Nationally-Ranked Stanford Basketball Team Faces Santa Clara

Cardinal in championship game of the 31st annual Cable Car Classic

Stanford Story
Stanford (10-0 overall, 0-0 Pac-10) vs Santa Clara (8-2 overall, 0-0 West Coast)
Tuesday, December 30, 1997, 8:00 p.m., San Jose Arena (19,000)

Stanford Starters (10-0 overall, 0-0 Pac-10)
F - Mark Madsen, 6-8, 235, Sophomore, Danville, Ca (12.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
F - Peter Sauer, 6-7, 225, Junior, Pittsburgh, Pa  (9.0 ppg,  4.4 rpg)
C - Tim Young,   7-1, 245, Junior, Santa Cruz, Ca  (10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
G - Kris Weems,  6-3, 195, Junior, Kansas City, Ks (12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
G - Arthur Lee,  6-0, 175, Junior, Los Angeles, Ca (10.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.6 apg)

Fast Fact In addition to Stanford (10-0), there are seven other Division One schools with unbeaten records ... The list includes North Carolina (14-0), Utah (11-0), Oklahoma State (9-0), Tennessee (9-0), Kansas State (9-0), SMU (8-0), and Marquette (8-0).

Series Story Tonight's game is the 71st meeting between Stanford and Santa Clara with the Cardinal holding a 46-24 advantage ... The Cardinal has won the last five games, including a 82-70 decision at Toso Pavilion during the 1993-94 season.

Coaches Corner Mike Montgomery is in his 12th season at Stanford ... He is Stanford's second winningest basketball coach with a record of 215-127 ... His career record (8 seasons at Montana and 11-plus seasons at Stanford) is 369-204 ... Montgomery has coached Stanford to five NCAA and four NIT appearances during his tenure at Stanford ... Montgomery is 5-1 vs Santa Clara.

Cardinal Catalogue Stanford is off to another excellent start in 1997-98 ... Ten victories in ten games, and five of those wins came against teams that went to the NCAA tournament last year, Valparaiso, Butler, Georgia, Pacific and Rhode Island ... Stanford is the only unbeaten team in the Pac-10 ... Stanford started the season 10-0 during the 1948-49 and 1949-95 campaigns ... At 10-0, the Cardinal still has a little ways to go to equal the school's best start ... The 1936-37 squad rolled off 14 victories to begin its season ... This is Stanford's deepest team ever in terms of talent ... There is strength at every position ... Because of that, 13 players are averaging at least ten minutes per game ... The Cardinal, which has finished first in the conference in free throw percentage the past three seasons, is hitting .731 from the line, #3 in the Pac-10 ... Two of Stanford's starters are shooting 91 percent or better ... Kris Weems is hitting .931 (27-for-29) , #1 in the Pac-10, while Arthur Lee is #2 at .906 (27-29) ... Stanford's starting backcourt of Weems and Lee are shooting a combined .918 (56-for-61) from the free throw line ... The Cardinal has averaged 41.7 rebounds per game, and has outrebounded the opposition by a margin of 13.1 per game ... Stanford has outrebounded its opponents in nine of the ten games.

"I like our personnel, and I like our depth."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

Tall Team

Ryan Mendez.

"The paint is a place you don't want to spend a lot of time with us."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

"Stanford is the strongest team in America in terms of size. They are the most dominant team around the basket, on offense and defense, not just in the Pac-10 but in the nation. Nobody can match up with team in terms of firepower on the boards and inside strength."
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin

"Stanford's inside people are really big and strong and hard to keep out of the paint, and their shooters - when they're open, they're making them. The big people who screen set really good screens."
UC Santa Barbara head coach Jerry Pimm

"Stanford's size and strength are impressive, but the biggest thing about them is they don't give up anything in quickness. They guarded us as intensely as I've seen any team. They also shoot very well from the outside. They don't have too many weaknesses that I can see."
Lehigh head coach Sal Mentesana

Defensive Data Stanford's defense has held its opponents to only 40 percent shooting ... The Cardinal has also forced the opposition into 166 turnovers in ten games and has outscored the opposition by 21.3 ppg.

