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Returning to Stanford Hoops in 2016-17 is Sophomore Robert Cartwright. Cartwright missed the Zombie Dawkins season last year due to a compound fracture to his right forearm. The injury occurred in practice when he went for a layup and was knocked off balance by Michael Humphrey. Cartwright posted his arm to brace himself for landing. After impact, Cartwright had “an S-shaped arm.” The compound fracture of both the radius and ulna sent the bone through the skin. He also shattered his elbow.
The injury setback was unfortunate as Cartwright was slated to be the Cardinal starting point guard.
Healthy again after two surgeries and 84 stitches, Cartwright is set to return to a Cardinal squad this season.
Cartwright’s freshman campaign was used as a backup to Cardinal great Chasson Randle. Cartwright started one game and played in all but one of the games.
Take a look at his statistics from his Freshman season.
| Season | Games Played | Minutes Played | FG-FGA | FG% | 3FG-3FGA | 3FG% | FT% | eFG% | Rebounds per game | Assists per game | Steals per game | Points per game | PER (Player Efficiency Rating) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 36 | 339 | 23-64 | 35.9 | 12-36 | 33.3 | 64.7 | 43.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 7.1 |
Cartwright was a big time, 4-star recruit. He was a Top 100 recruit in the eyes of Scout, Rivals, and ESPN. He was considered as high as the 13th best point guard in the Class of 2014.
After a long lay off and a lot of rehab, Stanford will again look to Robert Cartwright to be a major contributor at the point in 2016-17.
Every team needs a savvy leader who understands the game, score and time scenarios. The player that sets the table. Stanford has missed this kind of player in recent seasons. Perhaps, Cartwright is the answer. Maybe he can provide the Cardinal with this leadership that opens the floor up to better shots and decision making.
Cartwright is still an unproven commodity in the college game, but there is good reason to be optimistic about what he can provide to Stanford. Jerod Haase’s squad is going to need Cartwright to develop quickly if they are going to make some noise this season.