Boys basketball: Scouting St. Charles East
To say that St. Charles East will go as Kendall Stephens goes is putting it mildly.
The silky 6-foot-5 junior, who verbally committed to Purdue last Feb. 14, averaged 17.1 points and 5 rebounds last season. The son of Purdue graduate and Saints assistant coach Everette Stephens hit 72 three-pointers, sinking them at a 40-percent clip. He made 74 percent of his free throws and 49 percent of his 2-point baskets, showing an increased ability and desire to take the ball hard into the lane.
Armed with a wingspan stretching nearly seven feet, Kendall also led St. Charles East in blocked shots and steals. He was named honorary captain of the 2010-11 Tri-Cities All-Area Boys Basketball Team as a sophomore.
What more can the young man do?
New Saints coach Patrick Woods will tell you.
“Everyone knows about his offense,” Woods said. “I think he can also be a lockdown-type defender with his long arms and athletic ability. I think he can cause a lot of problems for somebody.”
An up-tempo Saints offense should click. Defense and mainly rebounding — which fuels an up-tempo attack — are the areas of improvement most important to Woods, who came aboard officially in late July after the contentious end of former coach Brian Clodi’s eight-year tenure.
A nine-year boys coach at Ridgewood from 2001-10, last year Woods served as the Norridge school’s athletic director. This past season he was also an assistant coach for Triton College’s third-place men’s team in NJCAA Division II. He called his former Ridgewood players “relentless.”
“The kids worked their tails off and didn’t back down to anyone,” Woods said, and that’s the on-court demeanor he will expect at St. Charles East.
Stephens obviously is the Saints’ leader, but no star is an island. The Saints offer several other solid shooters, including returning starters Johnny Hondlik, a 6-5 forward, and guard Charlie Fisher, who should enter with plenty of confidence after a great conclusion to his senior football season as the team’s quarterback. Fisher also will be more free to shoot the ball with the transfer of sophomore point guard Dom Adduci from Wheaton Academy.
Fisher also will provide defensive toughness along with returning guard Dom Urso. The 6-6 David Mason, a call-up last season as a freshman, looks to add inside presence.
“Hopefully we will play tough, defend well, push the ball up the floor and have high energy,” said Woods, a 16-year physical education teacher. “High-intensity fire.”