Per Jeff Goodman, Stanford guard Cormac Ryan has entered the transfer portal.
This is by all accounts unexpected. Ryan struggled to stay healthy, but started 17 of his 24 caps as a freshman, playing 28.5 minutes per game. Despite streaky shooting, he averaged 8.7 points. With the departures of KZ Okpala and Marcus Sheffield, he seemed primed for a significant role.
Entering the portal does not mean he has committed to leaving. Rather, he is declaring his intention and will gauge interest. At this time there is nothing to indicate the decision is final.
Should he leave, he would become the fifth Cardinal transfer in the last three years (Reid Travis, Robert Cartwright, Sheffield, Malcolm Allen), but the first one recruited by Jerod Haase. Stanford hasn’t had a player transfer prior to graduation since Schuyler Rimmer in 2015.
His departure would also mean two vacant scholarships for this upcoming season. At this stage in the game, it might be difficult for the staff to fill the spots. Many schools in this spot would look to the grad transfer market, but that’s a bit more difficult when you’re Stanford.
Comments
Something is very wrong with this program
All these votes of no confidence do not bode well for Haase. Time to make a change?
By brandtjl1 on 06.06.19 9:04am
Agree, that's what I was discussing today when I heard the news
The player trend is not encouraging. Why are they leaving? Haase did some good recruiting but maybe he can’t do much with it. If players feel like they’re getting off a sinking ship, it’s time to make a change.
By worldblee on 06.06.19 12:33pm
yes – the Stanford program takes pride in graduating their athletes. Leaving early because you will likely get drafted or getting a degree and doing graduate transfer are reasonable, but transferring out – signs of trouble. poor performance on the court, lackluster recruiting, and players leaving early – Haase might be out much sooner than we thought.
By majordanby on 06.07.19 9:04am
Coach ensemble issues?
When Mark Madsen took a brief assistantship under Johnny Dawkins, he gave an interview about how the general coaching structure actually works. Head coach is quite caught up in administrative demands, so the assistants provide most of the hands-on coaching. By this point, Madsen had been through his Stanford and NBA playing careers. From this insight, it’s reasonable to evaluate head coaches on their ability to select assistants. Stanford hasn’t had a decent big-man coach since the Trent Johnson era, which illuminates Josh Sharma’s improvement as all about Josh. Haase seems to better defensive assistants than offensive help. In the changeover from Dawkins to Haase, players who’d been emerging as shooters and scorers stopped. Everyone seemed mindlessly locked into ball-movement but perimeter opportunities didn’t seem to appeal to anyone, not even Dorian Pickens. That tendency seemed to wane a bit as Cormack Ryan and Isaac White appeared to offer more perimeter firepower for this past season; of course Ryan’s accuracy was inhibited by his ailments. In offense and defense, it too often seems that Stanford-quality brainpower is being wasted. Too often, opponents demonstrate more advanced basketball savvy, higher basketball IQ…that’s the biggest flaw in this Haase tenure. He can’t do it all himself but his help isn’t flattering his judge of assistant needs and strengths and weaknesses. The only significant plus about the Haase era is that this past season was the first season in Stanford history in which all of the team’s primary rotation can play above the rim. Can/will Haase fix his assistants’ skill sets? That answer will determine his future.
By Candid One on 06.11.19 3:51pm
Can't say I've been impressed with Haase
Nevertheless, coaching turnover isn’t good for a program either. It’s possible Ryan’s leaving has nothing to do with basketball. Considering that he started as a Freshman and with Okpala leaving, Ryan should get plenty of opportunity next year.
By Blackjoy on 06.10.19 9:25am