New coach Kyle Smith leads Stanford into 1st season in the ACC

Updated Oct. 22, 2024 6:07 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Stanford (14-18, 8-12 Pac-12)

The Cardinal hired coach Kyle Smith to take over after Jerod Haase failed to lead the team to the NCAA Tournament even once in his eight seasons on The Farm. Smith led Washington State to its first tournament berth and first tournament win since 2008 last season when he won Pac-12 coach of the year. Now he will try to do a similar rebuilding job for Stanford in the school's first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a roster that returns only one starter.

Players to watch

Maxime Raynaud (senior PF, 7-1). The one returning starter is an important one. Raynaud entered the transfer portal after the coaching change but opted to stay in a major coup for Smith. Raynaud averaged 15.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game last season and has the ability to score inside and outside.

Chisom Okpara (junior F, 6-8, 16.5 ppg at Harvard). The transfer from Harvard provides another potential scoring option up front to team with Raynaud.

Derin Saran (sophomore G, 6-4, 10.1 ppg at UC Irvine). Saran helped UC Irvine win the Big West regular-season title as a freshman and now should be a key part of the backcourt for the Cardinal.

Departures and arrivals

The Cardinal lost four double-digit scorers from last season's team in Kanaan Carlyle, Michael Jones, Brandon Angel and Spencer Jones, as well as talented freshman Andrej Stojakovic. Smith was able to hit the portal for additions after Stanford for years was reluctant to add transfers. Along with Okpara and Saran, some other key transfers who could contribute this season are Oziyah Sellers from USC and Jaylen Blakes, who played sparingly at Duke. The Cardinal also added a former lacrosse player from Virginia, Cole Kastner, who is switching sports for his final season. High school recruit Evan Stinson could contribute as a freshman as well.

Top games

The Cardinal open the season at home on Nov. 4 against Denver. The nonconference schedule includes neutral-site games against Oregon and Grand Canyon. The first season in the ACC for Stanford features trips to North Carolina, Duke and Notre Dame, with home games against Virginia and Syracuse.

Facts and figures

The Cardinal have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2014 when they went to the Sweet 16 under coach Johnny Dawkins. ... Stanford hasn't had a winning record in conference play since the 2017-18 season.

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