Recruiting Report: Jon Stimmler (2019)
Princeton won 20 games last season and heads into a season with expectations as high as they’ve been in a decade. Jon Stimmler roaming the paint is the big reason why.
Stimmler, a 6-foot-7 senior, averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks as a junior and could be even better in his final high school campaign after a productive summer with Comets.
“The summer playing with the Comets was a great experience,” said Stimmler. “And I felt that I grew a lot as a player and a person. We didn’t win as much as we wanted but we improved so much as a team and I thought that was important.”
Stimmler was one of the top bigs in the Mississippi 8 Conference and there aren’t a lot of big men that can contend with him inside during the high school season. So playing against big guys just as talented was necessary for his personal growth.
“Playing that kind of competition is important because it makes you play your best every game,” said Stimmler. “It also helped me with my growth as a big man because playing high school ball there isn’t always that high level big guy on the other team. With summer ball there was a lot of chances for me to play against some great post competition.”
What you see is what you get with Stimmler. He’s big and strong and uses his body to punish people inside. He plays to his strengths effectively and while he isn’t the most athletic guy, he’s consistently improved in that area.
“I felt like my speed and agility along with my defense game got a lot better as the summer went on,” Stimmler said. “Being able to come out and guard a big guy that plays outside is something I’m glad I got better at. I hope to improve on some face up move along with some shooting for the upcoming season.”
His combination of skills, size and upside to go along with a resume of productivity is attractive to college programs. Stimmler’s drawn his share of local interest.
“The two main schools I have been talking to are St. Johns and Augsburg,” said Stimmler. “I have been on a visit to both and liked both of them.”
Beyond that, Stimmmler’s focus is on a big senior season; one that has the potential to be special as the Tigers have the returning – and incoming – talent to compete for a conference and section title.
“I am very excited for the high school season because of the way we work as a team and move the ball,” said Stimmler. “It’s great to be on a team that can share the ball and everyone makes such a big impact on both ends of the floor.”