Stanford Basketball's 2024-25 Season Should Provide Hope for Future

For years, Stanford basketball was in limbo, but since Kyle Smith took over, they have looked liked a program ready to compete

Mar 12, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Kyle Smith applauds his team against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Stanford men's basketball was not supposed to be in this position. Entering a new conference with a new head coach, the Cardinal were expected to struggle and be a team that was in the midst of a rebuild.

But Smith and company defied the odds all year long, not only finishing with at least 20 wins for the first time since 2019-20, but also finishing No. 7 in the ACC-- the top half of the conference.

In the ACC tournament, the Cardinal beat Cal in the second round, after a first-round bye, before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Louisville after a game-winning buzzer beater sent Louisville to the semis.

While it looks like Stanford's only hope for a postseason tournament this season is the NIT, their performance throughout the entirety of this campaign could provide major a bit of for the future.

Smith has proven that he can lead any team to success, exhibiting that last season when he took Washington State to its first March Madness tournament since 2008. And in his first season on The Farm, he was able to turn some heads to Stanford, getting the most out of players who were largely written off such as Jaylen Blakes, and helping them become important pieces of his team.

Having that in a coach is immensely important, especially when you factor in how the Cardinal will lose key stars for next season, most notably Blakes and star center, Maxime Raynaud.

With guys such as Ryan Agarwal, Donavin Young and Benny Gealer expected to return and take on bigger roles, Smith being able to get the most out of them and perform at their best will help make up for the some of the lost production of the departing pieces.

While only having two players committed so far for the class of 2025, three-star point guard Ebuka Okorie out of Brewster Academy-New Hampshire and Latvian forward Kristers Skrinda, the Cardinal could be a program that is aggressive in the transfer portal.

Stanford has shown that they are not afraid to use it to find key pieces, like when they got Blakes from Duke. Smith, who is known for being a strong recruiter, could look to make a splash signing in the portal and bring a big-name star to Stanford.

Now more adapted to the ACC scene and knowing what to expect, the Cardinal will go into next season with higher expectations for themselves and will use this season as a building block.

For the better part of a decade, Stanford has not been known as a men's basketball school. But now that Smith is in charge of things and after the season he put together in year one, the perception of Stanford basketball could soon change on a wider scale. This offseason could be a test to see how much attention Stanford has grabbed after the year they've put up.

Selection Sunday is later today, and while the Cardinal are not expected to hear their name called in the main NCAA tournament reveal, they can look ahead to see who they will face in the NIT and use that tournament as an opportunity to see what kind of team they are in a March Madness-like scenario. It could be valuable experience for next year's squad.