Publication Date: Friday Nov 14, 1997

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Driving home a point

Arthur Lee has been handed the keys to a quality program. It's time to see if he can drive. Lee is replacing Brevin Knight, drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, at point guard. He'll be the first new man at the point since a skinny kid from New Jersey took over in 1993-94. Seventy-two victories and three NCAA appearances later, the time has come to turn the reigns over to Lee.

While few expect Lee to accomplish as much as Knight, the 6-foot junior from Hollywood still has the court sense and leadership to take Stanford to yet another postseason berth in March Madness.

Stanford opens the season on Tuesday with a home game against the University of San Diego at 7:30 p.m.

"We're not in a crisis situation with Arthur," said Stanford coach Mike Montgomery. "We brought in Arthur two years ago to take over the point guard position when Brevin graduated. We have to recognize that Brevin had some unique skills, and that Arthur needs to grow into the position. We have to take advantage of Art's skills, and do things differently enough so that we can still play well together as a team."

While Lee may not recognize things on the court as rapidly as Knight, he will be helped by the fact he is one of four returning starters. Lee started 12 games. Shooting guard Kris Weems and center Tim Young each started all 30 games, and forward Peter Sauer started 28 games.

That should help ease Lee's transition. Lee split time between the point and the shooting guard last season, averaging 7.6 points and 1.8 assists per contest in roughly 21 minutes a game.

"The leadership has to come from the guards," said Montgomery. "They have the ball in their hands, they come down and organize. It's their sole responsibility to get everyone involved."

Even without the prized Collins twins, Stanford should be good enough to battle for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Anything Jarron (6-foot-9) and Jason (6-10) contribute this season, which is expected to be quite a bit from these two freshmen, could give the Cardinal a legitimate chance to advance further than the Round of 16. That's where Stanford's 22-8 season ended last year.

"Jason has been effective," said Montgomery. "His timing is good, he has good passing skills and good hands. Jarron has been slowed by a sprained ankle, so he hasn't been able to show what he can do. I want them to play aggressive, be physical, tough."

Weems will get a chance to light it up this season. Knight was the team's leading scorer, but Weems came in at 11.7 points a game and was inconsistent. This year Weems can expect to be the team's No. 1 or No. 2 scorer. He shot 43 percent from three-point range last year.

Young will carry a big load for the Cardinal this season. Without Knight, the spotlight shifts to Young, who was second to Knight in scoring and led the team in rebounding a year ago. With any kind of help (read the Collins twins) Young will be a huge factor. Also watch for 6-8 Mark Madsen and 6-7 Peter Sauer to throw their weight around again.

"Young plays hard and he works at what he does," said Montgomery. "He's a blue-collar guy who gets a lot done because of his effort and skill."

Freshman point guard Michael McDonald is the sleeper here. He missed most of his senior season at Long Beach Poly due to injury, but could see a lot of action this year, depending upon Lee's effectiveness. He comes from good stock: his father, Glenn, played for the Boston Celtics for three years.

In the previous two seasons, Stanford has relied on Knight, Young and a handful of role players. This year, the quality of star caliber is higher, as is the quality of the role players.

Sauer and Madsen were top-notch role players ready to take on starring positions this season. Look for David Moseley, Ryan Mendez, Pete Van Elswyk and Mark Seaton to fill roles that require effort more than ability, though the Cardinal seems to have an abundance of both.

In last year's NCAA second-round victory over Wake Forest, Stanford was successful because Madsen, Van Elswyk and Seaton all filled in for Young when he got into early foul trouble. Wake Forest's Tim Duncan nearly fouled them all out, but was abused enough to get knocked off his game. It was that effort that paid dividends for the Cardinal in 1996-97.

Putting it all together, once again, is Montgomery, who has suffered one losing season among his 19 years as head coach. In 11 years at Stanford, Montgomery has led the team to nine postseason tournaments (five NCAA, four NIT).

In the 11 years Montgomery has been at Stanford, only Arizona and UCLA have won more games and appeared in more postseason tournaments. 

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