Dimingus Stevens
6-5 180 LBS Cumberland, MD
Bishop Walsh School
Video Highlights
Nearly a year ago (07/18) ESPN 4 Star recruit Dimingus Stevens became Seton Hall's first commitment verbaling to the school over offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Temple, among others. Stevens, a deadly long range shooter is considered a wing player who with the graduation of Seton Hall's star 2G Myles Powell will be counted on to help provide some scoring from the 2 and 3 spots on the court.
"A scoring guard that can score from a lot of different levels,” Bishop Walsh coach Dan Prete was quoted as saying when describing his leading scorer. “He shoots the ball very well. He can get to the hole but I think he can eventually be one of those guys who can score a big basket when you need it.”
At one time Stevens was considered a top 50 type player, but after an uneven junior season that ranking dropped to the 125-150 range. Still a decent number but one that eliminated some schools that were initially involved which aided Pirates' assistant coach Tony Skinn and Willard to convince the Maryland star to attend the Big East school.
Tyler Calvaruso, now a Trove corespondent but at the time Seton Hall's sports editor of the Setonian had the following to say in his scouting report given upon Steven's commitment.....
https://www.thesetonian.com/2019/07/19/scouting-seton-hall-commit-dimingus-stevens/
Scouting Report: The first thing that stands out with Stevens is his natural shooting ability. He can stroke it from anywhere on the floor and has range, which is important since the NCAA is moving back the three-point line beginning this upcoming season. Stevens also has a quick release, which makes him a very efficient catch and shoot player.
Stevens’ scoring ability is not limited to behind the three-point line, though. He can put the ball and the floor and create his own shot as well. He uses his length to his advantage to shoot over defenders and his athleticism to beat defenders off the dribble. His shot selection also seems pretty solid, which is a plus for any player entering the college ranks.
Stevens has the length and athleticism to turn into a very good defender, but he’s not there just quite yet. His lateral quickness could use some work and it is imperative that he guards with his feet instead of his hands in the Big East, as the referees place an emphasis on hand checking and any contact above the waist.
A slightly more sobering profile was given to the Trove by Rivals' recruiting guru Eric Bossi who in a May interview said the following....
"With Dimingus, I have a category of guys that I call ‘feels like leather’ guys. Those are guys that the only thing they need to decide if it’s a good shot or not is something that feels like leather in their hands. He is going to let it fly".
Then adding, "he’s an interesting guy because when he was younger, we really thought he was going to be a big time player. That is not to say that he is not a good player, he is a good player. It’s just that he needs strength, he needs to get a little more polish on his shot selection because he can be a low percentage player right now - lots of volume but not a lot of makes to get to where he is. Getting stronger and learning the game and accepting a role will be really key for him. He’s plenty athletic, he’s got decent size, it’s just a matter of settling down and letting things come a little more naturally to him than forcing the issue like he does at times".
It's clear that Stevens has the ability if maybe not the basketball IQ at this time to maximize his talents. He has many natural gifts, size and athleticism being two. But there has to be a reason that his future outlook went from star level to being a 'good player'.
Seton Hall will learn a lot about Stevens in his rookie season at the Hall. For the first time in his basketball career Stevens minutes might be limited as he adapts to playing high D1 basketball against players as talented as he. The advantages he had in high school and to a lesser degree in AAU ball will no longer be as apparent. He will now have to augment his physical game with a more cerebral approach. Mistakes that were overlooked scholastically will now have him seated on the bench. When that happens it will be important that the player understands what is expected from his coach and what he needs to do to correct any issues. If he handles that with maturity he can take his game to the level so many predicted no more than 2 years ago and be a fitting replacement for present day wings Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden.
In short you can say the ball's in Dimingus Stevens' court.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
6-5 180 LBS Cumberland, MD
Bishop Walsh School
Video Highlights
Nearly a year ago (07/18) ESPN 4 Star recruit Dimingus Stevens became Seton Hall's first commitment verbaling to the school over offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Temple, among others. Stevens, a deadly long range shooter is considered a wing player who with the graduation of Seton Hall's star 2G Myles Powell will be counted on to help provide some scoring from the 2 and 3 spots on the court.
"A scoring guard that can score from a lot of different levels,” Bishop Walsh coach Dan Prete was quoted as saying when describing his leading scorer. “He shoots the ball very well. He can get to the hole but I think he can eventually be one of those guys who can score a big basket when you need it.”
At one time Stevens was considered a top 50 type player, but after an uneven junior season that ranking dropped to the 125-150 range. Still a decent number but one that eliminated some schools that were initially involved which aided Pirates' assistant coach Tony Skinn and Willard to convince the Maryland star to attend the Big East school.
Tyler Calvaruso, now a Trove corespondent but at the time Seton Hall's sports editor of the Setonian had the following to say in his scouting report given upon Steven's commitment.....
https://www.thesetonian.com/2019/07/19/scouting-seton-hall-commit-dimingus-stevens/
Scouting Report: The first thing that stands out with Stevens is his natural shooting ability. He can stroke it from anywhere on the floor and has range, which is important since the NCAA is moving back the three-point line beginning this upcoming season. Stevens also has a quick release, which makes him a very efficient catch and shoot player.
Stevens’ scoring ability is not limited to behind the three-point line, though. He can put the ball and the floor and create his own shot as well. He uses his length to his advantage to shoot over defenders and his athleticism to beat defenders off the dribble. His shot selection also seems pretty solid, which is a plus for any player entering the college ranks.
Stevens has the length and athleticism to turn into a very good defender, but he’s not there just quite yet. His lateral quickness could use some work and it is imperative that he guards with his feet instead of his hands in the Big East, as the referees place an emphasis on hand checking and any contact above the waist.
A slightly more sobering profile was given to the Trove by Rivals' recruiting guru Eric Bossi who in a May interview said the following....
"With Dimingus, I have a category of guys that I call ‘feels like leather’ guys. Those are guys that the only thing they need to decide if it’s a good shot or not is something that feels like leather in their hands. He is going to let it fly".
Then adding, "he’s an interesting guy because when he was younger, we really thought he was going to be a big time player. That is not to say that he is not a good player, he is a good player. It’s just that he needs strength, he needs to get a little more polish on his shot selection because he can be a low percentage player right now - lots of volume but not a lot of makes to get to where he is. Getting stronger and learning the game and accepting a role will be really key for him. He’s plenty athletic, he’s got decent size, it’s just a matter of settling down and letting things come a little more naturally to him than forcing the issue like he does at times".
It's clear that Stevens has the ability if maybe not the basketball IQ at this time to maximize his talents. He has many natural gifts, size and athleticism being two. But there has to be a reason that his future outlook went from star level to being a 'good player'.
Seton Hall will learn a lot about Stevens in his rookie season at the Hall. For the first time in his basketball career Stevens minutes might be limited as he adapts to playing high D1 basketball against players as talented as he. The advantages he had in high school and to a lesser degree in AAU ball will no longer be as apparent. He will now have to augment his physical game with a more cerebral approach. Mistakes that were overlooked scholastically will now have him seated on the bench. When that happens it will be important that the player understands what is expected from his coach and what he needs to do to correct any issues. If he handles that with maturity he can take his game to the level so many predicted no more than 2 years ago and be a fitting replacement for present day wings Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden.
In short you can say the ball's in Dimingus Stevens' court.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
