May 18, 2011
Kevin Stafford headed south
Call it nature or nurture, a combination thereof or simply a genetic skip—the subject being the Stafford family featuring a trio of basketball sons after Dad played football and Mom ran track, both at California. Possibly accounting for this anomaly is a grandfather who played basketball at Berkeley. Now the third scion, Las Lomas High and Lakeshow shooter deluxe Kevin Stafford has made his college choice.
The 6-foot-2 Stafford is heading to Azuza Pacific (AP) to play for Coach Justin Leslie and an NAIA Cougar squad which went 29-6 last season, losing to eventual national champion Pikeville in second round championship tournament play..Worthy of noting is that in the starting lineup all season for AP was none other than senior David Stafford, the eldest Stafford brother.
So why AP for Kevin Stafford?
"Over spring break, I got to go down there [southern California] to check out Biola University, Westmont and Azuza Pacific," Stafford explained. As for the latter, "I knew the coaches well, I enjoyed meeting the team and it was a nice campus. Azuza Pacific is a good fit for my future, basketball and otherwise."
Noting his best basketball skills as “shooting, scoring and his basketball IQ,“ he is being viewed as a two guard by the AP coaches who are losing six prominent seniors, including some backcourters.
Stafford scored a season high of 40 points versus San Marin High in the 2010-11 season plus his burying eight treys while totaling 29 points against Cordova High in a state tournament contest certainly puts him into the category of a points producer.
He was named Co-MVP of the Diablo Foothill Athletic League along with teammate Treaven Duffy.
Stafford is looking to major in business but has future coaching aspirations.
Incidentally, the third Stafford is Brian, a junior at the University of Denver who was the top scorer for the Pioneers this season.