Defend, rebound, take care of the ball. These seven words are the mantra for Stanford basketball under Head Coach Kyle Smith. The players have heard it hundreds of times in this early season. After all, the staff harps on it in practice.
“We even chant it before we go out on the floor,” said Smith. “It’s non-negotiable.”
Today, Stanford took those three tenets and used them to pull away from Denver in an 85-62 season-opening victory.
“[Coach Smith’s] speech before the game, and during halftime, was you can’t scout hustle,” said senior forward Maxime Raynaud.
And the Cardinal were decidedly not lacking hustle. They racked up 9 steals, 5 blocked shots, and 9 offensive rebounds in the game’s first 20 minutes. Duke transfer point guard Jaylen Blakes helped set the tone with his ball pressure, while junior guard Benny Gealer was flying around to disrupt passing lanes. That kind of hustle is contagious.
Freshman guard Anthony Batson Jr. checked in during the middle of the first period and immediately notched 3 steals in a 4 minute stint.
“[Batson] really got our defense going,” said Smith.
Despite a less than stellar offensive start, the Cardinal entered the half leading 38-22 thanks to a late 17-0 run that spanned nearly 6 minutes of game time. They were at their best turning defense into offense, with no play more exemplary of that than Maxime Raynaud’s windmill dunk.
“The funny thing is that I had the same one at practice two weeks ago and I missed it,” said Maxime. “Coach got mad at us. So it was kind of my little ‘get back at him’. I’m glad our Instagram guys can post that.”
The second half was a little choppy, as the whistles started to really blow both ways. But it also marked the coming out party of USC transfer guard Oziyah Sellers, who erupted for a career-high 24 points on 10-15 from the field. He scored in a variety of ways: transition, spotting up, running off of screens, as a cutter. He seems primed to have a breakout season.
“That was a big emphasis for the offseason, just trying to become more of an all-around player,” said Oziyah. “A lot of people try to label me as just a shooter, but I feel like I’m more than that, so that’s what I’ve been trying to show.”
Coach Smith compared Oziyah to Ray Allen, in the way that he prepares, meticulously sticks to a routine, and never gets too high or too low.
Redshirt freshman Aidan Cammann played a significant role in this game, drawing the start and leading the team in minutes in the first half. The coaching staff suggested he has really come on as of late, and they like the versatility he can bring. The 6’10” forward played many of his minutes alongside Maxime, giving Stanford an especially large front line.
“Aidan gives us such size and length around the rim,” said Smith. “He moves the needle on both sides. As we’ve gotta prepare to win in January, February, we’re gonna need the size.”
Stanford was ultimately able to get 13 players into the game. Walk-on Cameron Grant scored his first career points with a three pointer in the closing minute of the game.
Four Cardinal players reached double figures, led by the 24 of Sellers. Maxime Raynaud had a wild stat line with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a block, in a game that didn’t even feel like his best. Benny Gealer had 12 points, all in the first half, on 4 three pointers. Jaylen Blakes had 12 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, and was an absolute menace on defense.
As a team Stanford held a 23-8 advantage in points off turnovers, a 14-5 lead in second chance points, and a 46-24 nod in points in the paint. By just about every measure of hustle, the Cardinal dominated.
Defend, rebound, take care of the ball. The simple formula that made the Kyle Smith era begin 1-0.
Extra point: Denver was coached by former Stanford assistant Jeff Wulbrun