Stanford Hoops inks 2018 4-star center Keenan Fitzmorris

Coach Jerod Haase continues his recruiting tear with the commitment of 2018 big man Keenan Fitzmorris, the class’s 12th-ranked center and top prep prospect from the state of Kansas. Fitzmorris chose Stanford from a slew of interested programs, including Wichita State, Texas, and Notre Dame.

Checking in at 6-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Fitzmorris is even slighter of build than Josh Sharma. From the videos I could scrounge up, he appears to have a wing skillset, including decent ball handling and outside shooting. He seems to make hay from his pump fake, and has good footwork. Although he doesn’t look to want to bang down low, he showed a couple flashes of post potential. There are also some highlight blocks, but that’s not necessarily an accurate indicator that he’s a rim protector.

That the Cardinal used the spot on a big man is not a shock; the only interior players who will be around when he arrives are Reid Travis, Josh Sharma, and Trevor Stanback. Fitzmorris’ signing also fits Haase’s apparent emphasis on shooting, scrapping, and versatility. The shooting is especially notable for a team that shot a paltry 32% from the perimeter a year ago, ranking 299th in D1.

On the prep side, he plays for St. James Academy of Lenexa, Kansas. He also competes on the Under Armour AAU circuit for KC Run GMC. For the AAU season to date, Fitzmorris is averaging 5.3 points, 3 boards, and 0.8 blocks with shooting splits of 35/25/75 in 12 games. Those stats indicate that he is still a raw prospect who will need time to develop. His team will compete in the Under Armour finals later this month.

If the name Fitzmorris sounds familiar, it’s for good reason: his sister, Audriana, is a star middle blocker for the national champion Stanford Women’s Volleyball team. A rising sophomore, Audriana was an AVCA All-America honorable mention a year ago, and was AVCA National Player of the Week for the week of September 6.

“It doesn’t hurt that my sister is [at Stanford],” Keenan told Rivals. Familial ties are not the only reason he chose to play for the Cardinal, though. “I was always impressed with the character of the coaches there and it’s the greatest school in the world.”

Coach Haase is an alumnus of the University of Kansas, and even received a standing ovation when the Card took on the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse this past season. The fact he can pull a top prospect from the Sunflower State comes as no surprise.

Fitzmorris joins four-star guard Cormac Ryan in Stanford’s 2018 recruiting class. This brings the Cardinal to the cap of thirteen projected scholarship players for the 2018-19 season; barring any unforeseen decommitments or departures, this is the last signing in the class of ’18.