[SamuelMcF]

I'm suddenly excited for the season, which should salve the pain of football's results.  Hope the 6th Man turns out this year!

So, how did Haase and staff turn it around?  And are those of us critical of Haase still expecting a down season, or did the OU game show something significant?

Shortest answer for the turnaround: Stanford is tied for 9th nationally in 3pt. FG percentage with 42.4%.

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...t/team/152

So, what you’re saying is that Haase is a much better shooter than he was last year...? :-)

Longer answer :)

First and foremost, Stanford ranked #293 in the nation in 3pt% last year (31.7%). Going from that to our current #9 (42.4%) is jaw-dropping. We are also #22 in effective FG% (56.8%), compared to last year's #151 (51.2%). Some regression to the mean expected, but I see these metrics remaining markedly higher than last year's even accounting for that.

We've also improved on FTs. This year we're a could-be-better 71.6% FT (#134) vs. last year's downright terrible 67.3% (#298). (Consider only the top 40 teams make >75%.) Considering we're also shooting FTs slightly more often than last year (21.1/game vs. 20.7), this means we're averaging 1.2 more PPG due to JUST FREE THROWS. Last year that would've been enough to bring our scoring offense from #145 to #112, so combine that with our much better 3pt shooting and it's no surprise we're currently #63 in scoring offense.

Tyrell Terry is a true PG through whom the game can flow. Daejon Davis plays hard and aggressive on both ends of the floor, and is shooting 69% from 3 in his off-ball guard role. Plus he can play the point in spurts if needed while Terry breathes, as he was forced to do so in his first 2 years despite not really being a true PG. He was the best option we had.

Spencer Jones so far is the 3-point sharpshooter Cormac Ryan was hyped up to be. Ryan shot 31.6% from 3pt, and Jones currently at 52.5% (albeit the sample size is still small). Jones is also longer, and a real "3 and D" type threat that the NBA so covets. Amazing late find by the staff, and a major kudos to them. (KZ Okpala has crazy length, good athleticism, and a solid 3pt% of 36.8% to project as a 3-and-D guy in the NBA, FWIW.) Also of note: incoming freshman Brandon Angel is almost a clone of Spencer Jones. He's also a late bloomer at 6'7" and shot over 55% from 3pt at a major Adidas AAU tournament this summer.

The team's commitment to aggressive defense and super quick ball movement (tiring the opponent out and limiting their opportunities, almost like turtling!) is paying dividends. Even if we have an off night shooting, holding an opponent to just 56.7 pts and forcing 17 TOs per game - currently 16th and 24th in the country respectively - will still give us a chance to win. In my opinion, the super quick ball movement wasn't there in past years, and Terry has really catalyzed that part of our game without turning the ball over nearly as much as it appeared we did prior.

I'm excited about the future of this team if we keep this sort of energy up and nobody gets hurt (fingers crossed tight). Keep in mind our entire rotation returns next year with experience and more S&C under their belts, and if the incoming freshmen can contribute like our current frosh are, look out!

[SamuelMcF]

I'm suddenly excited for the season, which should salve the pain of football's results.  Hope the 6th Man turns out this year!

So, how did Haase and staff turn it around?  And are those of us critical of Haase still expecting a down season, or did the OU game show something significant?

Shortest answer for the turnaround: Stanford is tied for 9th nationally in 3pt. FG percentage with 42.4%.

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-me...t/team/152

So, what you’re saying is that Haase is a much better shooter than he was last year...? :-)

Longer answer :)

First and foremost, Stanford ranked #293 in the nation in 3pt% last year (31.7%). Going from that to our current #9 (42.4%) is jaw-dropping. We are also #22 in effective FG% (56.8%), compared to last year's #151 (51.2%). Some regression to the mean expected, but I see these metrics remaining markedly higher than last year's even accounting for that.

We've also improved on FTs. This year we're a could-be-better 71.6% FT (#134) vs. last year's downright terrible 67.3% (#298). (Consider only the top 40 teams make >75%.) Considering we're also shooting FTs slightly more often than last year (21.1/game vs. 20.7), this means we're averaging 1.2 more PPG due to JUST FREE THROWS. Last year that would've been enough to bring our scoring offense from #145 to #112, so combine that with our much better 3pt shooting and it's no surprise we're currently #63 in scoring offense.

Tyrell Terry is a true PG through whom the game can flow. Daejon Davis plays hard and aggressive on both ends of the floor, and is shooting 69% from 3 in his off-ball guard role. Plus he can play the point in spurts if needed while Terry breathes, as he was forced to do so in his first 2 years despite not really being a true PG. He was the best option we had.

Spencer Jones so far is the 3-point sharpshooter Cormac Ryan was hyped up to be. Ryan shot 31.6% from 3pt, and Jones currently at 52.5% (albeit the sample size is still small). Jones is also longer, and a real "3 and D" type threat that the NBA so covets. Amazing late find by the staff, and a major kudos to them. (KZ Okpala has crazy length, good athleticism, and a solid 3pt% of 36.8% to project as a 3-and-D guy in the NBA, FWIW.) Also of note: incoming freshman Brandon Angel is almost a clone of Spencer Jones. He's also a late bloomer at 6'7" and shot over 55% from 3pt at a major Adidas AAU tournament this summer.

The team's commitment to aggressive defense and super quick ball movement (tiring the opponent out and limiting their opportunities, almost like turtling!) is paying dividends. Even if we have an off night shooting, holding an opponent to just 56.7 pts and forcing 17 TOs per game - currently 16th and 24th in the country respectively - will still give us a chance to win. In my opinion, the super quick ball movement wasn't there in past years, and Terry has really catalyzed that part of our game without turning the ball over nearly as much as it appeared we did prior.

I'm excited about the future of this team if we keep this sort of energy up and nobody gets hurt (fingers crossed tight). Keep in mind our entire rotation returns next year with experience and more S&C under their belts, and if the incoming freshmen can contribute like our current frosh are, look out!