Recruiting Report: Ryan Stipanovich (2017)

SPRINGFIELD —One of the St. Louis area's most versatile players, DeSmet 2017 forward <strong>Ryan Stipanovich</strong> is off to a strong start to his senior season after putting his college decision behind him. A 6'7 2017 wing player, Stipanovich is a versatile player with the ability to do multiple things on the court. He is currently averaging 19 points, a team-high 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. "I think I bring a lot to the table and that is why I was so heavily recruited," he said. "I bring versatility. I can rebound, play on the perimeter and with my size that helps getting my shot off and rebounding. With this team, I am a senior now and coach is on me about my leadership and improving that." Stipanovich had 10 Division I offers over the summer and narrowed it down to Bradley and Vermont and fell love with Bradley and the coaching staff. He made his decision official when he signed his letter-of-intent during the early signing period in November. "The facilities were awesome and I've grown up watching the Missouri Valley Conference," he said. "It's close enough, but also far enough away from home." Stipanovich plays a lot in the paint at the high school level for DeSmet but will be a wing player at the Division I level. He said he spent the offseason focused on improving his ball handling to make that transition in the future a smooth one. "Improving my ball handling and quickness at the next level are going to be big keys," he said. Despite replacing six seniors, DeSmet is off to a 3-2 start this season with wins over Parkview, Lafayette and Parkway South. "I have high expectations, people don't really know who we are, we are young and we have a lot of new kids, but we put a lot on ourselves and we expect a lot," Stipanovich said. Stipanovich says he is looking forward to competing in the Metro Catholic League, which also features Chaminade, SLUH, CBC and Vianney and is widely considered to be among the state's toughest conferences. The league plays a home-and-home series, meaning a team that is not ready for the tough competition could take it on the chin. "We have a lot of really tough conference games," he said. "Those are all really fun atmospheres to compete in." Stipanovich said he grew up watching Kobe Bryant and said he loved his preparation. "He always had that edge over people and motivated himself to be the best he can with his work ethic," Stipanovich said.