The Next Stoudamire
Oregon Hoops | Aug 15, 2013
Portland, OR:http://www.oregonhoops.net
Portland basketball is known in part for its extended family of Stoudamires, the most well-known among them cousins and former NBA players Damon and Salim Stoudamire. Even the much taller (6'9") Terrence Jones is a cousin of the Stoudamires. Damon (5'10") attended Wilson High and the University of Arizona. Salim (6'1") went to Lincoln and Lake Oswego High Schools and followed Damon at the University of Arizona. Terrence Jones attended Jefferson High and the University of Kentucky and became the 18th pick in the 2012 by the Houston Rockets.
A bit lesser known are Stoudamire cousins Patrick Jr. and Antoine, the older brother of Salim Stoudamire. Antoine was a player in his own right, playing basketball for Jesuit High School, Georgetown and the University of Oregon. After brief stints in rookie camps of the Blazers, Suns and Raptors, the 6'3" Antoine played overseas in Brazil, Cypress, Hong Kong and Malaysia. After basketball, Antoine became a hip hop and reggae artist known as Madgesdiq.
The 5'11" Patrick Jr. took a slightly different sports path, originally playing basketball and football for Centennial High School in Gresham and Western Illinois University. After his freshman year, Patrick Jr. quit basketball to focus on football, and he was later signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. Patrick now plays for the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League.
That's some family tree.
Given this incredible athletic legacy, one wonders what's next on the horizon for this family. Dezmond Stoudamire (5'10", Class of 2015), Patrick Jr's younger brother, plays basketball for Centennial High School in Gresham and the Elite24 AAU program. Outside of practice, he works hard on his basketball IQ and skill development under the tutelage of cousin Antoine. Dezmond is an outstanding shooter, who moved up last year from JV to varsity and should see extensive playing time as a junior this season. He is being recruited as a scoring point guard or even as a smaller shooting guard, reminiscent of the careers of Damon and Salim Stoudamire. Dez will be playing in the ScoutsFocus Elite 80 Fall Showcase in Bellevue, WA on August 25th. He is also on the 2015 Watch List at MaxPreps.com.
With this lineage and his own burgeoning resume, it's no wonder that Dezmond is seeing so much early recruiting interest. Schools watching his progress include Rice University, Dayton, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Western Illinois, along with many other D-1 and quality D-III schools. It's still early for this talented prospect, but we very much look forward to seeing what Dez has to offer in the 2013-2014 basketball season.
