Nov 7th, 2009
Beating a Division II school in an exhibition game at home does not seem like a big deal — and it shouldn’t be — but in Stanford’s case, its 82-61 victory over Sonoma State on Friday has to be considered an accomplishment.
Picked to finish last in the conference and beset with preseason personnel problems, Stanford cannot be assured of anything. And the fact that Syracuse lost an exhbition game to Division II LeMoyne this week, and UCLA needed a three-point shot with 16 seconds left to beat Concordia, an NAIA team, by a point just the other day made it seem like the Cardinal might be vulnerable.
Such was not the case.
Absent from the game were two projected Cardinal starters, guard Jeremy Green, who has been suspended indefinitely following an arrest involving possible domestic violence, and Josh Owens, who is sidelined with an undisclosed medical concern. Both were present at the game, but were in street clothes.
Coach Johnny Dawkins said afterward there is nothing new to report on either Green or Owens. Although it seems unlikely either would be available for the Cardinal’s Nov. 13 regular-season opener at San Diego, Dawkins did not rule out the possibility.
“I don’t know; we’ll have to see,” Dawkins said.
Stanford is still awaiting results and interpretations on tests on Owens, and Dawkins said some determination on Owens’ availability this season will come “sooner rather than later.”
“But there is nothing definitive on either player,” Dawkins said. “We’re not going to rush to judgment.”
As expected, Landry Fields was the standout for the Cardinal on Friday, collecting 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes of action, and creating many of the Cardinal’s offensive opportunities.
Fields was part of a starting lineup that included Da’Veed Dildy, Drew Shiller, Andrew Zimmerman and walk-on center Elliott Bullock, although Dawkins set the starting lineup is not set in stone.
Emmanuel Igbinosa/Photo Kyle Terada
As he had promised, Dawkins used four different players at the point-guard spot: Shiller, Dildy, Jarrett Mann and freshman Gabriel Harris. Dawkins had said he plans to have a “point-guard by committee” and he said Friday’s rotation probably will be typical of how he will use his point guards during the regular season, at least for a while. Dildy, Mann and Shiller each hit two three-pointers and played well enough on defense, while Harris is still getting acquainted with the college game and will need some time.
Shiller did not play in the second half because he pulled his hamstring, although it is not believed to be serious. Unless it flares up overnight, he should be ready for the opener.
One other player who may get some unexpected playing time during the regular season is senior walk-on guard Emmanuel Igbinosa. He was 3-for-5 on three-pointers on Friday and had 11 points in 13 minutes. He did not figure to be part of the rotation, but he may have worked his way in with good performances in the two scrimmages and the exhbition game.
