2008 Stanford Cardinal Hoops Preview

For all the perceived similarities between his old and new schools, new coach Johnny Dawkins understands that Stanford is not Duke. And vice versa. Dawkins hasn’t inherited a roster packed with McDonald’s All-Americans and, for all the Cardinal’s recent hoops tradition, few schools can match the Blue Devils’ basketball heritage.

Stanford, meanwhile, features one thing that has challenged generations of coaches — an unforgiving admissions office that will make it tough for Dawkins to reload quickly after the defection of 7-foot twins Brook and Robin Lopez to the NBA after their sophomore seasons.

“You have to adjust to your situation,” says Dawkins. “This is a unique institution. I have to learn all the ins and outs of exactly how it operates.”

The Cardinal will operate differently on the floor because they no longer have the considerable talents of two big men taken in the first 15 picks of the NBA Draft. The Lopez brothers combined to average nearly 30 points and 14 rebounds last season, blocked 139 shots and changed the way opponents approached Stanford.

For the short term, at least, the Cardinal may look more like recent perimeter-oriented Duke teams out of necessity.

“We don’t have the overall size to play strictly a half-court game,” Dawkins says. “We do need to use our speed and quickness to our advantage.”

Frontcourt

Senior Lawrence Hill will be a key for a Cardinal team that lost top early signee Miles Plumlee, a 6'9" defector to Duke. Hill was an All-Pac-10 forward as a sophomore in 2006-07, averaging 15.7 points and 6.0 rebounds. Those numbers plummeted to 8.6 and 4.8 a year ago, taking a dip as profound as his loss of confidence.

Dawkins says Hill will play some at both forward spots, and the coach expects him to excel this season. “Whenever you have two kids as dominant as they had, especially with their size, there’s not much space there,” he says, alluding to the Lopez twins. “I would think a lot of (Hill’s dropoff) would have to do with the fact that those two were such a focal point.”

Sophomore Josh Owens, who averaged only 1.7 points over 18 games last season, will be expected to play a far greater role, at either power forward or center. Will Paul, a 6'9" sophomore coming off a redshirt year, also will get a shot at those two spots.

Backcourt

There is better depth and experience at the guard spots, led by returning starter Mitch Johnson at the point. Johnson was the team’s most improved player a year ago, developing into a steadying influence and providing just enough offense to keep the opponent honest.

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. His ability to lead his teammates is a special gift,” Dawkins says.

Senior shooting guard Anthony Goods, a streaky perimeter shooter who started 55 games in his first three seasons, will be a better overall scorer this year, Dawkins predicts. “He has the ability to score the basketball, not just from beyond the arc. He has tremendous upside. I can see so much promise.”

The big question on the perimeter is the small forward position, where Dawkins hopes junior Landry Fields, inconsistent through his first two seasons, will make his mark.

Sophomore Da’Veed Dildy, who played very sparingly in 2006-07 before redshirting last season, also could challenge for time at that spot.

Versatile freshmen guards Jarrett Mann and Jeremy Green both will get the chance to have an immediate impact. Returnees Kenny Brown and Drew Shiller will provide depth. There may even be times when Dawkins tinkers with a four-guard alignment.

Final Analysis

It’s no surprise that Stanford begins the season without the Lopez twins, but who could have guessed that coach Trent Johnson would be gone to LSU, replaced by Dawkins? The transition has been sudden and dramatic, and it won’t be without hiccups for Dawkins and his new team.

Stanford doesn’t have the muscle that has been its trademark for most of 15 seasons, and there are as many questions as answers. It’s difficult to envision this team even coming close to duplicating last year’s 28–8 campaign. More likely, the Cardinal will struggle to approach .500 in the Pac-10.