October 27, 2010

Ronnie Stevens commits to Hawaii

By Admin

Hawaii is known for incredible weather and beautiful beaches, the perfect home for any great vacation. Soon though, Hawaii just may be known for great college basketball. That’s right, great college basketball. University of Hawaii’s basketball program took a huge step forward Wednesday when Gardena Serra big man Ronnie Stevens, the #13 player in our Cali High’s top 25, committed to play for the Warriors.

Stevens is the best recruit Hawaii has had in years, a guy who has incredible talents but even greater potential, and most importantly, somebody who could potentially physically dominate in the Western Athletic Conference.

“I’m very excited to go there,” Stevens told Cali High. “You know you tell people you’re visiting and they say it’s so beautiful and while that is a nice plus I wanted to go there and see what the basketball program and school were like,” Stevens said.

On his official visit Stevens had the chance to talk to the team’s coaches, meet players and tour the athletic facilities. He walked away very impressed.

“I really liked the coaches and just everything about the university. It’s a special place,” Stevens said.

As a member of the Gardena Serra Cavs last year, Stevens played an integral role on a squad that won not only a CIF Southern Section title, but a State title as well. Every team Ronnie has been a part of has won and he plans to bring his winning ways to Hawaii.

“The program has room for growth and that’s what I want to do down there, I want to contribute as much as possible so we can win,” Stevens said. “The focus is winning and I think the program can really start winning more over the next few years,” Stevens said.

Stevens is a special player who alone will make a huge impact for the Warriors.

At 6'8 Stevens has the ideal body for a power forward and has plus athleticism considering his size. He is a very bouncy player and gets off the ground really quickly. He has good vertical leaping ability and incredible reaction time. 

All these traits make Stevens a monster on the defensive end. He is big enough to body up pretty much any forward or center and has shown he's not afraid to play physical. He is very good on help defense and does a very nice job of rotating over to help stop penetrating guards. Stevens always keeps his hands on up on defense and is one of the, if not the, best shot blockers in the state of California. He can get off the ground so quickly that even when he is late on a play he can get a hand on the ball and seems to at least alter every shot he doesn't block. Stevens is a very good defensive rebounder as he gets good position and uses his long wingspan to control boards in all directions.

Stevens is a solid offensive player. He has a good midrange jumper that he can hit with some consistency and is a reliable finisher around the rim. He has a few effective post-up moves and his offensive game has grown nicely in the off-season and should continue to grow.

Ronnie has not formally signed a letter of intent to play at Hawaii and has only given the Warriors a verbal commitment. Ronnie will announce his formal decision during the normal signing period for basketball players in March and will announce his final decision live on CaliHighSports.com

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