On the surface, Johnny Dawkins’ philosophy on his starting lineup seems to make sense.
Stanford has a number of talented players, so why not make use of their varied talents depending on which players are hot and which matchups work best against a given opponent.
Dawkins mixes and matches with amazing regularity.
The Cardinal’s game at Cal on Sunday was Stanford’s ninth Pac-12 game, and the Cardinal has used six different starting lineups in those games.
Three of the starters against Cal – Josh Huestis, Jarrett Mann and Dwight Powell – started neither of the Cardinal’s first two conference games.
Ten different players have started games for Stanford in those nine conference games, and Josh Owens is the only player who started all nine. Stanford has used three guards in some conference games and two in others. Huestis, who has been outstanding off the bench, made his first career start against Cal in what was a pivotal game.
When you win, you look like a genius. But Stanford lost Sunday’s game to Cal 69-59 and has now lost three in a row, all by double-digit margins.
Playing all three on the road played a major role in that skid, and Cal is 14-0 at home, so any lineup Stanford put out there would have trouble beating Cal at Haas Pavilion.
But the fact is, two weeks ago, Stanford was tied for first with Cal at 5-1, and now the Cardinal (15-6 overall) is 5-4 and tied for fifth.
When conference play began, Stanford was the only Pac-12 team getting votes in the top 25 polls, and the Cardinal, Cal and Washington looked like the conference favorites.
Now Washington and Cal are tied for the lead, with Stanford desperately needing to win both home games this week against Arizona and Arizona State to stay in the chase.
Against Cal, the new starting lineup seemed to work fine for the Cardinal, which took an early five-point lead, but as the game wore on and the substitutions were made, the Bears took control.
It is interesting to note that Cal seems to be establishing itself as a contender for the conference title, while Stanford is fading a bit.
Cal coach Mike Montgomery has the exact opposite philosophy on starting lineups.
He has started the same five players in all nine conference games. It’s a matter of continuity. It’s a matter of the players knowing exactly what to expect from game to game and knowing exactly what their role will be no matter who the opponent is.
Most coaches subscribe to that theory. Montgomery subscribes to that theory. In large part it’s a matter of simplicity – it’s one less thing for the coaches and players to worry about. They all know who will be starting the game, so that is not a concern. Preparation is virtually the same for every game; only the game plan is tweaked.
Of course, Montgomery may not have as many options as Dawkins. Plus, Montgomery has a more veteran team than Dawkins, so Montgomery has a better feel for the contributions each player will make.
Dawkins still seems to be figuring out which player can give him what in a given situation.
Against Cal, Dawkins took Aaron Bright out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, ostensibly to create better matchups, but it’s hard to imagine Dawkins making that change if Bright had been shooting well.
He was just 5-for-23 on three-pointers in the four previous games, but he still entered the Cal game as the team’s No. 2 scorer and best outside threat.
Coming off the bench against Cal, Bright missed both his three-point attempts and scored just four points, only the second time this season he’s scored fewer than five points in a game.
A player’s psyche can be tricky, and the lineup plays a role in that.
Meanwhile, Huestis played a season-high 31 minutes against Cal, but had just seven points and three rebounds. It was his lowest rebound total since the conference opener, when he also had three boards.
Dawkins may yet have the last laugh on this. If his players are fresher at season’s end because they did not play as many minutes and if the versatility of the lineup pays dividends down the road, Stanford may yet benefit from the approach.
The Cardinal may even see the benefits in future years as the young players develop because they all are receiving significant playing time now.
It is unusual, though.
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