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Stanford Basketball: Stanford Cardinal 2015-16 Basketball Preview

By Mary Harvill

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Stanford Cardinal

2014-15 Record: 24-13  (9-9 Pac-12)

Postseason: NIT 2015 Champions

The 2015 NIT champion Stanford Cardinal lost 66% of its offensive scoring production and 45% of its rebounding capabilities after Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle graduated.

Brown and Randle were invited to the NBA Combine.  Brown was drafted by the LA Lakers in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft. Randle joined Golden State for the NBA Summer league competition.

Stanford’s championship season will have a lasting impact that will translate to sufficient success in the 2015-16 campaign to warrant another post-season appearance in the NIT to defend its championship title.

The team is projected to finish 9th in the Pac-12 which isn’t particularly awesome but another NIT bid isn’t out of the realm. The key for the team will be its results during their non-conference schedule.

Newcomers

G –  Marcus Sheffield (Chattahoochie HS /Alpharetta, GA)
G –  Josh Sharma (ESPN.com 13th ranked center/Northfield Mount Herman HS/ Lexington,  MA)
F –   Cameron Walker  (Righetti/Santa Maria, CA)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 13 vs. NIT Tip-Off – Stanford’s early test will come during the NIT Tip-Off event beginning on November 13th.  The team will face Wisconsin-Green Bay and Charleston Southern.

Later in the month, Villanova, Arkansas or Georgia Tech are slated for  November 26-27th for post-turkey day hoops.

The Cardinal will follow these games with contests against SMU and West Coast Conference power Saint Mary’s College, Stanford’s Moraga, CA neighbor to the North of Palo Alto.

Playing across conferences will ready the team for their Pac-12 season opener on Friday, January 1st against Utah, and allow the coaching staff led by Johnny Dawkins to assess how the team has matched up against the variety of conferences.

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Key Players

Marcus Allen – Marcus Allen started 23 of the 36 games that he participated last season. He shot 51.1% from the field and 32.5% from three-point range last season in 22 minutes of work per game.

The experience that he gained during last season is going to be huge for Johnny Dawkins in 2015-16.

Dawkins will be depending on him to take that experience and build on it in order to be one of the more productive players on the roster this season.

Reid Travis-  Travis is going to be counted on to be rough and rugged on the interior for Johnny Dawkins this upcoming season.

The 6-foot-8, 245 pound forward is the leading returning rebounder from last season after averaging 5.6 boards per contest last season.

Travis started 12 games last year for the Cardinal and is going to be counted on to be Stanford’s hustle player.

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    • Season Outlook

    Stanford likes its twins. Following in the footsteps of Robin Lopez and Brook Lopez, junior Marcus Allen, 2015’s “Most Improved Player Award” winner and his twin brother, Malcolm Allen, who suffered a wrist injury during the 2014-15 season and red-shirted the remainder of the season will be critical components of the team.

    So will senior Roscoe Allen (no relation), a native of Budapest, Hungary who is the most potent scorer remaining on the roster from last season.

    The preseason “Red and White” scrimmage allowed sophomore Reid Travis to collect a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds). Freshman Cameron Walker and Marcus Sheffield showcased their three point shooting skills, racking up a combined 5 of 6 shots during the game.

    It may take a few games for Stanford to find its way, but this is a smart, capable team that has solid post-season experience under its belt.

    The team also traveled to Italy this past summer for exhibition games and allowed the team to share in an amazing experience together.

    The ability for the group to grow and bond from a tour like that should show up on the court in a positive way.

    Next: Top Five NBA Prospects of the ACC

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