| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
Mike Montgomery has done an unparalleled job in bringing Stanford into the ranks of college basketball's perennial title
contenders.
Stanford used to be viewed as simply a great academic
institution that had a basketball team, but the Cardinal was never seen as a
team to be feared. Montgomery, with his professorial but hard-nosed style, has changed that.
Montgomery is a great coach who is often overlooked because he does not revel in the spotlight like so many others. He just
beats you. Under Montgomery, the Cardinal is now a force, and last season proved it. With a roster filled with question marks, Montgomery quickly turned them into exclamation points, and Stanford will be outstanding again this season.
The expectation at Stanford is to win, and the culture around the basketball program is that of a championship contender. There is now an air about Stanford, and it is well deserved. Behind that air are several confident, capable and talented players who have skill, ability and desire.
Stanford has won (or shared) back-to-back Pac-10 titles, and has posted six consecutive 20-win seasons. The Cardinal rose to No.1 in the nation last season, in a rebuilding year, and served notice that a top-10 team will be an annual expectation.
Although the Cardinal lost Mark Madsen and David Moseley, Stanford returns three starters and 10 lettermen, and adds four
quality freshmen. This is a great defensive team that chokes opponents with disciplined pressure, shot-blocking ability and a one-and-out mentality.
Stanford held opponents last year to an NCAA-record low 35.2-percent shooting from the field. Stanford doesn't gamble or over-help, but plays you honest, funnels you into shot-blockers and allows no second shots. Plus, these guys can shoot it and score in a variety of ways.
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Frontcourt
Stanford will be a very good perimeter team, but the Cardinal have a lot to boast about inside as well.
The loss of Mark Madsen will hurt, but the maturation process evidenced when Madsen was out early last season
is an indicator that the younger set is ready to step forward and lead the
way. The frontline is daunting, with size, skills and some mean spiritedness that coaches love to see in players.
Stanford gives opponents double-trouble with the Collins twins, Jason and Jarron, a pair of 7-footers who can play. Jason Collins averaged 8.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, shot 63 percent from the field and blocked 43 shots. He is a load inside, but has had knee problems throughout his career. Jason only plays 19 minutes a game on average, but is very productive in that
time, and he needs to add leadership to the mix this season.
Before he left, Madsen said Jason could mentally dominate as well as physically control a game, and does
so with his ability to block shots and score down low. Jason has big-time ability, and is beginning to blossom into an outstanding player. If his knee remains sound, he can be an NBA
player.
One of his best attributes is his ability to get to the free-throw line. In those 19 minutes per game, Jason gets to the line once every four minutes for 4.3 attempts per game. Twin Jarron goes to the line more than five
times per game. That will not only wear down teams, but foul them out, and the
Collins twins need only improve upon their free-throw accuracy to be more
potent weapons.
Jarron Collins (11 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 48 percent FG) is the more consistent of the two, and can be unstoppable at times. Jarron is
looking to be more assertive on offense for longer stretches, and can be the type of player that touches it on most possessions to draw attention of defenses, then kick it out to an open shooter. Jarron has the ability to score inside, and he brings face-up skills as well, creating a nice high-low tandem with another big man.
Sophomore center Curtis Borchardt, who battled a foot injury last season that caused him to miss the
last 11 games, is having foot problems again this season. Borchardt (3.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 42 blocks) is an outstanding shot-blocker who can really get up in a hurry, with good hands and an ability to pass the ball. He has a very
nice touch, can hit from outside the lane and is fundamentally sound.
Justin Davis, who sat out last season as a redshirt, is a 6-8 forward who is really tough on the offensive glass. He too can pass the ball well. Davis has very good feet, runs the court, jumps well, and can spin and drop step in the post. Davis needs to get tougher to be his best, but is an outstanding prospect.
Joe Kirchoffer and Tyler Besecker will round out the frontline subs. With Stanford's ability to shoot the ball from the
perimeter, the big men should get plenty of room to operate.
|  | | The Pac-10's best shooter just may be Casey Jacobsen, who is dangerous from deep 3-point range. |
Backcourt
The biggest question mark entering last season was Stanford's guard play, especially at the point, but those questions were
answered early and positively.
Micheal McDonald was slated to replace Arthur Lee, and he was unknown, untested, and plagued by chronic foot
problems. McDonald, however, passed his tests with flying colors, and will only get better.
McDonald (4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 35 percent 3-pt.) proved to be mentally tough, a solid ball-handler and leader from the point. McDonald has very good speed and defensive ability, and is very quick. He is intense and protects the ball while being aggressive in dishing it out. He showed confidence, which filtered to his teammates. McDonald can score, but sometimes overlooks his opportunities for the sake of running the team.
At times, however, he is the best option and needs to exploit openings left by his big
men and perimeter shooters. McDonald can penetrate more to create shot
opportunities, and should be able to get to the basket more often.
McDonald will be looking often for the Cardinal's best player, Casey Jacobsen. But more on him a little later.
When Ryan Mendez enters the game, the defense yells out, "shooter!" Mendez (9.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 42 percent 3-pt., 87 pecent FT) is an outstanding shooter who has one of the quickest releases in the college game. Mendez has battled knee problems over his career, but continues to load it up and get it off quickly.
Because Mendez is a straight up-and-down shooter, the scouting report on him
is to make him put it on the floor, an area he has worked on diligently.
Mendez has the ability to score, and he is becoming a more versatile
performer.
Julius Barnes will back up McDonald, and the sophomore possesses great speed and quickness. Barnes, a 36-percent shooter, reminds his coaches of Lee. He can penetrate and make clever moves in the lane. Because of his
speed and athleticism, Barnes can add another dimension to this team when he
is in the game.
Kyle Logan and Tony Giovacchini are both solid players who can add quality minutes in the backcourt, while freshman Nick Robinson joins the team fresh off a Mormon mission and is ready to shoot open jumpers.
Logan is a quick, slashing guard who can play the wing and defend. Giovacchini
is a combo guard who can play the point and is a good passer.
But the gem of the backcourt, and this team, remains sophomore Jacobsen (14.5 ppg, 3.0
rpg, 2.3 apg, 47 percent FG). All he did as a freshman was get selected to the All-Pac-10 first team and share Pac-10 Rookie of the Year honors with UCLA's Jason Kapono. Jacobsen is a
fundamentally sound swing guard who can really score.
He has deep range, a high release point, and can pull up from distance. Jacobsen has been working on his intermediate-range game, as he has found defenses playing him to shoot a 3-pointer or take it all the way. He handles the ball well, and hustles like a walk-on.
With Jacobsen the primary scorer and the focus of opposing defenses, McDonald will have penetrating opportunities, Mendez will
find additional open looks, and the inside crew should have plenty of room to operate.
Bottom Line
Mike Motgomery did as good a job last season as any coach in the nation, and edged out Lute Olson for Pac-10 Coach
of the Year honors. Of course, each had different teams and challenges to
face, but both showed why the Pac-10 is a conference to be feared nationally
this season.
In a year when the Pac-10 returns 70 percent of its starters, Stanford will challenge Arizona for the Pac-10 title, and win 25 or more games while spending most of the season in the top five.
Montgomery's past teams have sometimes struggled with ultra-quick teams -- that coincidentally are also top-10 teams -- but we should see a quicker Stanford team this season, with better one-on-one skills. Expect Montgomery to open up the offense a bit to
take advantage of that.
Stanford will still be a ball-control team that defends by guarding the 3-point line and in. It's that formula that could take
Montgomery to his second Final Four. | |
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