Remembering the Class of ‘18

Today the Stanford Class of 2018 will convene in Stanford Stadium for graduation. Among the 1500+ undergraduates receiving degrees are Robert Cartwright, Michael Humphrey, Dorian Pickens, and Reid Travis. The four of them have had a tremendous impact on the program.

They entered Stanford as the 12th ranked class in the nation, one of the best the school has ever managed. In their freshman year, they teamed up with some terrific upperclassmen en route to an NIT title in Madison Square Garden.

There were many bumps in the road, including a coaching change and two medical redshirts. This class helped weather the tough times with their leadership, as they ultimately combined for 5 captainships. This past season a host of injuries got the season off to a sputtering start, but their senior leadership and the return of Dorian Pickens led the Cardinal to a surprise third place conference finish and another post season berth.

Together, they started 268 games and logged over 10,000 minutes in the Stanford uniform. They amassed over 4000 points, 1900 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 steals. This afternoon, they will notch 4 undergraduate degrees. These four young men are poised to do great things, in basketball and in life. Congratulations to them all!

Reid Travis

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Reid came to the Farm as a highly ranked recruit, including an appearance in the McDonald’s All-American Game. The Minneapolis native played an important role from day one, and will leave Stanford having completed a decorated four years.

In an era of one-and-dones, Travis was a rare star who stayed in school. This past year he received his second consecutive First Team All-Conference selection and third consecutive captainship. He ranked third in the Pac-12 in both points and rebounding, and was a force to be reckoned with each and every time he took the floor. Despite playing fewer than 100 games, he will walk away as Stanford’s tenth leading rebounder and sixteenth leading scorer. His final season ranked as the fifth best single year scoring effort in school history.

Reid twice got the better of potential NBA first draft pick, DeAndre Ayton, as he went for two 20-10 games against the Arizona Wildcats. He went into Phog Allen a year ago and physically dominated the Jayhawks en route to 29 points and foul trouble for all the Kansas bigs. This season he logged a career high 33 points in a big win over Washington. In his final game in Maples, he scored 25 points and grabbed 14 boards to defeat BYU and advance in the NIT.

His work ethic was second-to-none. In his first season, he shot just 45% from the line. By the time he left, he had completely re-tooled his shooting stroke and was up to nearly 70%. He had even added a three point shot that opposing defenses had to respect.

Travis’ degree is in Science, Technology, and Society. Next year he will attend graduate school at another institution, as he uses his fifth year of eligibility and continues his pursuit of his NBA dream. His shoes will be difficult to fill (literally).

Michael Humphrey

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Humphrey had a tremendous high school career in Phoenix, and ultimately chose Stanford over the likes of Arizona and UCLA. Remarkably, at 6’9” he also starred as the quarterback at Sunnyslope High School.

His athleticism and skillset were an asset from the moment he arrived on campus. Despite playing as a reserve much of his freshman year, he still managed multiple double doubles, including a 15 rebound performance versus Oregon State. By the time he was a sophomore, he was a full-time starter. He made his stamp right away with a 7 block game against Green Bay, good for fourth-most in Stanford history.

Humphrey was one of the Peter Sauer Captains this year. His leadership was so invaluable that he was also honored with the Most Inspirational Award by the coaching staff. His defense was critical to the team this year, and his athleticism helped him adapt well to Haase’s new up-tempo style. Humphrey’s ability to step out and hit perimeter shots (39% from three) was a huge threat for the offense.

He finished his career as the twelfth leading rebounder in school history. He also joined the 1000 point club. This season he ranked seventh in the conference in rebounding. In his final game, he pulled down a career-high 20 boards. For whatever reason, Humphrey seemed to bring his best when playing UCLA; he had games of 24-9 and 27-14 against the Bruins.

Michael will graduate with a degree in Science, Technology, and Society. He made a tremendous impact on the program, and he will certainly be missed.

Dorian Pickens

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Pickens was Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a Senior, and was a big get for Johnny Dawkins. When he arrived, the Stanford backcourt depth was substantial, but it wasn’t long before Pickens carved out a name for himself. As a sophomore, he had the highest points per game increase in the entire conference.

Pickens’ shooting splits and scoring numbers improved each year he was at Stanford. In his senior year, he was the Pac’s eighth leading scorer in conference play, and its leader in three point makes. He ultimately finished eighth in school history in three point makes. He also joined the 1000 point club.

Pickens served as a Peter Sauer Captain, and the value of his leadership was abundantly apparent. A good part of the Stanford turnaround this past season is thanks to Pickens and his resolve as he came back from foot problems. He was recognized as an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention for his strong year.

Perhaps Dorian’s greatest game in a Stanford uniform came this year against UCLA. In just his second game back from injury and a must-win for the Cardinal, Pickens helped spark a furious comeback. With mere seconds remaining in regulation, he drained a three point shot after a series of fakes, knotting the game up and sending it into extra time. Stanford would pull out the victory after two overtime periods, in large part thanks to Dorian’s 26 points and 10 rebounds. One week later he hit 7 threes in a win over Washington State.

Pickens will receive his degree in Communication. He had a great academic career at Stanford, including three First Team Pac-12 All-Academic Team selections, and being named the 2018 Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year. Dorian has been working out with NBA teams in the run up to the draft, and will look to continue his career at the next level.

Robert Cartwright

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Cartwright was a much-heralded high school player in Southern California. He even received an invite to Chris Paul’s Elite Guard Camp. His ball-handling and tenacity got him on the court immediately, despite a deep backcourt.

Throughout his career, he was often a primary ball-handler, and logged 19 career starts at the point. He was slated to be the team’s starting point guard going into his sophomore year before a broken arm caused him to miss the entire season. He ultimately bounced back, and went on to be a key contributor in his final two seasons.

In his junior season, Cartwright was seventh in the conference in assists and fourth in assist-turnover ratio. He also played an important role on defense, averaging a steal per game. His best game at Stanford was probably his junior year home matchup against Washington State. He was coming off a tough loss at UCLA, where he put up 18 points and 9 assists. Robert made sure the game against the Cougars was never in doubt, as he came out firing early. By the time the game was over, he had scored 21 points on 5 three point makes, and had dished out 7 assists to just 1 turnover.

Cartwright will receive his degree in Science, Technology, and Society. Next year he will enroll in a graduate program at UC-Irvine, where he will play his fifth year for the Anteaters.