2014-15 Final Record: 24-13, 9-9 Pac-12 (T5th)
2014-15 Postseason Finish: NIT Champions
(April 2: Stanford 66, Miami 64 - OT - New York, N.Y.)
2014-15 Pac-12 Tournament Finish: 1-1 (Quarterfinals)
Season Snapshot
Stanford (24-13, 9-9 Pac-12) concluded its 100th season by capturing its second NIT championship in four seasons and third overall in school history. Qualifying for its fourth straight postseason appearance, the Cardinal narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament but bounced back by winning its final five games. Stanford, which was affected by several injuries to lineup regulars, finished ranked No. 34 in the RPI.
Awards Banquet Recap
Chasson Randle was honored as the Hank Luisetti Most Valuable Player. Randle also received three statistical awards and shared the Captains’ Award with Anthony Brown and Stefan Nastic. Brown was presented with the Best Defensive Player Award while Nastic claimed the Roy Young Toughness Award. Marcus Allen was named the Most Improved Player, Elliott Bullock the Peter Sauer Most Inspirational Player and Wade Morgan (boasting a team-high 3.67 GPA) earned the Howie Dallmar Coaches Award.
Stanford All-Time In The Postseason
Stanford is 43-22 all-time in 26 postseason appearances overall, including an 18-5 record in eight NIT appearances. The Cardinal has claimed three NIT championships (1991, 2012, 2015). Stanford owns a 23-16 record in 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and captured the 1942 title. Stanford posted a 2-1 mark in its only season of CBI competition.
Four Straight Postseasons
Stanford is one of four Pac-12 teams to have appeared in four consecutive postseasons. Arizona earned three straight NCAA berths after reaching the 2012 NIT. Colorado played in the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons before taking part in the 2015 CBI. Oregon reached the NCAA Tournament three years in a row after playing in the 2012 NIT.
It’s Another 20-Win Campaign
Stanford reached the 20-win plateau for the 23rd time in school history and fourth during head coach Johnny Dawkins’ seven-year tenure. The only other coach in the 100-year history of the program to record at least four 20-win seasons was Mike Montgomery, who accomplished the feat 13 times over an 18-year career.
Unchartered Territory
The NIT championship game against Miami on April 2 represented the first time in school history Stanford had played a game during the month of April. The 37 games matched a school record established in 2012, when the Cardinal (26-11) captured the NIT crown and played its final game on March 29.
Been There, Done That
Stanford was making its third trip to Madison Square Garden in four seasons, having also participated in the 2011 Preseason NIT and 2012 Postseason NIT. In fact, the Cardinal was visiting New York for the sixth time overall in four seasons after competing at Barclays Center in Brooklyn back in November and twice in 2013.
Stanford All-Time At Madison Square Garden
Stanford has posted a 15-4 overall record in 10 visits to Madison Square Garden. The Cardinal is scheduled to return to the world’s most famous arena in November 2015.
NIT First Round: Stanford 77, UC Davis 64 (March 17 at Stanford, Calif.)
Marcus Allen scored a career-high 22 points and Chasson Randle added 18 ... Reid Travis totaled 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double as the Cardinal owned a commanding 38-25 edge on the glass ... Leading 37-36 at halftime, Stanford opened the second half on a 20-6 scoring run. The Cardinal shot 58.6 percent over the final 20 minutes ... Stanford’s 17 assists were its most since dishing out 21 against Arizona State on Jan. 24.
NIT Second Round: Stanford 74, Rhode Island 65 (March 22 at Stanford, Calif.)
Chasson Randle scored a career-high 35 points, his fourth 30-point game of the season ... Stanford finished 36-49 from the foul line as Rhode Island was whistled for 35 fouls. It was the most free throw attempts since also totaling 49 against UCLA on Jan. 16, 1999 ... Anthony Brown entered the game 2-2 from the foul line over the last six games combined. But Brown finished 10-10 from the stripe, one of three players to attempt 10+ free throws ... The Cardinal never trailed in the game despite shooting 34.0 percent overall.
NIT Quarterfinals: Stanford 78, Vanderbilt 75 (March 24 at Stanford, Calif.)
Anthony Brown scored a season-high 26 points. Brown had 17 points at halftime, a total he had not reached overall in 12 consecutive games ... Chasson Randle moved past Adam Keefe into second on the school’s all-time scoring list ... Stanford shot 47.3 percent, made 20-27 from the foul line and held a 36-29 advantage on the boards. The Cardinal’s biggest lead was 52-41 with 12:40 left in the second half.