"Stanford obviously has a team that deserves to be in the Top 10. They have all their bases covered. They're big and strong inside, good shooters outside, a good point guard in Arthur Lee, and they have enough depth."
UC Santa Barbara head coach Jerry Pimm

Home Hoopla Stanford has won its last 17 home games (10-0 vs Pac-10 schools, 7-0 vs non-conference schools) at Maples Pavilion ... The Cardinal is closing in on the school record for most consecutive wins at Maples Pavilion ... The record is 18 (13 games in 1988-89, first five games in 1989-90) ... During Stanford's current winning streak at Maples Pavilion, the Cardinal has outscored its opponents by an average of 24.6 points per game ... Stanford has not lost at home since Feb. 22, 1996, a 68-59 decision to Washington State ... Stanford has won 31 of its last 32 games on its home floor.

Biggest Wins during Stanford's 17-game streak at Maples Pavilion
   53 points (95-42 over Lehigh, 1997-98)
   48 points (109-61 over UCLA, 1996-97)
   47 points (97-50 over San Diego, 1996-97)
   35 points (105-70 over Alaska Anchorage, 1996-97)
   33 points (95-62 over UC Santa Barbara, 1997-98)
   31 points (87-54 over Oregon State, 1996-97)
   30 points (87-57 over USD, 1997-98)

Student Support A key component of Stanford's success at Maples Pavilion has been the active role of the student body ... Namely, the Sixth Man Club which has grown from less than 30 students four years ago to 750 this year ... The Sixth Man Club is highly vocal and has turned pleasant old Maples Pavilion into a pit ... Each Sixth Man Club member is given preferred seating - up until 15 minutes prior to tipoff - as well as a T-shirt ... Members also receive weekly previews and wrap-ups via e-mail ... The club has its own Web page ... The Sixth Man Club was the brainchild of the basketball marketing department..

"It's definitely a huge advantage. When we're playing well, they get fired up. Then we feed off their energy."
Stanford forward Mark Seaton

"The Sixth Man Club gets bigger because the team gets better. But maybe the team gets better because the Sixth Man Club gets bigger."
Stanford center Tim Young

"A great idea, the Sixth Man Club. It has gotten us terrific student involvement at games."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

Madsen Memo

Mark Madsen.

"Mark Madsen is going to cause a lot of problems for defenses. He's tough, a great competitor and close to becoming an excellent player."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

"What's unusual about Mark is his ability to improve. Normally guys get to a certain level and there's just not that much more room for improvement. But he's appreciably better than last year."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

Lee Ledger

Arthur Lee.

"I'm ready for it. I've been waiting for so long. Brevin Knight was a great person to play behind and learn from. He is the epitome of a point guard as far as I'm concerned."
Stanford point guard Arthur Lee

"Arthur Lee is a key player for us. He is very good defensively. He's very competitive and gives 100 percent."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

Lee started 12 games last year, including a start at point-guard against Navy ... Lee realizes the focus of the offense will be to push the ball inside, and that is fine with the junior.

"I know I'm capable of doing a lot of good things just like Brevin was capable of doing a lot of good things. Brevin Knight was a great player, no doubt, but all I can do is be Arthur Lee, go out and play my game and enjoy it."
Stanford point-guard Arthur Lee

"What most people don't realize is that Arthur Lee spent every practice last season going against Brevin Knight. In most cases, that's better experience than actually playing games."
Arizona head coach Lute Olson

Cardinal Catalogue Jason Collins is continuing his rehab from arthoscopic surgery (Dec. 10) to repair frayed meniscus cartilage to his left knee ... Collins is riding the stationary bike, but it is not known when he'll be back ... This will be Stanford's fifth game on neutral territory in 1997-98 ... Stanford will play only three home games the month of December, but still won't have to leave the state for its other four non-conference games ... The Cardinal has already played games at San Diego State and against Georgia at the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim and games against Rhode Island and Santa Clara in San Jose at the Cable Car Classic ... Arthur Lee has taken over the starting role at point-guard for Brevin Knight, and Lee is performing with high marks ... In his last three games, Lee has dished out 21 assists with only five turnovers ... During those three games, Lee has stolen eight passes ... Four times this year, the Cardinal has scored 95 or more points ... In the last three games, the Cardinal has hit 27-of-52 three-pointers for .519 ... David Moseley leads the Pac-10 in three-point shooting at .514 ... Peter Sauer has been hot from three-point territory in the last two games ... Sauer has hit 4-of-5 three-pointers ... Tim Young tallied 17 rebounds in last night's game against Rhode Island, the 24th time that he has grabbed ten or more rebounds in a game.

