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Parkland's Stout commits to Lafayette

05/06/2015, 1:00pm EDT
By Tom Reifsnyder
Kyle Stout

Tom Reifsnyder (@tom_reifsnyder)
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Can you remember the last time you made a life-altering decision during your lunch break?

Kyle Stout does. In fact, it’s rather fresh in his memory.

​At the beginning of lunch on Wednesday, he was just like any other high school junior, still unsure of his college destination.

By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period for the students of Parkland High School (Pa.), it was official; Stout had committed to Lafayette.

The decision came less than 24 hours after the 2016 small forward’s unofficial visit to Lafayette’s campus in Easton, Pa., where he met with the coaching staff and played some pick-up ball with the team.

Later that night, Stout discussed his visit with his parents, his Jersey Shore Warriors AAU coach, and Parkland head coach Andy Stephens, all of whom spoke highly of Lafayette. Still, Stout took the night to sleep on it.

“I talked to him last night on the phone a little bit and then he came in today over lunch,” Stephens said. “We were just sitting there, and he says to me, ‘Why don’t we call now and just kind of get it over with, because I really want to go there,’ and I said, ‘Okay, let’s call.’

Minutes later, the deed was done. When Stout finally hung up the phone, he didn’t say anything for a few seconds; he just smiled.

It was a moment of relief for Lafayette’s first commit from the class of 2016, who also had offers from fellow Patriot League school Colgate and UMBC of the America East, in addition to high interest from Penn, which he visited last week.

Lafayette head coach Fran O’Hanlon offered the smooth-shooting 6-foot-6, 170-pound wing back in mid-September of 2014, and has been making his presence felt in Stout’s life ever since.

“I think one of the big reasons [for my commitment] was Coach O’Hanlon,” Stout said. “He really made me one of his priorities, he made me feel wanted.

“He came to all my workouts, all my games, all my practices, and knowing that…everyone who I’ve ever took advice from, they told me to go to a school where they want you, and knowing that he wants me at Lafayette, it was a great feeling.”

Still quite early in the summer recruitment period, it’s likely Stout would have received some more Patriot and Ivy League offers had he kept his recruitment open, but he didn’t want to wait. His sights were set on Lafayette.

“Obviously I knew it was a great fit, everything that I wanted was there, and if I would’ve waited longer to see what other offers I would get, that opportunity could’ve been gone just like that and I really didn’t want to pass it up,” Stout said.

Although it hadn’t offered yet, Stout mentions Penn as the main competitor to Lafayette in his college decision-making process.

According to Stephens, Stout is an excellent student, and would have likely qualified for admission to the Ivy League institution had they offered, but financial aid loomed large in Stout’s decision.

“I really liked Penn as well; similar play style, they like to get shots up, and the new coach, Coach [Steve] Donahue,” Stout said. “But one of the big differences between them is obviously Penn is an Ivy League school and they can’t give full [athletic] scholarships, so it’s financial aid-based.

“With all my parents have done for me, paying for me to go to all these tournaments and play with these teams, to be able to have them not have to pay for my college is a huge thing.”

Right now, Stout is a lengthy wing who excels from behind the arc and occasionally posts up smaller defenders, often playing the ‘3’ and ‘4’ positions for high school and AAU ball.

But with a 6-6 frame and a sweet shooting touch, Stout has an undeniably high ceiling, and Stephens thinks he has a chance to play some off guard for O’Hanlon at Lafayette.

“For us he actually brings the ball up sometimes as a point guard,” Stephens said. “And sometimes he’s matched up playing like a power forward defensively so he’s pretty versatile.

“Obviously, it’s much different at the college level, but I think [O’Hanlon] plans on using him at an off guard to a small forward position. He just thinks Kyle’s potential for growth is very high.”

With his recruitment effectively closed and his commitment behind him, Stout no longer has to worry about impressing coaches or weighing the pros and cons of different schools; all that remains for him is preparation for the next level.

While Stout’s frame and shooting ability make him an ideal fit for Lafayette’s high-paced offense, he knows there is still work to be done if he wants to contribute right away.

“I mean obviously with their offense there they like to shoot the ball, get threes up, and I think that really fits my style of play,” Stout said. “But I’m definitely working on my ball handling, my quickness and my strength, and I think if I can do those three things it’ll really add a whole other dimension to my game.

“When I start hitting my jump shots like I can, I’ll be able to blow by people just as well, and all of that I think will help me fit into my role on the team.”

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