I'm continuing my PAC-10 preview for next year with Cal & Stanford. I expect to see both teams easily in the bottom half of the conference next year. For Cal there is hope, as they've hired Mike Montgomery and have a chance at Ryan Anderson pulling his name from the hat and returning to Berkely. Stanford on the other hand is in a world of hurt. Trent Johnson bolted for LSU just weeks after both the Lopez twins hired an agent. Not a good sign. Stanford then goes and hires an unproven assistant coach in Dawkins... not what I would've expected from a program with so much success in the recent past. They'll go from fighting for the PAC-10 crown to trying to avoid being surpassed by Oregon State... OUCH! So without further delay...
California Golden Bears
Starting Lineup: Randle, Seely, Christopher, Boykin, Kamp
First off the Bench: Kately
Cal will assume a more traditional line-up this year under Mike Montgomery, and chances are most of the players will finally start playing to their hype and potential. Although they won't be fighting for the P-10 Crown, they've certainly made a move in the right direction simply by hiring Montgomery. The loss of Ryan Anderson will hurt more than anything, but in a weakened conference, they'll still manage to improve upon their ninth-place finish.
Potential Returnee: Ryan Anderson has thrown his name in the hat for the NBA draft, but is yet to hire an agent. It certainly seems as though he is in it to find out where he rates among the class. I expect after participating in workouts, receiving feedback, and learning what areas he needs to improve, he'll return to CAL for one more year. He's got NBA potential, but is he ready? If he returns CAL will make a nice jump into the top half of the conference, despite lacking a true front court threat as Anderson is more of a SF than a PF.
Stanford Cardinal
Starting Lineup: Johnson, Goods, Fields, Plumlee, Hill
First off the Bench: Green
Stanford's bread & butter are gone. Their guards are serviceable, but what made Stanford into the contender they were was the depth and strength of their frontcourt. The three primary frontcourt players from last year's squad are gone. Stanford is going to be forced to play a small game and hope that they can get some major contributions from freshman players like Plumlee. Even in a down year for the P10, it's going to be a rough audition for a new coach.
Potential Returnee: None. The only early departures were the Lopez twins, and they've hired an agent. Maybe Johnson didn't just leave, he abandoned ship.