"David Moseley comes off the bench and is kind of a whirling dervish. David gives us a real lift off the bench and he's still just a sophomore."
Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery

Arena Analysis This will be Stanford's fourth game at the San Jose Arena ... During the 1995-96 season, the Cardinal scored a 83-60 over Seton Hall in the Bay Area Classic ... On March 20, 1997, Stanford lost a 82-77 overtime decision to Utah in the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" ... Last night, four Stanford starters scored in double figures as the Cardinal edged Rhode Island, 70-69.

Luisetti Legend This week marks the 60th anniversary of one of the great moments in Stanford basketball history ... On Jan. 1, 1938, Hank Luisetti scored a school record 50 points against Duquesne University in Cleveland, Ohio ... Lusetti chalked up 23 field goals in the game, also a school record ... Both records remain the oldest in Stanford basketball history.

Top 5 single game scorers in Stanford Basketball History
1. Hank Luisetti vs Duquesne,     1937-38   50
2. Hank Luisetti vs Oregon State, 1937-38   46
3. Tom Dose vs Washington State,  1963-64   42
4. Kimberly Belton vs USC,        1979-80   41
5. Claude Terry vs Oregon State,  1970-71   41

Top 5 single game scorers in Conference History
1. Lew Alcindor, UCLA vs Oregon State,  1966-67   61
2. Gary Payton, Oregon State vs USC,    1989-90   58
3. Lew Alcindor, UCLA vs USC,           1966-67   56
4. Hank Luisetti, Stanford vs Duquesne, 1937-38   50
5. Bob Houbregs, Washington vs Idaho,   1952-53   49

Cardinal Contact Bob Vazquez, Media Relations Director, can be reached via e-mail at bobbyv@leland.stanford.edu

Montgomery Memo Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery will host a series of press conferences and teleconferences ... The next press conference is slated for Wednesday, January 7 at 11:00 a.m. at the Arrillaga Family Sports Center.

Radio Review The Ticket 1050 is the new home for Stanford Basketball ... Veteran broadcasters Bob Murphy and John Platz provide the play-by-play ... KZSU (90.1 fm), the Stanford campus station, will also provide live broadcasts with Cameron Tana and Khary Burke providing the broadcast chores.

Television Time Eighteen of Stanford's 27 regular season games will be televised ... Games will be televised on CBS, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports Bay Area, and fx ... The Stanford-Santa Clara game will be televised on Sportschannel.

National Notes
Several national pre-season magazines have tabbed Stanford as among the top teams in the nation and a contender for the Pac-10 title.
 9th - Street & Smith's
11th - Blue Ribbon College Basketball
11th - Inside Sports
12th - ESPN/USA Today
12th - Dick Vitale's College Basketball
12th - Slam Magazine
13th - Sport Magazine
13th - Ultimate Sports Magazine
14th - Associated Press
14th - Sagarin
17th - Sports Illustrated
20th - College Basketball
22nd - The Sporting News
22nd - Playboy
22nd - USBWA
23th - College & NBA '97 Preview
24th - Basketball Times

League Log
Several national pre-season magazines have tabbed Stanford as a contender in the Pac-10.
2nd - Athlon's Magazine
2nd - The Sporting News
3rd - Pac-10 Media
3rd - Playboy
3rd - Street & Smith's
3rd - Dick Vitale's College Basketball
4th - College Basketball Magazine

Associated Press
15th - Nov. 17
15th - Nov. 24
12th - Dec. 1
11th - Dec. 8
 9th - Dec. 15
 8th - Dec. 22
 7th - Dec. 29

USA Today/ESPN
13th - Nov. 17
13th - Nov. 24
11th - Dec. 1
11th - Dec. 8 
9th - Dec. 15
8th - Dec. 22
8th - Dec. 29

"I like it (the rankings) because it lets us know Stanford as a team and as a program is respected."
Stanford leading scorer and rebounder Mark Madsen

