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#18 Stanford
Cardinal
Pacific 10
2004-05: 18-13,
11-7, 3rd
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
It looks good for
Stanford when they return the top two returning conference
scorers in Dan Grunfeld and Chris Hernandez. Add on Matt
Haryasz and the Cardinal have three of the best players in the
conference.
Who’s Out: The
bad news is the loss of Rob Little and Nick Robinson, which
leaves very little talent left in the frontcourt. Little
averaged 9.0 points and 6.1 boards. Robinson, a 6-6 forward,
started all 31 contests putting up 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and
2.2 assists per outing. The only post players returning besides
the 6-11 Matt Haryasz are sophomores Peter Prowitt and Taj
Finger. Prowitt averaged just over eight minutes per game in 21
contests last year and might be asked to slide over to the power
forward spot. Finger didn’t see much more game action than
Prowitt and isn’t expected to be a big contributor this year.
Who’s In:
Lawrence Hill could step in and be a productive member of the
frontcourt. The 6-8, 205 pound Glendale, Arizona product is
more of an oversized small forward than a true post player, but
he can fill in some minutes at either spot. Hill is very
athletic and is continuing to improve. The most talented
newcomer is point guard Mitch Johnson. The 6-1, Seattle native
can do it all. He’s a tremendous floor leader, a great passer
and can hit the long ball with consistency. He’ll have a year
of learning from one of the best in Chris Hernandez before
taking over the starting role. Shooting guard Anthony Goods has
more than just shooting guard skills. Goods has the vision and
passing skills to run the point, but will most likely see time
at the two, once it becomes less crowded.
Who to Watch:
Chris Hernandez is an exciting point guard and Matt Haryasz
could average a double-double, but the key is Dan Grunfeld. The
6-6 guard is recovering from an ACL injury suffered late last
season. He’s expected to be healthy by the time the season tips
off, but any nagging effects could be costly. Grunfeld led the
team with 17.9 points per game and is a threat from anywhere on
the floor.
Projected
Conference Rank: Can anybody play up top beside Haryasz?
Ideally, Tim Morris and Fred Washington would round out the
starting lineup, but that would leave the 6-5 Washington or the
6-6 Grunfeld to defend the power forward spot. Coach Trent
Johnson might start small, but Peter Prowitt and newcomer
Lawrence Hill will see plenty of minutes and eventually they
will finish games if either can prove their worthiness. The
lack of a quality power forward will cause some trouble with big
Pac 10 opposition, but this is a team talented enough to compete
for a conference championship. A 3rd place finish is
below expectations in what promises to be a tight race atop the
Pac 10, but it will get Stanford back to the NCAA Tournament
without a problem.
Projected
Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Chris Hernandez,
Senior, Guard, 15.2 points per game
Tim Morris, Sophomore,
Guard, 7.4 points per game
Dan Grunfeld, Senior,
Guard, 17.9 points per game
Fred Washington,
Junior, Forward, 4.3 points per game
Matt Haryasz, Senior,
Forward, 12.5 points per game
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