Mineral Area signs Oregon State transfer Mike Stovall

(1/22/08) Park Hills, MO

MineralAreaCollege has announced the signing of OregonStateUniversity transfer Mike Stovall. The MarshallHigh School (Chicago, IL) standout decided to become a Cardinal after a semester in the High-Major Pac-10 Conference at the NCAA DI level. He follows Marshall High (of Hoop Dreams fame) legend Arthur Agee and current Cardinal Jerwin Callaway to Park Hills.

Stovall, a 6’5” guard, was a key component in the Commandoes back-to-back 3rd Place finishes in the Illinois State Championships. He led Marshall with over 20 points a game and added 8 plus rebounds and 4 assist a game during his senior season.

He played in seven games the first semester at OSU, averaging about 8 minutes a game. Stovall decided to leave the program that was undergoing organizational changes (Head Coach Jay John was released from his duties earlier this month) to join other Chicago prep standouts at MineralAreaCollege.

Stovall is a versatile, athletic guard that will be able to fill various roles for the Cardinals next season. He is a big-time shooter that has range from well beyond the three-point arc. Mike is a long and highly athletic player who can really elevate on his shot, but does not need to get many shots to get his points. Stovall was ranked as the #10 player in the 2007 senior class in Illinois by IllinoisHoops.com. He was also rated as a top 20 player in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com (a national recruiting service).

The Scouting Report from MidStatesHoops.com on Stovall is that he is anathletic and versatile guard that has the ability to effectively fill the 1 through 4 positions. Stovall is a very solid player with a lot of potential. He gets to the basket well and knows how to finish in transition. He is both a high-quality finisher on the offensive end and a very solid defender and rebounder.

Stovall is the first commitment in the 2008 class for the Cardinals. Mineral Area has been successful at taking transfers over the past several seasons. Transfers on the MAC roster include: Marquis Young (University of Mississippi), Byron Pickens (University of Illinois-Chicago), Marcus Scott (LewisUniversity), Kyle Hubbard (MissouriBaptistUniversity), Jerwin Callaway (KankakeeCollege), Lamarr Howard (MeramecCollege) and Eric McCrary (Southwestern Illinois).