Stephen Domingo is entering his sophomore year at the St. Ignatius College Preparatory Wildcats as a combination forward. But Domingo is more than just a rising basketball star and one would need to understand his background and upbringing to appreciate his talents.
Domingo was born in San Francisco to parents who instilled in their son the values of having a broad, worldly perspective about life. His father, an immigrant from Nigeria, attended the University of San Francisco and his German-American mother attended Princeton - both have held high educational standards for their son. His multi-cultural background helped him appreciate a variety of perspectives and the value of hard work.
At an early age, Domingo's parents realized he had athletic potential because he was tall and played as a goalie in soccer in elementary school. As a result, he started to play organized basketball in 5th grade with the San Francisco Rebels from the Boys and Girls Club in the Haight Ashbury district and had early success playing competitive AAU basketball.
When the time came to decide on which high school to attend, Domingo decided to attend St. Ignatius of the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) because he felt that the school has a solid combination of academics and athletics. Domingo participates in Speech and Debate and as a freshman competed successfully in oratory competitions. He also participates in community service activities. As a freshman, he earned a 3.40 GPA with an honors schedule and took courses that will lead him to at least four college level Advanced Placement classes.
Aside from his academic and extracurricular activities, Domingo was a freshman varsity starter on the St. Ignatius basketball team. At 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds, this Wildcat averaged 9.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists for a team that went 12-15 and lost to Mills 58-57 in the CCS quarterfinals. Domingo compares his play to that of former Texas star Kevin Durant and former Houston star Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. He has the range and versatility similar to Durant, while he has a mid-post turnaround jump shot that would make Olajuwon envious.
For his upcoming sophomore season at St. Ignatius, Domingo will team up with senior Johnny Mrlik, a prolific three-point shooter who also plans to play NCAA basketball. Domingo's individual goal is to be more of a vocal leader on the court. From a team perspective, he would like to see the Wildcats win CCS and then make a run at the state title. As a freshman starter, he had the opportunity to play significant minutes as the Wildcats took their lumps last year. However, the experience gained from last year will fuel Domingo's payback to his WCAL opponents the next three years.
St. Ignatius Coach John DeBenedetti says, "Stephen handles the ball well, sees the court very well, and has a great feel for the game. He has played against top competition and because of it, he is mature beyond his age. He is tall, long, and is a good leaper. He is a good shot blocker, especially coming from a help position. He runs the court really well and thrives in an up tempo game. He is a very good finisher and will get even better as he matures. He is capable of taking the rebound and going coast to coast."
Last year, Domingo joined the highly-rated San Diego based Dream Vision team. His current Dream Vision 16 team has highly touted twins Tyree and Tyrel Robinson (Lincoln HS San Diego) and Rashad Muhammad (Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas). With that much west coast talent, Domingo has had the chance to practice with some of the best, has been able to play in some high profile events (Bob Gibbons Tournament in Durham, North Carolina May 2010), and plays an up and down tempo with Dream Vision.
Domingo is still young and growing, having just turned 15 in May of this year. He considers himself as a finesse player who can take advantage of opponent mismatches. His best move is his one dribble pull-up that allows him to create an open midrange shot that he can use his length and height to shoot over the defender. His coaches want him to improve on his dribbling so that he can be a more aggressive player who can take the ball to the rim. Based on his current growth, Domingo believes that he will top out at 6-foot-9 with an 85-inch reach. However, his length and athleticism will allow him to be versatile in terms of the position and style of play.
Domingo's academic, personal, and basketball maturity have caught the attention of many of the nation's elite programs that currently include Arizona (Coach Sean Miller), Cal (Coach Mike Montgomery), Georgetown, Indiana, Memphis, Princeton, San Diego State, Stanford, UCLA, San Francisco, Washington, and Washington State and already has several offers. Domingo has not made any visits, not accepted any offers, and does not have a clear cut favorite yet.
Coach DeBenedetti says, "I think Stephen can be really good at the collegiate level. He has the potential to be a scorer and a tremendously diverse player in college. He can already run the court extremely well and can either finish above the rim or knock down the 3. He will continue to get stronger, which will make him a bigger force on the glass and in the post as a scorer. His ball handling will continue to improve which will make him a more diverse player off of the dribble. He really has a world of potential.
Mingo, nickname given by his teammates, wants to attend a program that has a good coach and that plays a fast pace style. He would not mind staying close to home but will not rule out any program based on geography. More importantly, he wants the program to have solid academics. His favorite/best subjects are history and math and he wants to major in business.
Domingo overcame a wrist injury when he was eleven years old and a tragic car accident when he was very young. As a result, he knows how to handle adversity in a mature manner. Coach DeBenedetti says, "Stephen is very mature, polite and has tremendous poise. He is a very good student, smart and motivated. He is respected by his classmates and teachers. Stephen will be one of the leaders of our team." Watch for Domingo during the upcoming years in the Outer Sunset for St. Ignatius as he chases his dream.
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