Stedman Saunders of the Monterey Trail High Mustangs really is a stud on the courts. And the plural to the courts is in reference to both the basketball and volleyball courts. Most boys high school basketball players do not usually star in volleyball as well. Perhaps the reason is that most high schools do not have a boys volleyball program. But in the case of Saunders, he has the opportunity to star in both sports.
As a sophomore guard, Saunders averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Mustangs went 13-14 in the Delta River League. Going into his junior year, the Mustangs only lost two graduating seniors. As a result, Saunders hopes that the team has developed enough cohesiveness on and off the court to be win a section championship.
This Mustang first started playing basketball eight years ago. He considers his game to be that of a finesse slasher because he knows when to take advantage of his opponent from a mental or physical vantage point. His crossover hesitation move can be deadly as it utilizes his quickness to get a clear lane to the basket. He tries to emulate John Wall, Derek Rose, and Kobe Bryant because they are universal basketball players who all are hard working defensive players, are excellent offensive players, have a high basketball IQ, and are strong leaders on and off the court.
At 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds, Saunders can run 4.50 seconds in the 40-yard dash, can bench press 140 pounds, squat 215 pounds, and has a vertical of 34 inches. Monterey Trail Coach Ken Manfredi says, "On the floor, Stedman is a confident player who does a nice job of not letting the emotion of the game affect him. He is a smooth player who can get to the basket and finish by way of his quickness, length, and body control."
During the offseason, he works on his ball handling skill and strength training because he wants to be well conditioned to be able to direct his team as the point guard. In addition, he plays for his club team Norcal Select to improve his game. Norcal Select Coach Shawn Osborne says, "Stedman can get anywhere on the court he wants. He has a very nice all around game, which is very uncommon for today's high school player.
He plays very hard and is very respectful of his teammates and coaches."
The recruiting process is still early for this Mustang. He wants to play for a school that plays transition basketball and employs a hard nose defense. He has no geographic limits in his college destination.
Biola University, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, Colorado State University, George Fox University, Pittsburgh State University, Seattle Pacific University, UAB, UC Davis, UM-Western, UNLV, University of Dallas, and UT-Dallas have contacted him. He has a 3.25 GPA and would like to major in Business Administration. Coach Manfredi says, "If he continues to put in the work on the court and in the weight room, I expect him to be a college basketball or volleyball player."
Saunders started playing volleyball in his freshman year at Monterey Trail High. His position is on the outside. He was relatively new to playing volleyball. However, his athleticism made the transition easy as he has a good vertical jump, explosive arm swing, quickness, flexibility, and quick reflexes. He worked on his volleyball ball handling skills and being smart about hitting the ball. Since volleyball is not his first sport, he put in the extra practice for the sport. His volleyball coach, Coach Kinglsey, always stressed to him that he will see results and improvement only if he puts in the extra work. His Mustang team has bought into that philosophy.
Sted, what his teammates call him, is by all accounts a laid back and comical high school student. During his spare time, he works on muscle cars and playing video games. He has come across some of the common teenage temptations. He says that drug substance abuse is common but that he has never fell victim to it yet.
As long as Sted has a steady mind and keeps up his dedication on the courts, expect him to be playing at the NCAA level in two years.
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