teammates involved on a consistent basis.
Player to Watch:
An injury cut Reid Travis’ 2015-16 season short after he looked on the verge of having a breakout sophomore campaign. Though undersized at 6-8, Travis is physical down low and knows how carve out space as a scorer and rebounder.
X-Factor:
With Rosco Allen leaving early for the NBA, Michael Humphrey should see an increased scoring role due to his versatility. He is a solid scorer on the block but can also step outside and knock down jumpers.
Looking Ahead to 2017-18:
The Cardinal will lose their starting backcourt of Marcus Allen and Sanders along with backup big man, Grant Verhoeven. With all that depth, Stanford should bring back an experienced roster but could really use an impact freshman from the 2017 class to help them.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/11 vs. Harvard
11/20 vs. Colorado State
11/24 vs. Miami FL (Advocare Invitational)
11/25 vs. Iowa State/Indiana State (Advocare Invitational)
11/26 vs. Gonzaga/Quinnipiac/Florida/Seton Hall (Advocare Invitational)
11/30 vs. St. Mary’s
12/3 at Kansas
12/19 at SMU
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.