Recruiting Report: Garrett Sturtz (2018)
Newton guard Garrett Sturtz has officially arrived, and after two very strong seasons with the Cardinals, has established himself as one of 2018’s top overall prospects.
Currently, the lengthy 6-foot-2 wing checks in at No. 26 in Iowa’s 2018 rankings, and could be due for another bump when the next installment is released in May.
A ranking around 26th in Iowa has warranted scholarship offers in the past, typically of the NAIA and Division II variety, and those are the types of schools after Sturtz right now.
“The new one that’s been talking to me is Grand View, and Sioux Falls and Winona State have always been there. And I’m starting to reach out to more schools myself,” said Sturtz, who mentioned two schools in particular he’d like to see come after him.
“I’m hoping some lower D1s and big-time D2s start looking at me; like Northwest Missouri State is a nice school and I feel like I’d really fit in well there.”
He added: “That (recruitment) will all come with a lot of hard-work this offseason, and I’m up to the challenge. The University of Nebraska-Omaha, they’re a great school, I like them, and Northwest Missouri State, those are some schools that I’d like to go to.”
With nice length and some decent height, Sturtz has been able to dominate at the high school ranks. But he’s working to add muscle to his slender frame; the added weight could take his game to the next level.
Also, a quicker release on his shot is something he’s identified as an area of emphasis for him this summer.
“I think the big one for me right now is definitely getting my shot off quicker. We don’t have a lot coming back next season and I’ll have to be even more aggressive offensively, so, if I could get my shot off quicker that would help a lot. And another thing is I just need to work on getting stronger,” said Sturtz.
After averaging 19.8 points per game on great shooting (49/38/87), and leading the 4A state-qualifying Cardinals in assists, steals, blocks and rebounds, Sturtz reflected what was an outstanding junior season — not just for him, but his team too.
“I thought I had a pretty good season. I was able to find scoring opportunities in a lot of different ways; 3-pointers, mid-range especially and at the hoop,”said Sturtz.
Now, he’ll shift his focus to one of the state’s best 17U teams, Iowa Intensity — certainly one of the five best 17U teams in Iowa.
“I love playing with them, we’ve been playing together a long time and we have great chemistry. It’s just really fun having so much talent on the team, guys that can facilitate and who can score and we have some big guys,” said Sturtz. “We’re going to kind of shock some people winning some of these games.”