Jared Bynum might not appear like your prototypical basketball participant. Standing at simply 5-feet-10 inches, Bynum is among the shortest gamers each time he steps on the hardwood. However that hasn’t prevented the 24-year-old level guard from making his mark on school basketball.
“I’ve been doubted my entire life primarily based on my dimension,” Bynum stated. “I don’t cross the attention take a look at once I stroll within the gymnasium; I’m often the shortest, if not the second-shortest participant on the courtroom. However I don’t often take into consideration that an excessive amount of as a result of basketball is in regards to the outcomes and the work that you just put in.”
The most recent member of Stanford males’s basketball has skilled each particular person and group success throughout the collegiate ranks. After transferring from Saint Joseph’s following his freshman 12 months, Bynum helped the Windfall Friars win the Huge East through the 2021-2022 season whereas successful the convention’s Sixth Man of the 12 months award.
Postseason success adopted, because the Friars reached the Candy Sixteen, the place they barely misplaced to eventual nationwide champions Kansas 66-61. This previous season, Windfall as soon as once more reached the NCAA match as a No. 11 seed. Bynum acknowledges that the group’s success was partially because of its resilience, and hopes to deliver an analogous toughness to Stanford.
“I discovered that all through the season, and all through life, there’s going to be ups and downs,” the lead guard from Maryland stated. “However on the similar time there’s going to be success too, so I simply method basketball like I method my life: no matter comes my approach, I’m going to battle by means of.”
After coming off a disappointing 14-19 season, Stanford males’s basketball is trying to make the NCAA match for the primary time since 2014. Bynum actually is aware of a factor or two about snapping match skids, because the Georgetown Prep product was a part of a core group of gamers who led Windfall to its first NCAA match look in three seasons.
“I’ve been round a number of groups that had success and had down years,” Bynum stated. “I’m undoubtedly wanting ahead to coming to a group like Stanford that has excessive expectations for what they’ll do. I imagine that with the items that they have already got, and with the incoming freshmen as nicely, I really feel like this upcoming 12 months might be a particular 12 months, placing Stanford basketball again in place.”
Bynum will be part of a Cardinal roster stuffed with expertise, as along with the returns of junior ahead Brandon Angel, sophomore heart Maxime Raynaud and fifth-year guard Michael Jones, the Cardinal additionally herald two top-50 recruits from the highschool ranks in Andrej Stojakovic and Kaanan Carlyle. The prospect of enjoying with a promising group of gamers was a part of the rationale the veteran guard in the end selected Stanford.
“The teaching workers expressed to me that they’ve guys that may rating the ball and playmake,” Bynum stated. “There are like 5 or 6 guys that may shoot 40% from three. That’s like some extent guard’s dream.”
With the losses of sophomore guard Isa Silva (Lengthy Seashore State) and junior guard Michael O’Connell (NC State) to the switch portal, Bynum will possible show precious to a group in want of an skilled level guard and voice within the locker room.
“I really feel like with me coming in and the gamers they have already got, I’ll have the ability to discover a good stability of being a facilitator and likewise with the ability to decide my spots,” Bynum stated.