Ammann Finds His Own Path to Stanford

A rare bird has taken roost in the Stanford tree of knowledge, a Cardinal of a different feather altogether.

As the school has boasted in its annual basketball media guides, “The Stanford experience is the promise of graduation and personal success, the formation of lifelong friendships, the physical challenge of intercollegiate basketball. It is the union of academics and athletics. An opportunity to learn, grow, compete. An opportunity to excel.”

But seldom is that opportunity extended to the junior college transfer, which makes junior guard Kenny Ammann one of the few among the proud.

The Stanford experience, we are told, is a four-year experience. The rigors of academia demand no less. If you’re serious about your education, you apply to Stanford as a freshman. Junior college? A juco ?

Surely, sir, you have come to us by mistake. May we suggest an alternative that will not waste your time as well as ours? Cal State Fullerton, perhaps?

That’s the reputation. But the reality is that Kenny Ammann, formerly of Rancho Santiago Community College, currently starts in the Stanford backcourt, averaging 9.9 points a game while working toward a degree in psychology.

They said it couldn’t be done.

And it very nearly wasn’t.

According to estimates by Stanford sports information director Bob Vazquez, Ammann is the first junior college transfer to play basketball for the Cardinal in nearly a decade. “Ninety-nine percent of our student body comes here as freshmen,” Vazquez says. “You can count the JC kids on one hand. I’ve been at Stanford seven years and, in that time, we’ve had three JC football kids and one JC basketball kid.”

Ammann broke new ground, but only because he lost ground at his first collegiate stop, Cal State Bakersfield. Recruited by Bakersfield out of Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Ammann liked the place and wanted to stay--we said he was a rare bird--but a change of coaches after his freshman season left him without a scholarship as a sophomore.

“The new coach came in, brought most of his recruits with him and cut my scholarship,” Ammann says. “We’d had some problems the year before--a lot of troublemakers and dissension--and he wanted to clean house and establish his own program.

“He got rid of the troublemakers,” Ammann adds with a laugh, “but he cut a couple of the nice guys, too.”

Ammann insists he was “really happy” at Bakersfield, enough so that he considered being a walk-on the following season. Most people, you can’t pay to come to Bakersfield, but here was Ammann, willing not only to stay but to pick up the tab as well.

Long conversations with his father, however, persuaded Ammann to come back home and enroll at nearby Rancho Santiago. So Ammann donned a Dons jersey and, along with California co-player of the year Alonzo Jamison, led Rancho Santiago to a 26-9 record and the No. 9 ranking in the state. Ammann averaged 21 points, shot 52% from the field and scored 38 points in the 1988 Southern California Regionals against Los Angeles Harbor.

That was enough to interest Utah State and the University of San Diego in the 6-3 guard.

But Stanford?

“I knew (Cardinal Coach) Mike Montgomery when he was at Montana and he recruited me out of high school,” Ammann says. “Stanford was also looking for some experience at the guard position. All of their guards were going to graduate last year.”

That contingent included All-American Todd Lichti and three-year starter Terry Taylor, leaving Montgomery with the prospect of a gaping void for the 1989-90 season. Dire circumstances dictate dire deeds, so Montgomery renewed old acquaintances and flaunted Stanford tradition.

He offered a scholarship to a JC guard.

“I think I’m the first one in quite awhile,” Ammann says. “They’re really limited in who they can recruit. The academic standards are so stringent.

“My GPA was good enough, but just barely.”

Planning ahead, Montgomery decided to redshirt Ammann during the 1988-89 season while Lichti and Taylor exhausted their eligibility. For all concerned, it proved to be a good move. Ammann needed, emotionally and mentally, the transition year. Physically, too. During a fall practice session, Ammann wrenched his back, an injury later determined to be a bulging disk. Ammann couldn’t have played if he had wanted to.

“The first couple of doctors I saw said I had to have surgery,” Ammann said. “I’m glad I got a third opinion.”

Doctor No. 3 advised physical therapy. The prescription: Take a few thousand sit-ups and come back next season.

The exercises enabled Ammann to work out the inflammation and strengthen his lower abdominal muscles, which has enabled him to suit up this season. Ammann says the back hasn’t bothered him since, and he has the statistics to back it up: 22 games started, 48% field goals made, 89% free throws made, 43% three-point shots made.

Today, he will start alongside fellow Orange Countian Adam Keefe at Pauley Pavilion as Stanford goes for a season sweep against UCLA. In the first meeting, Ammann sank five three-pointers and scored 21 points to pace Stanford to an 87-79 victory at home.

He also hit the winning basket to beat Oregon in early January, which no doubt helps when you’re trying to blend in as one of the guys.

“I still get kidded,” Ammann says. “Whenever I make a bad play in practice, Coach yells at me, ‘This isn’t JC ball.’ Or if I say something that isn’t so smart, I get it again.”

These JC kids, what are you going to do with them?

At Stanford, they’re finding they can win with them. Even at the highest institutions of learning, new discoveries are being made every day.