SETTING THE SCENE
Stanford returns to the court in 2021-22 with an exciting mix of returning players and a highly-regarded recruiting class. Jerod Haase begins his sixth season at the helm of the program, which looks to rise to the top of the Pac-12 in this year, and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
THE OPENING TIP
• Stanford went 14-13 (10-10 Pac-12) last season, including three victories over eventual Sweet 16 teams and two over Elite Eight programs.
• Jaiden Delaire was named the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year after more than doubling his sophomore scoring mark to 13.4 points per game in conference action. He reached double-figure scoring in 15 of the last 19 games in 2020-21.
• Harrison Ingram joins the Cardinal as a consensus top-15 recruit, as Stanford’s second-consecutive five-star addition and McDonald’s All-American. He is one of two top-60 additions, joining Isa Silva.
• The Cardinal has scheduled a challenging non-conference slate led by defending national champion Baylor, beginning a home-and-home series, and a trip to Honolulu for the Diamond Head Classic. Stanford will play three teams this season in the AP preseason top-eight, four in the top-13 and eight that were either in the top-25 or received votes.
• Stanford’s defense was once again one of the best in the Pac-12, as well as nationally, a year ago. After finishing 7th in 2019-20 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency, the Cardinal finished 28th last year.
SQUAD GOALS
Stanford returns 61.3 percent of its minutes from a year ago, including four players who drew at least 14 starts last season. Jaiden Delaire (12.5 pts) leads the way as the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player and an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection a year ago, while Spencer Jones (8.2 pts) and Michael O’Connell (6.7 pts) saw significant minutes last year. Lukas Kisunas (3.3 pts) started 14 games as a junior in the middle, while three four-star recruits from a year ago, Brandon Angel, Max Murrell and Noah Taitz will look to continue their progression.
In addition to the aforementioned Ingram, Stanford added four-star and consensus top-60 national recruit Isa Silva (G, Sacramento, Calif.), three-star Jarvis Moss (G, Concord, N.C) and seven-footer Maxime Raynaud (F, Paris, France). Stanford has its third top-20 national recruiting class in the last four seasons.