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Jan. 5  - Week 1
Jan. 12 - Week 2
Jan. 21 - Week 3

Mark Madsen Diary #4 - 1/27/00

We had a huge game against Cal Berkeley this past Saturday at their new facility, Haas Pavilion. We knew going into the game that it was going to be physical but I don't think we knew how physical it would be. I think that one of the big keys to being successful as a team down the stretch is to have players that can come into a game and have an immediate impact. In the Cal game, Ryan Mendez came in and nailed four three pointers, took a key charge, and played very, very hard. Every time it seemed like Cal was going on a little scoring run, it seemed like Mendez would make a shot, or David Moseley would make a big play. That allowed us to have a little bit of a cushion going into the final minutes of the game. On the road, you always want a point cushion. I've been in games where within a one-minute period there have been 10-point swings.

This week we host Washington and Washington State here at Stanford. A lot of people in the media and around school are saying that we should win these games easily. I've been around here a while and I've been reminding the guys on the team that these schools are both very well coached and much better then their records indicate. What they don't know is that over the last three years, playing against the Washington schools have been some of the toughest games in the Pac-10. My match-ups in the two games will be Thalo Green (UW) and Eddie Miller (WSU). Those two players have given us fits in the past and it's my job to try to contain them. We've really got our work cut out for us over the next few games.

Now I want to talk about something else. Some young high school players who are talented sell themselves short by not putting forth their best effort in school. I can't emphasize how important academics is. I know that one of the first questions our coaching staff asks when they talk to prospective recruits is about what kind of grades he gets. Coach Montgomery not only wants people in his program who can play basketball, but he wants responsible athletes who have their priorities straight. Even if you are an elite athlete, to play at Stanford, or a number of other schools, you must continue to put school, the #1 priority, first. This will open doors for you when it comes time to think about which school to attend and it will open doors for you throughout your life.

I'm really excited about this week's games against Washington. This senior year at Stanford has been one of the most full years of my life in many ways. I really think one of the reasons why our team has been so successful this year is because everyone on the team likes each other. There is also a high level of mutual respect on the team. We're happy for each other when we do well.

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