Recruiting Report: Jack Stensgard (2016)
December 18th Update The Simley Spartans had a fantastic 2014-15 season going 19-9. The majority of the rotation graduated but the Spartans were still bringing back leading scorer Jack Stensgard so there was still a positive vibe. Jack scored nearly…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingDecember 18th Update
The Simley Spartans had a fantastic 2014-15 season going 19-9. The majority of the rotation graduated but the Spartans were still bringing back leading scorer Jack Stensgard so there was still a positive vibe. Jack scored nearly 17 points a game last year while also leading the team in assists and being a top three rebounder.
The 6-foot-3 Stensgard scored 22 points in the open game of the season against Hastings but then an injury occurred leaving Ben Bushaw’s team with only newcomers. The squad fell to 2-6 but Stensgard’s return should help.
“I have only played in one game when I wasn’t injured,” said Jack. “I played two more with a broken toe and then I’ve been out for the last six. We were playing pretty well with me but we’ve been struggling a lot lately.”
Jake Binley, a sophomore guard, has stepped up and played well in Jack’s absence but having the two together would be even better. When Simley plays Richfield next week Jack should be back.
“I’ll be back Tuesday. (The injury happened when my) brother stepped on my toe pretty hard when he came for Thanksgiving. I tried playing but I couldn’t do it anymore.
Jack is a top 50 level prospect in Minnesota’s senior class and there is an array of programs continuing to talk to him.
“I have had a couple more schools that have contacted me quite a bit,” Stensgard told NHR. “They are Minnesota State-Moorhead, Jamestown, Upper Iowa, Mount Marty (SD), and my assistant coach knows a guy at Cali San Marcos and has been talking to him. A lot of the MIAC schools have continued to talk to me as well.”
Expect several of those MIAC schools, as well as some others, to watch Jack soon as he gets back on the court fully healthy.
September 9th Update (RJ)
Jack Stensgard led Simley with 16.6 points per game a year ago when they won 19 games and were a consistently ranked top ten team in Class AAA. Things have changed in Inver Grove Heights though as Jack was playing with mostly seniors and now has a new group joining him in Spartan blue and red.
“I’m excited,” Jack said. “We don’t really have any players besides me with varsity experience so I have a really good opportunity to kind of lead the team and be the scorer where everyone is looking for me. If it goes well I think I could have a breakout season.”
The Metro East was a really tough league a year ago but Hastings, Hill-Murray, and St. Thomas Academy have lost several top pieces so outside of Tartan returning everything the league is going to look different.
“Our conference changed a lot and it’s a lot weaker than what we usually play in,” Jack said. “I think we have a chance to make it to state but the players on our team will have to know their roles and keep getting better. I think if we play well as a team we could have a good chance.”
Jack played with Minnesota Select Ohnstad this off-season and the team won 33 of their 45 games played. They split games with Fury Wilde, split with Select Altenhofen, beat Comets Lewis, beat WOTN Nicols, and lost to Heat Vang giving them a solid 4-3 mark against the top ten teams in the state.
Jack had scoring options around him in addition to being one of those point producers so he was often a duel role guy.
“I think my main role this year for my team was playmaking and I think my court vision and how I see plays develop increased a lot,” Jack said. “I also think I controlled the tempo of games well and handled pressure easily when ever it happened
“This year was probably the best year of (Grassroots) basketball I’ve had,” Stensgard explained. “I didn’t know any of the guys going into it but we all got along really well.
“I also loved having Mitch Ohnstad as a coach. I think he helped me excel tremendously and also helped a lot with talking to coaches. So I’m really happy that I ended up choosing Select.”
The last time we talked with Jack he was starting to get stronger interest from the D2/D3 level. From the NSIC it was UMD, Winona State, Concordia-St. Paul, Augustana, and Northern State. From the MIAC he heard from Augsburg, Concordia-Moorhead, St. Olaf, and others. Where are things now?
“I went down to St. Olaf a couple weeks ago and I’ll go down again this fall for an overnight,” Jack stated. “I’ve talked to Minnesota-Duluth about going up for visit. I’ve also been talking to a majority of the MIAC schools.”
Update from 5/26/15 by Alex Conover
Jack Stensgard has to be one of the more fun players to watch in 2016. He glides around and tosses in buckets in transition or from the wing in a halfcourt set. He buckles down and uses quick hands to find steals, and he moves the ball up the court unselfishly.
Plus, he might still be getting taller. He lists at 6-foot-2 now, and has been dunking in open gyms. That could take his recruitment to the next level.
As for now, some college programs have already made preliminary contact.
“I’ve heard a lot from St. Olaf,” Jack said. His older brother, Sam, will play at Olaf next year. “I’ve also heard from Augustana, Northern State, and Augsburg. I got a letter from Bucknell during the season, they were at our Breakdown game. Some other schools are Winona State, Concordia and Columbia, and SDSU has invited me to camp.”
How important is it to Jack that he plays with his brother?
“(I’m looking for) good academics and a successful basketball program. Yeah, playing with him would be great, but I’m just looking for the best opportunity for me,” Jack said.
Jack’s working on his pullup jumper as well as getting stronger and finishing at the rim at a higher rate. Catch him for Select Ohnstad this weekend at the NHR State Tournament.