Ratings Review Stanford is ranked seventh in this week's Associated Press poll ... This is Stanford's highest ranking since being ranked fourth in the nation on December 25, 1962 ... Stanford is ranked eighth in this week's USA Today/ESPN polls ... When Stanford was ranked ninth in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls on Dec. 20, this was the first time Stanford had reached the Top 10 since March 12, 1963 by United Press International ... On that day, Stanford was ranked tenth ... This was Stanford's highest ranking since Feb. 26, 1963 when the team was ranked eighth by UPI ... The Cardinal was ranked eighth by AP on Feb. 12, 1963 ... On December 25, 1962, Stanford was ranked fourth in the nation, the school's highest ranking ever.

Number Notes

1
The number of games Hank Luisetti fouled out in four seasons. At the time, four fouls, rather than five at present, disqualfiied a player.

3
The number of twin brothers participating in sports at Stanford. They are the Collins twins (Jarron & Jason) in basketball, the Hauser twins (cross country & track and field), and the Bryan twins (Bob & Michael).

6
The number of Stanford players 6-foot-8 or taller.

7
The number of birthdays of Stanford basketball players during the 1997-98 season.

8
The number of minutes apart the Collins twins were born.

15
The number of victories Mike Montgomery has recorded over California.

16
The number of blocks needed by Tim Young to become Stanford's all-time shot blocker.

17
The current win streak at Maples Pavilion. The school record is 18.

43
The number of wins needed for Mike Montgomery to become Stanford's winningest basketball coach.

46
A just discovered fact. Hank Luisetti scored 46 points vs Oregon during the 1937-38 season. Earlier in the year, Luisetti scored a school record 50 against Duquesne.

72
The number of NCAA championships won by Stanfod athletic teams.

83
Stanford is in its 83rd season of intercollegiate basketball in 1997-98.

121
The number of games in which all-time leading scorer Todd Lichti scored in double figures. Lichti played in 124 games at Stanford.

507
The number of victories by Stanford over Pac-10 schools.

750
The number of members in the Sixth Man Club, Stanford's rabid student cheering section.

1938
The year Hank Luisetti scored a school record 50 points against Duquesne, and a spectator was Cardinal administrative assistant Paul Rundell. Pac-10 Schools in 1997-98 Stanford 10-0 UCLA 8-1 Arizona State 10-3 Arizona 9-3 Oregon State 8-2 Washington 6-2 Washington State 6-4 Oregon 5-4 California 4-4 USC 4-5

Ticket Tale The home games against California (1/10/98), UCLA (1/17/98), and Arizona (1/29/98) are sold out.

Record Review
Career Field Goal Pct.      Fg-Fga    Pct
1. Adam Keefe, 1988-92    830-1384   .600
2. Mark Seaton, 1995-       82-137   .599

Season Field Goal Pct       Fg-Fga    Pct
1. Mark Madsen, 1997-98      46-64   .719

Career 3-pt Field Goal Pct   Fg-Fga    Pct
1. Todd Lichti, 1985-89     112-235   .477
7. Kris Weems, 1995-         99-242   .409

Career Free Throw Pct        Ft-Fta    Pct
1. Jerry Thuesen, 1958-60    94-106   .888
5. Arthur Lee, 1995-         90-110   .818
6. Kris Weems, 1995-          74-91   .813

Season Free Throw Pct         Ft-Fta   Pct
1. Kris Weems, 1997-98         27-29  .931
2. Dion Cross, 1995-96         81-88  .921
3. Arthur Lee, 1997-98         29-32  .906

Career Rebounds Per Game       G-Reb   Avg
1. Rich Kelley, 1973-75       76-944   12.4
9. Tim Young, 1994-           74-625    8.4

Career 3-point Goals         #
1. Dion Cross, 1992-96      241
6. John Patrick, 1987-91    103
8. Kris Weems, 1995-         99

Career 3-point Attempts      #
1. Dion Cross, 1992-96      551
6. John Patrick, 1987-91    244
7. Kris Weems, 1995-        242

Career Blocks                #
1. Howard Wright, 1985-89   121
2. Tim Young, 1994-         106

Printer-friendly format	Email this article