Shift in power
Having lost four starters apiece from their 2000-01 rosters,
both Stanford, the 2001 Pac-10 champions and second-place Arizona
find themselves in the unfamiliar territory of being the
underdogs.
Stanford returns junior Casey Jacobsen as the Cardinal’s
only starter while the Wildcats feature juniors Jason Gardener, a
starter, and Luke Walton, an effective utility player.
The caliber of both teams is still very much up in the air at
this point of the season, requiring veteran coaches Mike Montgomery
and Lute Olson to exercise their patience.
“We know that we have a group of guys that get along well
and work hard,” Olson said of the Wildcats. “We need to
be patient, and that’s easier said than done.”
In the preseason Pac-10 poll, Stanford snuck into the No. 2 spot
while Arizona settled in at No. 4.
Both coaches responded to the rankings with good humor,
explaining that those preseason predictions are based mainly on
respect for the program and past performances.
“If you’d been to practices, you would think
we’re the underdog,” Montgomery said. “It’s
respect for what it has been, not for what realistically
is.”
Filling the gaps
With the Collins’ twins departure from Stanford,
Montgomery faces the daunting task of filling the space left open
by the 7-foot and 6-foot-11 brothers in the frontcourt.
The Cardinal puts a lot of faith in junior Curtis Borchardt.
Coming back from a foot injury, the 7-foot Borchardt can make an
impact down low once he gets back into his groove on the hard court
and assuming he stays healthy.
Don’t count your chickens
Both Arizona and Stanford’s preseason schedules are hard
to believe ““ even if they returned everyone from last year.
Arizona’s first five opponents are Maryland, Texas, Kansas,
Michigan State and Illinois. But Stanford is a close second in
strength of schedule with Purdue, Missouri, Texas, BYU and Michigan
State.
Olson made his schedule with Michael Wright and Richard
Jefferson slated to be on the squad, while Montgomery thought that
Jason Collins would return for a fifth year in school and third
year on the squad.
Junior leaders
After garnering All-America honors in his first two years of
play, Casey Jacobsen returns for his junior season and will have to
lead the Cardinal with both numbers and experience.
“I don’t feel that it’s a burden,”
Jacobsen said. “I’m willing to shoulder the pressure. I
invite it.”
And though not the same offensive threat as Jacobsen, Gardener
will be expected to step up for Arizona as a leader.
Olson feels confident in Gardner as a leader for his experience
at different positions and his initiative to help the freshmen
adjust to college basketball.
“I like to be the leader and carry the pressure,”
Gardener said. “We’re doing well right now. The
freshmen are seeing how hard it is to get to where we got last
year.”
Notes compiled by Christina Teller and Dylan Hernandez, Daily
Bruin Senior Staff.