St. Charles Sophomore Basketball Player Makes Familiar Choice for College

At 6-foot-5 with a wingspan covering another 5 inches, Kendall Stephens looks like he’s all arms and legs.

He’s also got a pretty nice jump shot.

Last week, the talented St. Charles East sophomore guard announced his intention to attend Purdue University, where he will play basketball for the Boilermakers in 2013.

Even though his dad, Everette, was a four-year player for Purdue from 1985-88, the choice wasn’t necessarily a slam-dunk for Kendall, who also received scholarship offers from Northwestern, DePaul, Illinois and Wisconsin.

“It was tough, especially with all of the schools that offered me,” said Kendall, who averages 17 points per game this season for the Saints. “They’re all great programs.”

What did the schools see in Stephens?

“They see the fluidness,” said Saints coach Brian Clodi. “They see how he can handle the ball and how he can create his own shot. What makes him special is that shooting is a lost art, and they’re (Purdue) getting a kid who is shooting 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc. And it’ll be 50 percent by next year.”

There were several determining factors behind Stephens’ final decision.

“It definitely had to be a winning program,” said Stephens. “The school had to have strong academics, and I wanted it to be close to home. I have a lot of relatives on my mom’s side that live down there (in West Lafayette, Ind.). I think I’ve been there over a dozen times. That made it real comfortable.”

For Everette, it’s a win-win situation.

“He’s very familiar with the situation and that brings a comfort,” said Everette, who spent two seasons playing in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks from 1988-91. “Hopefully with that comfort he can just settle in to what he needs to do to keep improving as a player.

“Plus, I’ve still got some colors that I can keep the same—some Purdue outfits,” added Everette.

Kendall, who plans on attending Sunday’s Purdue-Ohio State basketball game in West Lafayette, also favors the system run at Purdue by head coach Matt Painter.

“I love the style that they play, the motion offense,” said Kendall, “and I love the coaching staff.”

 Clodi knows he’s got a special player around in Stephens.

“He doesn’t want anything for free,” said Clodi. “He’s an unbelievably hard worker. He takes 2,000 shots every weekend and never gets tired of it, and he takes another 1,000 shots during the week. He wants to be good. He wants to be better than his dad.

“Purdue is lucky to be getting him because you’ve got a kid who is not full of himself,” added Clodi.

Clodi has gotten the opportunity to see Everette and Kendall co-exist in a coach/player relationship on a daily basis with Everette serving as a Saints assistant coach this season.

“There is no better father-son relationship than the one that Everette and Kendall have,” said Clodi. “They have a relationship that all fathers would love to have.”

While the recruiting process is in the rear-view mirror, Everette knows things will only get tougher for his son in the future.

“It’s going to be challenging,” Everette said. “He’s about to step into a man’s world.”

Kendall, who still has two more seasons of high school basketball to look forward to, conducts himself on and off the court unlike most 16-year-olds. He’s mature well beyond his age.

“I have a lot of humble people around me and a lot of family members to keep me grounded,” he said.