2005 Stanford Cardinal Basketball Preview

2005 Stanford Cardinal Team Preview

Coach Trent Johnson is back for his second year at Stanford and he’s probably hoping it’s not quite as interesting as his initial year. He nailed the head coaching job at Stanford when then Cardinal coach Mike Montgomery suddenly decided to head to the NBA; then Johnson was greeted by a team that suffered a rash of injuries, saw star Josh Childress make an early exit to the pros, and had a important back up player, Tim Morris, become academically ineligible. Whew, what a way to start your college head coaching career!

The good news is that this year just about everyone the Cardinals needed to come back has returned from either injury, eying the pros, or academic no-man’s land. The starters include three seniors and two sophomores. One senior, Chris Hernandez, had been thinking NBA draft but decided to play his final college year. Hernandez, a smart, feisty point guard, poured in 15.2 PPG and handed off 4.0 APG. Everyone agrees he’s on his way to becoming a three-time All-PAC-10 selection and then a top NBA pick.

Guard/forward Dan Grunfeld, who was lost to the team in late February due to injury, has healed and ready to resume where he left off—scoring 17.9 PPG and taking in 5.5 RPG. Yet another All-PAC-10 selection last year, the tough senior seems destine to receive the honor again.

Forward Matt Haryasz, the third starting Cardinal senior, standing 6’ 11” and weighing 230 pounds has developed into one of the best shooters and big men in the conference. His 12.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG were impressive last year and this potential All-PAC-10 selection should offer his team more of the same this season.
Tim Morris is off the academic hot seat and ready to start at guard.

As a first year player last season he knocked down an average of 7.9 points per contest. Productive as a reserve in 2004-05, he should prove to be even more prolific as one of the top five.
At the center position sophomore Peter Prewitt seems poised to take over for Ron Little who snagged 6.1 rebounds and hammered in 9.0 points per game. It’s time now for Prewitt to put up big time numbers and play big time minutes. He seems to have the ability and determination to do so.

What should Johnson be worried about? Grunfeld coming back too early and re-injuring himself and any other starter going down for any length of time. The Cardinals have one of the most talented, toughest, and determined starting fives in the country but on the bench there’s very little from which to pull. If one or more of Johnson’s key players is lost for a period of time, the Cardinals will go from being one of the best PAC-10 teams to mediocre at best. Only the long college basketball season will tell.

For more info on the 2005 Cardinal check out the official Stanford athletic site.