Stanford Turns Tradition On Its Head

May I make a prediction? I believe that come Saturday, much of the nation will be rooting for Stanford.

Well, not the folks in Kentucky, whose lives outside the stables revolve around their Wildcats. And not in North Carolina, the state God apparently ordained as the Font of Basketball. And coach Rick Majerus, plump and eminently quotable, will be doing his best to sway the lovable underdog vote to Utah.

But I predict that unattached sports fans around the country will be rooting for the Stanford men in the Final Four.

The Stanford men in the Final Four.

It bears repeating because the accomplishment is amazing. Not just because of the 56-year drought between Final Four appearances. The Stanford Indians won the national championship in 1942, when there was no all-capitalized, cash cow Final Four and the NCAA Tournament wasn’t that big a deal. The school celebrated by dropping basketball for the next two years because of World War II.

And the achievement isn’t jaw-dropping just because of the manner in which it was completed - 59 seconds and 14 points of absurdity, with Stanford riding a wild swing of emotion and momentum and Arthur Lee’s unconquerable will.

No, this achievement is particularly amazing because 60 men’s teams have been bounced from the tournament and Stanford still stands.

A program that doesn’t cheat. That makes its kids go to class. That represents something good at a time when we’re finding it harder and harder to find any inspiration in the slippery slime that envelops sports.

“I think the traditional basketball powers might look at us and be concerned,” said Ted Leland, Stanford’s athletic director. “I hope we are making people nervous.”

One caveat to all the praise: Stanford represents much that is good except for the choke sign made by Lee. In case you missed it, when Rhode Island’s Tyson Wheeler missed three crucial free throws with 5 seconds left, Lee put his hands around his own neck. That was more Latrell Sprewell than Leland Stanford.

Lee has been ripped for his actions. But even cerebral Stanford kids get caught up in the moment. Lee is a reflective and straightforward young man who has been carrying the legacy of Brevin Knight on his shoulders like an anvil for five months. He also has written a letter of apology - and apologized publicly - to Rhode Island for his actions.

One indiscretion doesn’t diminish Stanford. The school has won 80 national championships and it never has faced NCAA sanctions. Admissions rules aren’t bent to admit athletes. The students have to go to class. Cheating isn’t part of the Stanford athletic credo.

You can win a tennis or cross-country championship without cheating. You can even win a women’s basketball championship with smart kids and without cheating.

But it’s hard to get far in the men’s basketball food chain without bending a rule here or there, or without a firm tradition and community behind you, such as exists at Duke.

Stanford doesn’t have much of a tradition. For all the things that Stanford is - “The Farm,” grooming ground of senators, home of Nobel Laureates - it is not a basketball factory.

Todd Lichti, Adam Keefe and Brevin Knight do not a legacy make, though Knight was definitely a breakthrough player who helped pave the way for the Collins twins and the future.

But in the list of Stanford basketball graduates, the noteworthy include Peter Dukes (Ernst & Young accountant), Marcus Lollie (investment banker) and David Harbour (financial analyst). In fact, the Cardinal is beating its own budding tradition to the punch. Next year is when this team was supposed to make it to the Final Four.

Stanford’s legacy is so thin that just 12 years ago Dr. Tom Davis left for Iowa because he was certain the team would never progress beyond a certain level of mediocrity.

“There was a feeling for a long time that Stanford could only be so good in men’s basketball,” Leland said. “A feeling that the culture of men’s basketball and the culture of Stanford are incompatible.”

So along came Mike Montgomery, who turned that notion on its head. It took him a while and he was often in the shadow of the women’s team, a somewhat humbling place to be. But he has built a program with hard work, smart recruiting and excellent coaching. And a lot of economics majors.

“Mike brings so much technical basketball knowledge and teaching ability,” Leland said. “And we’ve also avoided the turmoil that’s plagued a lot of other programs, with kids transferring or deciding to turn pro. We don’t have that, which sets up a better teaching environment.”

Stanford is still a small community. Late Sunday, when he was driving across campus, Leland spotted an odd sight in the darkness. He drove closer and was able to distinguish the image: 7-foot-1 Tim Young, athletic duffel bag slung over his shoulder, riding his bike to the dorms, hours after the biggest win in his college career.

“We have a different culture here than a lot of basketball programs,” Leland said.

Stanford’s is an inspiring story, especially when Jerry Tarkanian is still plying his trade, recruiting thugs to Fresno State. Especially when any kid with a modicum of talent seems eager to get out of college early or skip the inconvenience altogether. Especially when the rival school across the bay was recently found to have paid $30,000 for a player.

People are fed up with bankrupt morals in sports and are looking for something to embrace. So even if you never went to Stanford, even if you never could afford the tuition or get the SAT scores, you can join Sandra Day O’Connor, Ted Koppel and Chelsea Clinton this week. Stanford has given us all something to cheer about.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COMING UP Men, Saturday on CBS: Kentucky (33-4) vs. Stanford (30-4), 2:42 p.m.; North Carolina (34-3) vs. Utah (29-3), 30 minutes later Women, Friday on ESPN: Louisiana Tech (30-3) vs. North Carolina State (25-6), 4 p.m.; Arkansas (22-10) vs. Tennessee (37-0), 30 minutes later