ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 1 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
8. Stanford Cardinal
Surprising news hit Palo Alto this June when Reid Travis announced his intentions to leave the program and join Kentucky as a graduate transfer. With Dorian Pickens and Michael Humphrey graduated, the Cardinal suddenly lost three of their top four scorers entering the 2018-19 season.
Coach Jerod Haase, however, isn’t fully panicking.
The departures call for quick maturity from Stanford’s returnees, including 6-foot-3 guard Daejon Davis. The sophomore had a strong first season a year ago, averaging 10.3 points, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds en route to a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection.
Running the wing will be fellow sophomore KZ Okpala, an intriguing 6-foot-8 athlete with elite defensive capability. After missing the first 11 games, Okpala spewed NBA potential with outings like his 23-point, 3-steal performance against UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Added to the mix is a top-20 recruiting class led by four-star combo guard Cormac Ryan and lengthy forward Jaiden Delaire, who should provide ample length with Travis absent from the front court.
With more perimeter talent, Stanford will have a different identity from a year ago. Travis had the Cardinal playing “bully ball” in the low post, helping them finish top three in the conference in offensive and defensive rebounds and rebounding margin.
The challenge will be developing that identity in a timely manner. With non-conference games at North Carolina and Kansas, Haase’s patience will be tested early.
Like last year, Stanford should face difficulty in the early season. If they tap into their talent, they could surprise the latter half of the conference schedule.