The 2012-13 version of the Cardinal will not be missing any redshirts or transfers, but coach Johnny Dawkins does welcome in three highly rated recruits. Below, we’ll introduce you to each of those three newcomers, roughly in the order of impact that they’ll have on their new team.
- Rosco Allen, Freshman, Wing, 6’9” 210 lbs, Bishop Gorman High School, Las Vegas, NV – Allen is a classic Johnny Dawkins wing, one who is big enough to bang on the boards but has a tremendous outside stroke as well. The one knock on Allen is his speed, especially in trying to guard the perimeter. That means he needs to bulk up this summer so he is able to guard opponents at the four. Allen should receive good minutes early on next season, but those will quickly dwindle if he isn’t able to keep up on the defensive end. The Cardinal have more than their share of big and lanky defenders in the post, so it’s either bulk up and play down there or improve lateral quickness in order to see more minutes at a less-filled three position on the roster. With that said, Allen didn’t receive offers from North Carolina, UNLV, and UCLA for nothing. He’s basically a bigger Chasson Randle, and he will definitely leave a footprint with the Cardinal by the time he leaves.
- Grant Verhoeven, Freshman, Center, 6’8” 215 lbs, Central Valley Christian High School, Visalia, CA – With the exception of Brook and Robin Lopez, Stanford has traditionally had smaller centers who have great offensive touch. Verhoeven fits perfectly within this description as he can not only knock down the elbow jumper, but has nice footwork and can turn over either shoulder and score the ball inside. Unfortunately, the one knock on the center is a big one; he has trouble scoring over bigger and more athletic post players, something he’ll run into often against Pac-12 opponents. Still, he has tremendous upside, and after a year in Dawkins’ system, he should be set to gain major minutes down the road. With so many players at a little-used position, Verhoeven will have a tough time earning solid minutes immediately, but down the road he is definitely someone to keep an eye on.
- Christian Sanders, Freshman, Combo Guard, 6’3” 170 lbs, St. Thomas High School, Houston, TX – Schools like Colorado, Texas, and Vanderbilt weren’t after Sanders for no reason; the kid can play. As is the case with most Cardinal players, Sanders has a high basketball IQ. He is a tremendous spot-up shooter, with his specialty being the “cover-your-eyes-spot up-three-in transition” shot. Sanders is very good at using screens to create spacing in the offense, and is also good at just spreading the floor in general. Considering that Stanford’s offense would bog down and stall at times last season, plus the fact that the Cardinal don’t have any terrific outside shooters on the roster, Sanders could find his way into some solid minutes in his freshman season. While his main specialty is shooting the rock, he is a fine ball-handler as well, which means he could see some looks at the one to spell Randle and Aaron Bright. But just because he can handle the ball doesn’t mean he is a great passer. The next step in rounding out his game in order to take it to Pac-12 level will be improving on driving and dashing and leading a transition offense.