Southeastern’s Stephens finds right college fit close to home, commits to play hoops at Mizzou

AUGUSTA, Ill. — Tuesday’s steady rain didn’t cause Danny Stephens or his father, Jeremy, any delays in getting the fields on the family farm worked over.

“We finished them (Monday),” Stephens said. “So it was good timing.”

And for as much as Stephens, the Southeastern senior, feels at home on the basketball court, he feels equally at peace in the fields. That’s why choosing a school where he could thrive playing hoops and studying agriculture made the most sense.

It turns out he found the best of both worlds at the University of Missouri.

The 6-foot-7 all-state forward verbally committed to Mizzou last weekend, accepting an invitation as a preferred walk-on from first-year Tigers coach Dennis Gates and ending the recruiting speculation for the area’s top prospect.

“Obviously, it’s a nice place and they’re an ag school,” Stephens said. “That’s what I want to major in. So this was a good fit.”

Better yet, Columbia, Mo., has a small-town feel despite a growing population of more than 126,000.

“I probably wasn’t going to fit in well in the city,” Stephens said. “I prefer the smaller town.”

Preferably one close to home, too. The Mizzou campus is little more than two hours from his Hancock County farm.

“I get homesick pretty easily,” Stephens said. “So I always wanted to stay close to home.”

But Stephens also wanted to play against the best. Mizzou plays in the Southeastern Conference, which has five teams in the AP preseason top 25 poll and is a Power 5 league. He’ll see the gamut from future NBA draft picks to guys fighting for playing time.

“For me, the biggest thing is being able to play against high-level competition,” Stephens said.

He fits that bill. Last winter, despite missing 16 games with a thumb injury, Stephens averaged 28.1 points and 10.5 rebounds, to go along with 2.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, while leading the Suns to the Class 1A super-sectional. He was a first-team all-state selection by both the Associated Press and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

The versatility and size that sets him apart on the prep scene should help him at the college level.

“Obviously, I’m not the biggest guy, but I’m big and long,” Stephens said. “My versatility is my biggest strength, being able to guard 1 through 5 and shoot inside, outside to go with my passing and the ability to bring the ball up the floor.”

All of those skills were on display throughout the summer when he played on the AAU circuit with Mid-Pro Academy on a team featuring two University of Iowa commits and several other NCAA Division I prospects.

“I felt like I had a really good summer and I can only get better,” Stephens said.

That made accepting a preferred walk-on worthwhile.

“Bet on myself and see what I can do,” Stephens said.

When it pays off, the Mizzou coaches have told Stephens he could end up receiving scholarship money.

“Obviously, I have to earn it,” Stephens said.

That will drive him, even if the pressure to perform for college coaches has eased.

“It’s a huge relief,” Stephens said. “I can go out and enjoy my senior season and not have that pressure of recruitment and thinking about where I’m going to go always with me.”

Besides, the last thing he wants is to miss out on the fun of one final year on the prep scene.

“It’s basketball season,” Stephens said. “It’s the best time of the year.”