Stanford Basketball Has a Hidden Weapon on the Roster

Stanford has a new talent emerging

Jeremy Dent-Smith, 25, of Stanford shoots over Robbie Avila, 21, of St. Louis University in the Acrisure Invitational Champioship game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Nov. 28, 2025. | Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over the offseason, Stanford was struggling to find talent. After losing pieces such as seniors Maxime Raynaud, Jaylen Blakes, and Cole Kastner, as well as transfers Oziyah Sellers and Derin Saran, it was crucial that the Cardinal find their next crop of stars.

Many Stanford fans were upset with the offseason. Only being able to get guys from the DII level seemed like a bit of a letdown after the season they just had, finishing with at least 20 wins for the first time since 2019-20. But Jeremy Dent-Smith wanted to prove them wrong.

Early in the season, the guard had a tough time getting used to the speed of Division I basketball. While the potential was clearly there, his defense was a bit subpar, and if he wasn’t hitting shots at a high rate, he wasn’t doing much on the floor. In his first seven games of the season, Dent-Smith averaged just three points per game. He was just 9/39 from the field and 6/22 from three.

In the final game of that stint, Dent-Smith played a season low three minutes. Despite his talent, it appeared as though this potentially wasn’t the right situation for him.

But in just one night, everything changed.

In the championship game of the Acrisure Series, Stanford was down four, staring down another loss to a mid-major. But Dent-Smith had other plans. He subbed into the game and hit four three pointers, propelling the Cardinal to a victory. His 12 points were potentially 12 of the most influential points in Stanford’s 2025-26 season thus far.

And it didn’t stop there. Stanford returned home to take on Portland the following Monday, where he dominated once again. Dent-Smith led the Cardinal in scoring with 16 points, and was a key piece in their win over the Pilots. He hit five threes, and turned into a lethal threat from deep.

Over the last two games, Dent-Smith has averaged 14 points and 4.5 three pointers. He has turned into a completely different player for the Cardinal, contributing at an extremely high level.

After the game, Dent-Smith spoke with the media regarding his success. “I think I’m just getting more confidence. I know I had a couple games where the confidence was low. I was missing shots I feel like I usually made, and Coach Smith and just all my teammates have been on me to just go to the next play, and just building confidence in me.

"Then I was able to see one through, go through last game, I think, just from there is just, kind of being a shooter, just once you see one fall, the rest is starting to feel better. I just have been feeling better in this game, and credit to my teammates and my coaches just keep pushing me up.”

Stanford has been on fire recently and a lot of their success is due to Dent-Smith’s dominance. With recent wins that are keeping up their momentum, Dent-Smith is a key piece to their recent success. If he’s able to continue his recent form, Stanford might have a star on their hands.