[valentine]

Stanford’s men’s basketball intrasquad on Saturday night proved only one thing: Coach Johnny Dawkins is going to have a tough time determining a starting lineup and player rotation. It’s virtually impossible to say what the Cardinal’s starting lineup will be when the Cardinal plays its first regular-season game Nov. 15 against San Diego.  On Saturday, Dawkins refused even to guess what his starting five will be.   But it is very possible Dawkins will give nine or 10 players significant playing time, because that many players seem ready to contribute. Nobody stood out on Saturday, but virtually everyone showed something, a stark contrast from last season’s intrasquad scrimmage, when Landry Fields was dramatically better than everyone else on the floor. The Red squad beat the White 52-49, but the final score was virtually meaningless.  What was significant is that the Cardinal has a bunch of big men with three-pointer shooting range, a 6-10 freshman with versatility, a 6-8 freshman Dawkins aptly described as “interesting” and an evolving point-guard situation. And perhaps the biggest revelation was the improvement of Andrew Zimmermann.   A starter most of last season as a

sophomore, the 6-9 Zimmermann figured to be pushed into a reserve role with the addition of several talented freshmen and the return of Josh Owens. But Zimmermann was the best player on the floor in the first half of Saturday’s scrimmage, collecting all 12 of his points in the first 20 minutes.   He hit two three-pointers, two other perimeter shots and made a sweet move in the paint.   Dawkins noted that Zimmermann is markedly better than he was last season, and suddenly he is at least in the discussion for a starting job. Jeremy Green also had 12 points, but he missed a bunch of shots in the first half before showing an ability to penetrate and finish with his left hand in the second half.  There is no question he is a starter, though. Freshman Dwight Powell, the most highly rated of the incoming freshmen, seemed nervous in the first half, but the slender 6-foot-10 Canadian showed his athleticism and versatility in the second half when he started to get comfortable.   He pump-faked his way to a nifty 18-foot basket,  then made a smooth inside move that he finished with

his left hand before tipping in two more baskets that showed his body control. Anthony Brown, another freshman expected to play a lot and perhaps start, hit one three-pointer and scored five points, but he missed a lot of shots and had trouble getting good looks at the basket.  That may be because he was guarded much of the time by Josh Huestis, a 6-7 freshman from Montana who may be the darkhorse of Stanford’s freshman class.  He is the player Dawkins called “interesting” because he does things that suggest he could be special some day.   He had nine rebounds in the first half Saturday, and he also blocked a shot that led to a fast-break

basket.   Huestis finished with just five points, but he has the athleticism, defensive skills and court presence that are impossible to ignore. John Gage, a 6-10 freshman, also showed his perimeter skills, hitting a three-pointer while scoring five points. And then there’s Robbie Lemons, a walk-on freshman who clearly knows what he’s doing.   He averaged 36.4 points as a senior at Sacramento Country Day High School, and it would not be shocking to see him get some meaningful minutes after he collected nine points in limited playing time on Saturday. The key to the season, however, is the point-guard spot, and it was interesting that the Cardinal’s returning starter at the point, Jarrett Mann, did not play point guard at all on Saturday.   Sophomore Josh Harris and freshman Aaron Bright went head-to-head at the point on Saturday, while Mann played a wing spot exclusively. Dawkins said Mann will continue to work as a point guard and as a wing, and if a game were held tomorrow Mann probably would be the starting point guard.   But Dawkins knows what Mann can do, and he wanted to see what Harris and Bright can offer at the point.  Neither embarrassed himself.  Bright scored four points and is the team’s only true point guard, but he showed he needs some time to get used to the college game.

“Aaron is still learning our system at both ends,” Dawkins said. Owens has lost none of his athleticism after sitting out a season, and he put together some effective moves in the second half, finishing with six points.  He even hit a 15-foot shot.  The fact that Owens was double-teamed in the post a number of times limited his output, but it also indicates that Cardinal coaches think he’s dangerous. Jack Trotter finished with 11 points, including two long-range bombs, and the 6-10 junior who started every game last season is in the mix for a starting frontcourt spot, too. The guess here is that the starting lineup will be Mann, Green, Powell, Brown and Owens, but it could be something very different.  Bright, Zimmermann and Trotter are all possible starters, and Huestis has to get playing time somewhere.

[SERBIAN BALLER 16Participant]

you didnt even acknowledge rookie big man STEFAN NASTIC his espn scouting grade is like 87 i think.

[SERBIAN BALLER 16Participant]

you didnt even acknowledge rookie big man STEFAN NASTIC his espn scouting grade is like 87 i think.

[stanford hoops]

He didn’t do anything. He needs alooooot  of work extremely stiff and nou strong enough to play much. Think he might redshirt. Nice jumper though

[stanford hoops]

He didn’t do anything. He needs alooooot  of work extremely stiff and nou strong enough to play much. Think he might redshirt. Nice jumper though

[SERBIAN BALLER 16Participant]

I wouldnt redshirt him if i were them. Who will be the starting center?

Or who is closest to being the starter?

 

[SERBIAN BALLER 16Participant]

I wouldnt redshirt him if i were them. Who will be the starting center?

Or who is closest to being the starter?

 

[stanford hoops]

Might be best. Dwight powell,Josh Owens,Zimmerman trotter and Gage all look better,stronger. And they all can shoot. If he doesn’t redshirt he will get very little time.

Right now the starters look like Zimmerman and Owens   Possibly Powell 

[stanford hoops]

Might be best. Dwight powell,Josh Owens,Zimmerman trotter and Gage all look better,stronger. And they all can shoot. If he doesn’t redshirt he will get very little time.

Right now the starters look like Zimmerman and Owens   Possibly Powell 

[SERBIAN BALLER 16Participant]

I think owens and powell will start at pf and c respectiveey.

zimmerman will backup owens and gage will backup powell at c.

Nastic and trotter will be 3rd string, and could get time if someone gets injured.

Nastic is going to turn 18 on the 22nd of novemember so there is a lot left to learn for him.

i think they will keep im just in case, so they wont redshirt him.

Whatever happened to matai dean?

[SERBIAN BALLER 16Participant]

I think owens and powell will start at pf and c respectiveey.

zimmerman will backup owens and gage will backup powell at c.

Nastic and trotter will be 3rd string, and could get time if someone gets injured.

Nastic is going to turn 18 on the 22nd of novemember so there is a lot left to learn for him.

i think they will keep im just in case, so they wont redshirt him.

Whatever happened to matai dean?

[stanford hoops]

Zimmerman is looking like the better bet to start at center. He’s gotten better from
last year and is alot stronger and agressive than Powell. Dwight needs to get bigger and more aggressive. He will still play alot but will struggle on defense against the bigger stronger PAC-10 big men

yea I noticed alot of the players are real young. A couple either just turned 18 or will soon. They have a very very bright future though. They have a tough scrimmage against San deigo st on the 10th which should show them what they will need to work on to compete in college basketball

[stanford hoops]

Zimmerman is looking like the better bet to start at center. He’s gotten better from
last year and is alot stronger and agressive than Powell. Dwight needs to get bigger and more aggressive. He will still play alot but will struggle on defense against the bigger stronger PAC-10 big men

yea I noticed alot of the players are real young. A couple either just turned 18 or will soon. They have a very very bright future though. They have a tough scrimmage against San deigo st on the 10th which should show them what they will need to work on to compete in college basketball

[Author]

Posts