INTRODUCTION TO STORM STANLEY

Stanley goes from unknown to West Virginia basketball commitment overnight

July 10, 2008

Storm Stanley probably did not envision being a commitment to West Virginia earlier this spring. Once the April evaluation period was complete, Stanley was still not a name on many radars, but there was definitely something that Bob Huggins saw in the (rising) junior that he liked.

Stanley recently completed his sophomore season at St. Francis de Sales High School in Toledo (OH), helping coach Nick Lowe's squad to a 14-7 record last season. Since the high school season has ended, Stanley has been playing on the AAU circuit with the Ohio Basketball Club's U-16 squad where he is a teammate of another West Virginia 2010 verbal commitment, Noah Cottril of Poca (WV).

"He is a tireless worker," coach Lowe told the NBE Basketball Report via e-mail. "He works on some part of the game everyday. If he is not in the gym working you can find him in the weight room."

With most young big men, their defense is usually ahead of their offense and Stanley is no different. "He changes games on the defensive end with his ability to block shots and probably the biggest strength of his for his size is his ability to rebound out of his area," Lowe said.

Over the next two years at St. Francis de Sales, look for the offensive skills of Stanley to evolve, a process that has already begun. "His footwork and mobility are what are improving the most right now," Lowe indicated.

Stanley also has a reported 4.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale. He recently just turned 16, so he is still young for his age and with his development still in it's infancy, schools were just starting to become aware of him. West Virginia and coach Bob Huggins definitely got out in front of the curve on this one and now they can watch him develop over the next couple years before coming to the Big East. With his smarts and work ethic, expect this early gamble to pay off for the Mountaineers!