Stanford star Maxime Raynaud named a top-100 player

A strong campaign last year is earning the Stanford star the recognition he deserves.

Mar 7, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) celebrates with teammates after the dunked basketball during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Maples Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

In just a few days time, the Stanford Cardinal will begin their new era in the ACC when they host Denver on November 4. With a new-look team expected to take the floor and new head coach Kyle Smith leading the charge, there could be some growing pains this season on The Farm, but the team will do all it can to defy the odds and shatter the expectations bestowed upon them in the preseason.

One big way that Stanford will do that is relying heavily on the star power that it does have, most notably in senior Maxime Raynaud, who after playing exceptionally well last season, is currently a mainstay as a top-100 player on every major outlet.

Mind your rims 👀 @maximeraynaud42 is a mainstay in the top-100 player rankings from every outlet.@On3sports 2⃣5⃣@TheFieldOf68 5⃣4⃣@espn 8⃣0⃣#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/znJboOnTnD

— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) October 29, 2024

Named to the All-Pac-12 second team and earning the Pac-12 Most Improved Player after averaging 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a junior in 2023-24, Raynaud is currently ranked as the No. 25 player on On3 Sports, the No. 54 player on The Field of 68 and No. 80 on ESPN. Originally entering the transfer portal after former head coach Jerod Haase was fired, he withdrew his name from the portal after new coach Kyle Smith convinced him to stay and will go into this year as one of the best centers in the ACC, even with teams like Duke and North Carolina in the same conference.

Raynaud also was able to evolve into a much better shooter, improving his three-point shooting percentage to 36% and his free throw shooting to 78%, a considerable improvement from 2022-23.

On On3, Raynaud comes in just behind Braden Smith from Purdue (No. 23) and Norchad Omier from Baylor (No. 24), while being ranked ahead of Coleman Hawkins from Kansas State (No. 26) and Eric Dixon from Villanova (No. 27). On ESPN, Raynaud was ranked at No. 80, right in front of Duke’s Khaman Maluach and right behind VCU’s Max Shulga. The Field of 68, a college basketball media network, released their rankings on their Twitter/X account and have Raynaud ranked at No. 54 just ahead of Xavier’s Zach Freemantle but behind Arkansas’ Jonas Aidoo.

Originally from France, Raynaud’s offseason involved training with the France National Team ahead of their Paris Olympics run, giving him the opportunity to train alongside some of the world’s best talent. And in what is expected to be a big year for him, Raynaud will come in ready to take on his new role as he looks to be the superstar that Stanford needs as they take on some college basketball’s toughest opponents.