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RECUPERATING: Prowitt. |
David Gonzales/Stanford Athletics |
Most days, it’s
still dark when Trent Johnson gets to work. “I
live on campus, and I usually run or walk in the morning,
around 4 o’clock or 5 o’clock,” the head
men’s
basketball coach says. “There are a lot of other coaches
who play golf or have a social life, but I’m a no-maintenance
person, and the ideal day for me is going to the gym, having
practice, taking a jog. It’s coming to a point now where
my wife will tell me, ‘You need to get away from Arrillaga
[Family Sports Center] for a while.’ But I don’t
look at it as a job; I enjoy what I’m doing.”
As
he starts his third season, Johnson is looking at a team
with a different makeup than years past. “This is
the first time men’s basketball has not had a returning
all-league player—or two—since 1993, when [Coach
Mike] Montgomery’s team was 7-23,” he says. “But
we’ve got 13 guys on scholarship, and there will be competition
at each spot. Hopefully, we won’t be in a situation like
we had my first two years here, where an injury or two
really hurt us.”
The Cardinal lost three veteran playmakers
to graduation: guards Dan Grunfeld and Chris Hernandez
and forward Matt Haryasz. Senior guard Carlton Weatherby
and senior forward Fred Washington, along with junior forward
Taj Finger and junior center Peter Prowitt, will be expected
to contribute mightily this year. At press time, Prowitt was
recovering from a fractured right tibia and freshman Brook
Lopez from back surgery.
All eyes will be on Lopez and his twin brother Robin,
7-footers from Fresno, Calif. As with Jarron and Jason
Collins, both ’01
and now with the NBA, one plays center (Robin) and the
other plays forward (Brook). “It became evident early
on that they wanted to play basketball together, and Stanford
was a place they always liked and wanted to attend,” Johnson
says. “How fortunate are we? How fortunate am I?” Cardinal
fans have the next four years to find out. |
