Prospect Spotlight: Daniel Deindorfer (2019)
Michigan’s 76th-ranked 2019, Daniel Deindorfer wrapped up his sophomore season at Forest Hills Central a few months back, and is now in the midst of what is a very important 16U season.
At 6-foot-6 and with a high basketball IQ, Deindorfer says his primary responsibility is to man the paint, and simply make the right basketball move.
“I am a paint protector, strong rebounder, I finish well around the basket through contact, and my footwork is a big strength of mine on offense and defense,” said Deindorfer. “I have a variety of post moves and can drive to the basket from outside the paint. My basketball IQ is also strong whether I need to pass out of a double team or know when to roll/pop out of a pick.”
His sophomore season with the Rangers went well, both individually and team-wise. He says his squad far exceeded preseason expectations.
“We were supposed to finish second to last, only in front of Cedar Springs. We had a variety of different skill sets in our smaller numbered team. We all made each other better with what we had to offer,” said Deindorfer, who is now spending his summer with MBA.
“I’m currently playing for MBA. We’ve had good games against elite teams. This July we plan on traveling to Orlando, Milwaukee, Missouri and possibly Indianapolis.”
With still a critical summer of improvement and exposure ahead of him, the talented power forward described what his goals are for July, and the rest of the summer.
“My goals this summer are mainly to become a better ball handler and shooter. Last season my jump-shot form was not the prettiest,” said Deindorfer, who also mentioned ball-handling as a point of emphasis.
“It’s not that I’m a bad ball handler, but I want to become more familiar with dribbling if in a tight situation. My goal is to to be able to eventually play small forward if I eventually play for a team that puts me there.”
Still with his junior and senior seasons ahead of him, plus this summer and next offseason, there’s plenty of time for Deindorfer’s recruitment to materialize. He’s hoping to get the ball rolling with that this summer though.
“Recruitment-wise, I’m planning on traveling further from Michigan in July and I’ll be exposed to a variety of different scouts at tournaments,” he said. “I’m hoping my AAU coach gets a call or text from a college that’s interested. Any form of a scholarship pays off the dedication I’ve put into basketball. I’m eager for this summer to keep playing the game I love.”