Duke Brennan Makes Official Visit to Stanford

This past season, Stanford had no problem with their big man play. Maxime Raynaud was a star for the Cardinal, having one of the best careers Cardinal fans have ever seen at Maples Pavilion. His incredible play and leadership led to Raynaud being a Stanford legend forever.

Sadly, all good stories have to come to an end, and with the Cardinal getting upset by Kent State in the second round of the NIT, Raynaud’s collegiate career is over as he prepares to hear his name called in the NBA Draft.

Now, Stanford has a center problem.

The Cardinal currently have Aidan Cammann, Tallis Toure, and incoming recruit Kristers Skrinda at their big positions, but with Skrinda’s size and skill, it is expected that he moves toward a forward position instead of center.

Cammann and Toure, who will both be sophomores, both need another season off the bench before they'll likely see a starting role.

Although both can be contributing pieces for Stanford, the Cardinal want to win now to continue the momentum established in year one under coach Kyle Smith, and neither player has proven they're at the level needed to contribute enough as a starter. At least not yet.

That’s why Kyle Smith has offered Duke Brennan, a Grand Canyon center, the opportunity to play at Stanford.

Brennan started his career at Arizona State, where he played in all of the Sun Devils’ 36 games, even starting one as a freshman. In nine minutes per game, the center averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds.

After his freshman season, he seeked a better opportunity which he found right across the city, at Grand Canyon.

As a Lope, Brennan had a great sophomore season, averaging 7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. As a junior, he bumped those numbers up to 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds a night. In both seasons at Grand Canyon, the Lopes made the tournament, and even got out of the first round in his sophomore season, taking down the No. 5 seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels in Spokane.

This past season, Grand Canyon played Stanford in the Acrisure Series, where the Lopes took down the Cardinal 78-71, and Brennan had 14 points and 8 rebounds. That was Stanford's first loss of the season.

For his senior season, Brennan has entered the portal once again, hoping to find a better opportunity elsewhere.

This weekend, Brennan took a visit to Palo Alto, where he hung out around the city, checked out the basketball facilities, and even watched some spring football practice, per his Instagram.

Brennan has heard from a few other schools, including Ohio State, USC, Iowa, West Virginia, DePaul, Villanova, Rutgers, Arizona State, Clemson, TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Seton Hall.

Regardless, Stanford is a top choice for Brennan, and he could be a massive piece for Stanford, as they hope to continue to move in the right direction. The Cardinal can offer him a starting spot on the roster, which should help set them a little above a number of the teams after his services, while also providing a Stanford education. It's the best of both worlds.