SAN FRANCISCO  – While his old college teammate Johnny Dawkins isn’t coaching Stanford anymore, Jay Bilas still will probably like a lot about this Cardinal team in 2018-19. The ESPN college basketball analyst known for his love of length certainly will be pleased with the fact that Stanford has at least six players (and maybe a seventh) with wingspans of seven feet or greater.

Per head coach Jerod Haase, KZ Okpala, Josh Sharma and Keenan Fitzmorris lead the way with wingspans in the 7’2’’ range. Good luck having your team’s passes not get deflected against the Card.

“Were probably more athletic and longer than any Stanford team I’ve been on the last three years here,” said Sharma, a senior who figures to have a bigger role this season with Reid Travis having grad transferred to Kentucky. “So I think we’ll be able to pressure teams more.”

For head coach Jerod Haase and staff, the team length is no accident; they have specifically recruited lanky athletic dudes. It’s a part of the program philosophy.

“It’s been a priority in the recruiting the last couple of years just to recruit skilled guys that have length, Haase said. “We have long wingspans and fairly athletic guys and I think our philosophy of how we’re going to play really fits in with that as well,”

Being disruptive, getting out into passing lanes and getting out in transition; that’s becoming the Stanford way under Jerod Haase, and he has the roster makeup to be able to carry out those directives.

“Last season, especially when we got into the conference season, we were playing up-tempo and getting out on primary and secondary breaks,” Haase said. “And I think with our length and athleticism and skill, that’s a priority again this year.”

“We’ll be able to do more than we have in the past,” Sharma added. “We’re long, we’re lean, we’re athletic.”