NIT Semifinals: Stanford 67, Old Dominion 60 (March 31 at New York, N.Y.)
Chasson Randle scored 24 points to become Stanford’s all-time leading scorer while fellow seniors Stefan Nastic (17) and Anthony Brown (14) also reached double figures ... Stanford led 15-0 and 25-4 before Old Dominion crept to within 33-27 at halftime. The Monarchs eventually took the lead in the second half before the Cardinal iced the win ... Stanford shot 48.7 percent and made 22-28 from the foul line. Old Dominion hung around thanks to a 40-3 edge in bench scoring while forcing 14 turnovers.
NIT Championship: Stanford 66, Miami 64 - OT (April 2 at New York, N.Y.)
Chasson Randle scored 25 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 3.4 seconds left in overtime, on his way to being named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player ... Stanford held a 45-39 rebounding edge, with Anthony Brown (12) and Marcus Allen (10) leading the way. The Cardinal won despite making 36.4 percent overall and 5-21 from deep ... The Cardinal raced out to a 32-21 halftime lead. The Hurricanes finally tied it at 55-55 with 2:09 left in regulation and held their largest lead at 64-61 with 1:03 left in overtime.
What Will Need To Be Replaced?
Stanford’s senior trio of Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle accounted for 66.0 percent of the Cardinal’s overall scoring and 45.3 percent of its rebounding.
Cardinal Has Performed Well In March
Stanford is now 26-18 in games played during the month of March under head coach Johnny Dawkins. In addition to this year’s NIT championship, the Cardinal won a school-record seven games in March 2012, also resulting in an NIT crown. Stanford then reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2014 with upsets of New Mexico and Kansas.
Seniors Are Pac-12 All-Academic Picks
Seniors Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle were named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team. It’s the fifth straight season Stanford was honored with at least three picks. The Cardinal has totaled the most selections of any conference school for five of the seven seasons under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Randle was named to the first team and is a three-time recipient. Fifth-year seniors Brown and Nastic were tabbed to the second team and have both been recognized four consecutive seasons.
Well Represented Among All-Pac-12 Team
Chasson Randle was named an All-Pac-12 First Team pick for the second straight season, as Stanford was represented with three honorees overall. Anthony Brown and Stefan Nastic received honorable mention accolades. Stanford’s three all-conference picks were its most since 2008, when Brook Lopez (first team), Anthony Goods (honorable mention), Mitch Johnson (honorable mention) and Robin Lopez (honorable mention) were recognized.
Randle Completes Historic Season
As a senior, averaged a team-best 19.6 points while shooting 40.3 percent overall and ranking 19th in the country with an 87.7 percent clip from the foul line. Named the NIT’s Most Outstanding Player, Randle averaged 23.6 points over the tournament run as Stanford captured its third NIT championship and finished 24-13 overall and 9-9 in Pac-12 play. During his final season, Randle scored in double figures in all but one game while also leading the Cardinal in assists (112) and steals (50).
Against Old Dominion on March 31, became Stanford’s all-time leading scorer, passing Todd Lichti (2,336). Randle finished his career with 2,375 career points, ranking third all-time in conference history (Pac-8, Pac-10, Pac-12) behind UCLA’s Don MacLean (2,608) and Arizona’s Sean Elliott (2,555).
Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American, Wooden Award finalist (final 20), Naismith Trophy (final 30), Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year, All-Pac-12 First Team pick.
Stanford’s first Academic All-America First Team selection since Dan Grunfeld in 2006. Also was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming Stanford’s second honoree in as many seasons following Dwight Powell in 2014. Tabbed a Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selection after earning second-team accolades the two previous seasons.
Named a Senior CLASS Award First Team All-American, which recognizes achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition. Also tabbed an NABC All-District selection and USBWA All-District honoree.
Guiding Stanford to only its fifth NCAA Sweet 16 appearance (2014) and two Postseason NIT titles (2012, 2015), also established school records in three-point field goals (304), three-point field goals attempted (787), field goals attempted (1,775) and minutes played (4,791).
Brown’s All-Around Game An Asset
Anthony Brown’s impressive all-around game proved to be a major asset. Posting five double-doubles, Brown ranked second in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (94) but led the Cardinal in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and three-point shooting (44.1 percent). Brown, who scored in double figures in all but five games, finished his career with 1,562 career points, ranking 11th all-time in school history. Regularly tasked with guarding the opponent’s top scorer, Brown ranks second all-time in minutes played (4,200) and fifth in three-pointers (218). Brown is one of seven players in school history to compile at least 1,500 points and 600 rebounds.
