2021 D’Angelo Stines commits to Old Dominion
COVID-19 has caused infinite ripple effects to our world including the college basketball recruiting scene. We’re witnessing more rising senior prospects make early decisions than ever before because of the unknown for the remainder of 2020. The latest prospect in the 2021 class to announce his decision was 2021 Mount St. Joe guard D’Angelo Stines D’Angelo Stines 6'2" | CG Mount St. Joseph | 2021 State MD . The 6-foot-3 guard has announced his commitment to Old Dominion over the likes of Howard, Loyola (MD), Mount St. Mary’s and Qunnipiac.
The Monarchs offered Stines in early July, but quickly formed a relationship with him and made him a priority in their recruitment.
“The recruiting process with Old Dominion was different because the first person that called me was head coach [Jeff] Jones,” Stines told Prep Hoops. “Coach Jones had said that he’d been talking with Coach [Pat] Clatchey and watching film and that he liked what he saw. That same day the assistant coach [Chris] Kovensky reached out to me and ever since that day we’ve been in communication every single day. They took me on a virtual tour of the campus and it just really seemed like the best place for me.”
Stines was one of the area’s biggest stock risers ever since January. He began hitting his stride for the Gaels and helped propel them to winning the MIAA A Conference championship over St. Frances. A question that often came up when discussing Stines with college coaches was if he can be featured primarily as a point guard. He was more of a combo throughout his junior season, but was more effective off the ball.
“They really like the fact that I can shoot the ball and unlike other schools, they talk to me about playing off the ball a lot,” Stines said. “A lot of the schools wanted me to play more point guard with a mix of being at the two, but after talking with the staff and seeing how they use their players, I know there will be opportunities for me to be more off the ball.”
My reaction:
Ultimately, I thought Stines was an C-USA caliber prospect. Although he was more of a late bloomer, Coach Clatchey and the Mount St. Joe program has a long lineage of producing players who are well-prepared for the level that they choose. Stines fits that mold and the fact that he can contribute in a multitude of ways will only help his chances. In the end, I do think he’ll share ball-handling duties not only because of his size, but his efficient decision-making.
He’s a three-level scorer with high basketball IQ and showed a tremendous willingness to rebound from the guard spot. He’s also an underrated defender who can hold his own against taller guards with his athleticism. I wouldn’t have been surprised if other C-USA programs began recruiting Stines had their been live evaluation periods. While making the jump from high school to a conference such as the A-10 certainly takes time, Stines should find his niche and turn in a productive college career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=-xBdzs49IbE&feature=emb_logo