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2009 Spotlight: Stephan Van Treese

Gone are Greg Oden and Mike Conley at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. The winning streak and three state title trophies are still in the minds of the school's supporters. Stephan Van Treese knows that. And he's ready to keep the tradition rolling.
The only thing Van Treese knows is winning. He played a role in Lawrence North's state championship run as a freshman but he knew it was Oden and Conley that piloted that ship.
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Then came the AAU circuit. Van Treese helped his Indiana Elite 15 and under squad win the Real Deal on the Hill, the Hoosier Shootout, the Tournament of Champions and the state AAU tournament. His squad finished second to BABC in the 15 and under nationals and made it to at least the Elite Eight in every other event they played in. His résumé is strong already.
"I really think we were the best team in our age group," Van Treese, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward, said.
Hard to argue against that.
Individually, Van Treese, who debuted at No. 8 overall in the first set of rankings for the class of 2009, was outstanding at the adidas Phenom150 camp in San Diego.
The big man is a beast on the boards and around the basket. He said he is spending time working on his 12 to 15 foot jump shot.
"I think I'm more versatile. I can drive to the basket better and I'm hitting jumpers now," Van Treese said. "I was in open gym the other day and coach (Jack) Keefer was walking through and he says, 'Oh my gosh, Van Treese just hit a jump shot.' So, yeah, I guess I'm getting better if he said that."
The mid range game is becoming more fluid, the sophomore says. Already a good, bouncy athlete, Van Treese has a game and a body that could draw worthy comparisons to Duke forward, and former Indiana schoolboy star, Josh McRoberts.
Van Treese is seeing his recruitment take the path McRoberts took. The high-majors are coming on strong.
"I'm still keeping in touch with (Indiana)," Van Treese said.
He'll be on hand for the Hoosiers' version of Midnight Madness in October. Van Treese said he will check out the Ohio State-Michigan football game in November and then catch the Buckeyes on the hardwood on Sunday. A trip to South Bend is also in the works.
"I'm a big Notre Dame football fan," he said.
A handful of other programs are involved. Purdue has offered. Letters from Duke, Wake Forest, Kansas, Stanford, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Missouri were waiting for him on the first day of school at Lawrence North. With all of the attention, Van Treese is keeping an open and patient mind to the recruiting process.
"I'm young. I'm not trying to rush things," he said. "I like the recruiting process but it's not a big thing to me yet. The coaches can't even talk to me or text me yet."
He knows it's coming. Oden and Conley have prepped him for it. So much so, that Van Treese has even made an electronic upgrade to be prepared.
"I bought the new Sidekick 3," Van Treese said. "It's a lot easier to text back and forth."
Van Treese is smart. His fingers might be the strongest part of his body by the time it's all said and done.
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