By JACOB POLACHECK
Cord Stansberry may be a top-150 ranked player in the Class of 2022, but at the end of the day, he’s still a kid at heart.
“I’ll do a lot of kid-type stuff,” he said Monday. “We rented a slip-n-slide yesterday. I like being a kid while it lasts. I like going fishing with my dad.”
Stansberry, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound point guard from Shadow Hills (CA), currently holds offers from Loyola-Marymount, Rice and Pepperdine.
He broke down each school:
Loyola Marymount: “I’ve been on about two or three Zoom calls with their staff. They break down a lot of things they do in practice. They are a new coaching staff. All of them were hired recently. They’re just telling me it’s a big family thing. They continue to pitch that ‘if you come to our school, we’ll be at your wedding one day’. Basically just saying that we’re going to get close to you and build a relationship with you. It’s a family-oriented team, which is nice. That’s a big one, just being a part of a family and all that kind of stuff.”
Rice: “They’ve called me several times, both head coach and assistant coach. They like how my grades have kept up a good pace and they continue to say they’re excited about me. The assistant coach asked me to send him some game film. He’s going to watch it and go over it with me, so a big thing is just player development, teaching. Now that they’ve offered me, they’re not going to be able to let everything slide and fix it when I get to college is basically what they’ve been telling me. ‘We’re going to fix it now so you’re ahead of the game when you get here,’ is basically what they’re saying’. Player development is very big for them and it’s been their main pitch.”
Pepperdine: “They have a family-oriented thing going as well. Another thing is that they’re Christian-oriented, faith wise. They’re in the same conference as Loyola-Marymount and Gonzaga so they pitch that they’re in a pretty good conference. They have a lot of good players. The location, they’ve pushed that a lot too. They’re one of the best located colleges in America in Malibu. Basically, it’s family-oriented, they have a great location and they’re faith-oriented.”
Stansberry says that he’s supposed to meet with Stanford staff via Zoom in the near future. Recently, he’s been in contact with head coach Jerod Haase and assistant Adam Cohen.
“They continue to tell me that they’re very excited about me and they tell me that I’m one of the highest recruiting targets,” Stansberry said. “Coach Haase called me and explained that he has a very short list of calls and the fact that I’m on it is very great.
“He said that not a lot of people get a call from him this early, so he’s very excited about me as well. He’s excited to come to my games. He says as soon as they’re able to come to my games, they’re there.”
Stansberry says that Stanford, USC, UCSB and Santa Clara have reached out about hosting him for a visit in the fall.
USC: “They’ve shown a lot of interest. I’m supposed to be going on a visit with them when things open up. The assistant coach Chris Capko and the head coach called as well. He’s called and texted me a few times, just reminding me that he wants me to come visit. He’ll get me down there as soon as possible. I’m excited about that.”
Santa Clara: “They’re big on that, too. I’ve talked to head coach [Herb] Sendek and he’s called me a couple times this past week to check in. He’s reminding me that I’m one of the big recruits that they’re trying to pull in and they want me to come visit as well.”
UCSB: “Same with them. They want me to come up there and visit.”
Stansberry is yet to take a college visit yet, but says he’s paying close attention to a number of factors when making his decision.
“I want a great staff and organization that wants the best for their players,” he said. “I have goals of mine for college and pros. I believe every kid’s dream is to make it to the NBA. That’s my dream. I want a coaching staff that will help me get to that position, but also to win a championship, win games, that’s really important.
“Also, another main thing is style of play. If I don’t like the style of play or believe that I can shine in that style of play, then there really is no reason for me to go there. If I can’t play well then I’m not going to be able to shine, to help the team or achieve any of my goals.”
According to 247Sports.com, Stansberry is ranked as the No. 25 point guard and No. 133 overall player in the Class of 2022.
“I like playing fast,” Stansberry said. “I like getting up and down the court. More points, more wins. You have to put the ball in the bucket. I like getting up in people’s grill, pressing.”
Given the coronavirus pandemic, Stansberry has been unable to play in any AAU events this summer. In the meantime, he’s been focusing on skill development.
“The offseason is a good time to build your skill level and get better at things that you weren’t as good at in the season,” he said. “A lot of it is going back, watching your games and seeing things you could of done better, things you want to improve on.”
Off the court, Stansberry says he likes to spend time with family.
“My family is very adventurous so we like to go on hikes, go fishing, lots of outdoorsy stuff,” he said. “I love fishing. I love hiking, stuff like that.”
Photo: Brandon Magpantay/Desert Sun
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