Rocky Hulne, Austin Daily Herald, Minn. –
HAYFIELD — One of Minnesota’s best all-time three-point shooters will continue his sharp-shooting at the college level.
Hayfield senior Bobbie Stephens recently signed his letter-of-intent to play basketball at Waldorf College, a Division III school that is located in Forest City Iowa, next season.
Stephens, who is eighth in career three-pointers (326) made in Minnesota and is second on Hayfield’s career scoring list with 1,231 points, hopes to put up some points for the Warriors as he moves on to the next level.
“It’s nice knowing that all of the hard work I put in wasn’t for nothing,” said Stephens, who received a partial academic scholarship. “It’s pretty gratifying to be able to move on and play college ball with a new team.”
Stephens, who is 5-8 and averaged 14 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game this season, will likely start his first season as a starter on Waldorf’s JV team as he makes the transition from shooting guard to point guard.
“I don’t think it’s to big of a deal. I’ve just got to get a little bigger, stronger and faster,” Stephens said of the position change. “Those guys were pretty good last year and it’s a lot different than high school basketball.”
Stephens started 108 straight games at Hayfield and Waldorf head coach Nigel Jenkins is looking forward to bringing him into the program.
“Bobbie’s ability to knock down shots from three is something we needed in this class and it’s something he will provide,” Jenkins said. “He comes from a very good program and was coached very well at Hayfield. His best basketball is still ahead of him.”
Stephens said he was attracted to Waldorf because they rely on every player to share the load.
“They’re very team orientated and hard working. They’re not just about one guy and everybody works hard,” he said.
Stephens, who is one of the top high school bowlers in Minnesota, will not be able to bowl for Waldorf. But that doesn’t mean his done with it.
For now Stephens wants to focus on basketball.
“I wanted to continue to play basketball. I can pretty much bowl whenever I want,” Stephens said.
Waldorf finished with a record of 14-13 overall this past season and Hayfield was 22-6 overall.
