14 STANFORD

Despite being 7'1", Tim Young, Stanford's redshirt sophomore
center, is remarkably down to earth. While endearingly
self-deprecating off the court, Young may need to be more
assertive on it. "A part of you has to be selfish to be a
dominant player, and I have to learn that," he says. As a
freshman in 1994-95, he averaged 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and
1.5 blocks, all the while displaying an uncommon combination of
power and finesse. Last year, though, with the Cardinal expected
to be a national contender, Young's back gave out after only
five games, and he was sidelined for the season with a bulging
disk. Behind sublime point guard Brevin Knight, who returns for
his senior year, Stanford scrapped its way to a 20-9 record and
made it to the second round of the NCAAs. But Young slid into a
pronounced funk that had him questioning his abilities.

It turns out the year off was the best thing that could have
happened to him. Young fortified his back, gained a few pounds
of muscle and was rejuvenated not just by hiking in the Grand
Canyon and writing poetry but by a stint on the USA Basketball
Under-22 Select Team, which played the Dream Team this summer.
"Tim has fallen in love with playing basketball again," says
coach Mike Montgomery. "He's stopped worrying about the pressure
and the expectations, and this preseason is the best I've seen
him play." That's big trouble for the opposition because
Stanford is a deep team with the right kind of players to
complement the potent inside-outside duo of Young and Knight.

Coming off a year in which he averaged 15.5 points and 7.3
assists, Knight is ready to stake his claim as the nation's
preeminent point guard. Always a devastating penetrator, Knight
has upgraded his jumper. "If he's making that consistently,"
says Montgomery, "the other team's got no chance." The
three-point shooting of Dion Cross, who graduated in the spring,
will be missed, but wingmen Rich Jackson and Kris Weems are both
dynamic slashers and ace defenders. The front line, fortified by
newcomers Pete Van Elswyk, a 6'9" transfer from South Carolina,
and Mark Madsen, a multitalented 6'8" freshman just back from
his Mormon mission to Spain, could be the Pac-10's most physical
and packs considerable firepower.

As usual, Stanford will play smart, make its free throws (the
Cardinal was fourth in the nation last year, with a
school-record 75.8%), win 20 or so games, and get to the
tournament. To reach the next level, though, the Cardinal will
have to stand on the shoulders of its center. The guess here is
that Young won't flinch.

--ALAN SHIPNUCK

COLOR PHOTO: ALTERED POLAROIDS BY WALTER IOOSS JR. IF YOUNG'S BACK HOLDS UP, HE COULD CARRY THE CARDINAL A LONG WAY [Tim Young]