Stanford lands four-star wing Andrej Stojaković
Stanford picked up a commitment from Andrej Stojaković on Monday, holding off fellow finalists Texas, Oregon and UCLA to land the son of the former NBA star with the same last name. The Cardinal made a furious push late in Stojaković’s recruitment to overtake the Bruins, who seemed to have a commanding lead this summer.
Below, Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy explores what the Cardinal is getting in the 6-foot-7 wing as well as what it means for the big picture.
WHAT STANFORD IS GETTING
Stojaković is a multi-dimensional threat on the offensive end, as he comes with a deep bag of ways to score from the outside, be it a pull-up jumper or taking a defender off the bounce with impressive ball-handling ability for his size. While he’s far from polished when it comes to the mid-range or finishing at the rack, being 6-foot-7 with a smooth jumper provides him a massive ceiling. Defensively, he has the length to be a useful and versatile tool but has not come into his own on that end of the floor just yet in part because he is yet to add the muscle some had hoped to see him add. While Stojaković still has plenty of work to do in order to reach his ceiling, he is skilled beyond his years and has the size and jumper from range to make an immediate impact in Pac 12 games even if he truly doesn’t come into his own until he has a year of college ball under his belt. If he is able to add significant muscle, he’ll become more of a complete player on both ends of the floor.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE CARDINAL
Stanford holds the education trump card in most recruitment battles, and that fact certainly figured into the Cardinal ability to win the battle. The campus’ close-to-home location combined with the fact that Stojaković has a strong friendship with current Stanford player Isa Silva also probably figured into the decision. Still, the work put in by head coach Jerod Haase and his staff to close the gap on big brand schools Texas and UCLA shouldn’t go overlooked. Stojaković joins five-star guard Kanaan Carlyle on the Stanford commitment list, giving the program multiple top-50 prospects for the first time since it signed five-star twins Robin and Brook Lopez in 2006.
IN HIS WORDS
"Going to Stanford, obviously a huge campus, they've made me realize how special that place is with the networking they have over there," he said. "They just want to bring me in and help them create a dynasty and win." -- Stojaković to Rivals' Matt Moreno in September.