Prospect Spotlight: John Steffen (2020)
It’s still early in his high school career, but we feel safe saying that the future is bright for Linn-Mar sophomore John Steffen.
The 6-foot guard first caught our attention this past spring at a tournament in Council Bluffs, where he proved to be one of the best players on a very good Iowa Mavs 15U Purple squad.
He then showcased great skill and precision shooting at our Top 250 Expo last month,
Steffen explained to PHIA what is it that makes him such a threat on the floor.
“I like to be more of a scoring guard, and I also like to rebound from the guard spot. I like to play up-tempo,” said Steffen.
“I’m definitely looking to improve my ball-handling. And I feel like my vision is pretty good right now — making the right pass is one of my strengths. And shooting can always get better, but that’s one of my strongest suits.”
Steffen reflected on his 15U spring and summer with that Mavs Purple squad, and highlighted his improvements.
“I thought I played pretty well, it was my first year playing actual organized AAU,” said Steffen. “I loved playing with the guys, and I thought I became much more efficient than I was in the past; not turning the ball over and making higher percentage shots.”
With Linn-Mar, one of the state’s most storied hoops programs, it can be tough to crack the varsity lineup as an underclassmen. That’s a goal for Steffen this winter.
“My goal is to get some varsity minutes this year. I’ve been to a varsity-only open gym and have scrimmaged with the varsity. But, obviously, it’s tough to get the call-up. So right now I’m just looking at minutes with the sophomore team and doing my best with them,” said Steffen.
“And hopefully, sometime during the season, I’ll get a chance with varsity.”