The Division 1 men’s basketball’s Early Signing Period is underway and lasts through next Wednesday, November 15. Coach Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavalier basketball program expect to receive letters of intent from two high school seniors – Queenland, Australia wing Kody Stattmann and point guard Kihei Clark.
Stattmann, who stands 6’6”, has played in the Adidas Nations event each of the past two summers. Rivals ranks the sweet-shooting prospect as a 3-star, while 247Sports’ Composite ranking puts him on the 2-star level. North Queensland head coach Shane Froling had the following to say about the future Hoo in an article by the Cairns Post.
“If he continues to develop, there is no reason he cannot be at [the professional level],” Froling said. “He has the ability to shoot it, be long and get to the rim, his whole game is NBA potential.
“That does not mean he will make the NBA, he still has a lot to work on, he needs to get mentally and physically tougher.
“Kody has the Andrew Gaze body type, he is a 6’5 (196cm) guard that can really shoot it.
“The sky is the limit for him.”
Clark, a 5’8” or 5’9”, 155-pound point guard out of Taft (Woodland Hills, CA), picked Virginia roughly two months after decommitting from UC-Davis. He is rated on the 3-star level by 247Sports Composite and ESPN.
Taft head coach Derrick Taylor, who has coached several major college point guards in his high school coaching career, calls Clark a “God-send” since transferring to Taft his sophomore year.
“We had some talent left behind, but as a sophomore he was our most valuable guy,” Taylor said. “He got 30 minutes a game as a sophomore. When I took him out, all heck would break loose. He was the glue. He had 22 assists in one game as a sophomore, which broke a school record.”
Clark averaged 18 points and 7.5 assists per game last season as a junior.
