Summer Snapshot: 2021 Gage Stoddard Staying Busy And Developing With Both Cache Valley Elite And High School Squad
A 2021 prospect who is trending up, Gage Stoddard has used his time with Cache Valley Elite this spring and summer to give him the confidence and ability to improve his game as he enters his sophomore season with Grace.
A standout player for his junior varsity squad last season, Stoddard is looking to make strides this offseason as he looks to be an impact player for Grace in 2018-2019. Prep Hoops Idaho caught up with the 5-foot-11 guard recently and learned more about what Stoddard has been up to specifically.
“This spring and summer I have been playing with both Cache Valley Elite, and my high school team. It’s been a lot of fun and both teams have done well. My high school took first in our division at the USU team camp a couple weeks ago, and did well in Marsh Valley tournament over Memorial Day weekend. With Cache Valley Elite, we played in Vegas in April and got second place in the silver bracket. We also played in Boise at the Northwest Premier Invitational and won the silver bracket there going (3-1). Two weekends ago we won the Big Mountain Jam in Salt Lake City, ended up (5-0). That was a lot of fun. This past weekend my high school team was in Salt Lake again at the Rocky Mountain Showcase. I will be going back to Las Vegas July 18-21 with Cache Valley Elite and look forward to playing there again,” Stoddard said.
With so much on his basketball schedule, Stoddard is clearly showing his drive to become better and to size himself up against some of the region’s top talents by suiting up with Cache Valley Elite, one of the top grass roots programs in the area. Speaking more about his game, Stoddard has some goals in mind that he shared with us, “one of the things I am really trying to improve in my game is getting to the rim more and finishing through contact. The other thing I want to improve on is creating space between me and my defender and getting my shot off a little quicker. I am also always working on my fundamentals,” Stoddard added.
Not only exposing himself to excellent talent and skilled players in his region via Cache Valley Elite, Stoddard is also playing with his high school team which undoubtedly will help his squad gel and mesh ahead of the upcoming prep season.
Stoddard touched on his Grace team, “this coming season with my team I hope we can use our team speed to our advantage and wear out the other team. Another advantage we have is that we have multiple scorers on our team so our opponents can’t just focus on one or two players. The last 2 years our school has taken 3rd at state, this year my goal is to make it to the state championship game and win it. One of my goals for this season is to be a consistent player on varsity that my coach can count on every game. I want to be a leader on my team and do what I need to in order to help us get to state.”
Of course, Stoddard has a favorite in the Association to whom he looks up on the basketball court. “The professional player I am trying to model after is Kevin Durant. One of the main things I like about him is his composer and calmness on the court all the time. I also admire his ability to score from anywhere on the court. He is also a great catch and shoot player,” Stoddard concluded.
Keep tabs on this rising 2021 prospect through the remainder of the summer season and certainly when the prep season rolls around.