Improved Nastic Anchors The Frontcourt
Stefan Nastic developed into one of best centers in the country and emerged as a focal point of the Cardinal offense. Nastic averaged 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while reaching double figures in all but six games. Also totaling five double-doubles, Nastic set the tone with a career-high 26-point effort in the season opener against Wofford. In addition to leading the Cardinal in blocks (38), Nastic was a dependable free throw shooter (75.4 percent). Over his final 10 games of the season, Nastic connected on 49-60 (81.7 percent) from the foul line. Nastic was also selected to the NIT All-Tournament Team.
Marcus Allen, Reid Travis Fuel Postseason Run
Both were steady during the regular season, but Marcus Allen and Reid Travis were two key pieces for Stanford during the postseason. During the five-game stretch, Allen averaged 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 55.0 percent overall, including a career-high 22 points against UC Davis. Travis averaged 6.4 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 50.0 overall while notching his first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) against UC Davis.
Searching For The Right Combination
Head coach Johnny Dawkins employed nine different starting lineups after using just two combinations in 2013-14. Against Utah on Feb. 12, Michael Humphrey became the sixth player to make his first career start this season, joining Marcus Allen, Robert Cartwright, Dorian Pickens, Reid Travis and Grant Verhoeven as first-timers in the lineup.
Unable To Sustain Early Pace
Halfway through conference play, Stanford occupied third place in the standings at 6-3, representing its best record at the turn since a 7-2 start in 2008. However, the Cardinal went 3-6 down the stretch, falling out of contention for a Pac-12 Tournament first-round bye.
Three (!) Seniors Earning Master’s Degrees
Senior tri-captains Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle spent the year completing coursework toward their master’s degrees.
Brown (communication major, 3.26 undergraduate GPA), a fifth-year senior, is working toward a coterminal M.A. in media studies ... Fifth-year senior Nastic (psychology major, 3.10 undergraduate GPA) is progressing toward a coterminal M.A. in communication ... Randle (African and African-American studies major, 3.34 undergraduate GPA) is set to complete both his undergraduate degree and master’s degree in four years. Randle has been accepted into the department of psychology’s master’s program.
Cashing In From The Charity Stripe
Stanford shot 614-846 (72.6 percent) from the foul line, ranking 57th in the nation. Seniors Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle were a combined 454-557 (81.5 percent) ... Stanford’s 614 free throws made and 846 free throw attempts ranked fifth and 12th, respectively, in Division I ... Chasson Randle’s 200-228 clip (87.7 percent) from the foul line ranked 19th in the country. Randle converted his first 35 freebies of the season (39 overall dating back to last season) and registered three different streaks of at least 20+ makes (35, 25, 20).
A Team That Values The Basketball
Stanford averaged only 10.8 turnovers per game, a total that led the Pac-12 and ranked 36th-best in the country. The Cardinal committed 10 miscues or fewer in 19 games.
Home Sweet Home
Stanford finished 16-3 at home in 2014-15 and is now 92-30 at Maples Pavilion under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Stanford has won at least 10 home games for 22 straight seasons dating back to 1992-93.
No. 9/9 Texas Upset Highlights Nonconference Play
Stanford upset No. 9/9 Texas 74-71 in overtime on Dec. 23 in Austin, defeating its highest-ranked road foe since Feb. 2, 2008, edging No. 9/9 Washington State 67-65 in overtime ... Anthony Brown scored a season-high 25 points, including the go-ahead basket, while Chasson Randle added 22 points and a critical insurance bucket with 10 seconds left ... Reid Travis’ season-high 14 rebounds helped Stanford bang with Texas on the glass despite the Longhorns averaging 45.1 boards ... Stanford erased a seven-point deficit, made 8-18 three-pointers and committed six turnovers.
2015-16 Recruiting Class To Provide Boost
Head coach Johnny Dawkins announced the signing of three incoming student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The group will join the Cardinal for the 2015-16 campaign. The class, which is ranked No. 22 by Rivals.com, includes Josh Sharma (Lexington, Mass. - Northfield Mount Hermon HS), Marcus Sheffield (Alpharetta, Ga. - Chattahoochee HS) and Cameron Walker (Santa Maria, Calif. - Righetti HS). All three signees are projected as top-100 players and four-star recruits, following up Stanford’s recent line of strong classes.
