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HomeSportsAPSU Governors Basketball add two St. Louis-area guard prospects during National Signing...

APSU Governors Basketball add two St. Louis-area guard prospects during National Signing Day

APSU Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Governors - APSUClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team has strengthened its 2015-16 backcourt by adding both a prep point guard and two guard from the St. Louis area.

Zach Glotta, who averaged 15.1 points and 4.5 assists per game as point guard for Fort Zumwalt North High School, and Stephen Harris, who scored 12.5 points per game while shooting 68 percent from the floor for Webster Groves, signed letters of intent Wednesday to play basketball for the Governors.

Austin Peay Men's Basketball add two guard prospects during National Signing Day. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Basketball add two guard prospects during National Signing Day. (APSU Sports Information)

Glotta will join his brother Chaz, who is a freshman guard at Southern Illinois, at the Division I level. The younger Glotta is a three-time all-district and two-time first-team all-conference selection. The 5-11 backcourt star is in his fourth season as starter and already has scored more than 1,000 career points.

As a junior he shot 54 percent from three-point territory on 118 attempts while also knocking down 91 percent (59 of 65) of his free-throw attempts. He is a career 85 percent free–throw shooter.

The heady backcourt prospect plays for his dad, Charles Glotta, at Ft. Zumwalt North. He has averaged more than 10 points per game all three prep seasons, making at least 40 three pointers each campaign. He has averaged 5.4 assists per game over his last two prep seasons, including 6.0 as a sophomore. Glotta also had 147 steals over his two previous prep seasons, averaging 3.7 steals per game as a junior.

“Zach is the consummate coach’s kid,” APSU coach Dave Loos said. “He has such a great feel on how to play the game.  He is a tough, tough kid who is very skilled and we think has really good leadership qualities. I felt like during the summer in the AAU game he really led his team. He was the glue—he could really get them going.

“I think some guard are guards, but he is a point guard. They are hard to find. He is a true point guard.”

Glotta played a major part in Zumwalt North’s 2012-13 undefeated Gateway Athletic Conference title, averaging 12.5 points per game along the way, in helping lead the team to a 22-6 overall record. He was the 2013 tourney MVP for the State Farm Tournament of Champions and was chosen “Top 50” players in Missouri by MoSports Writers.

“Another thing I really like about him is he is not afraid to have the ball in his hands and take a shot in crunch time…make a play or take a shot during crunch time. Add to that he is a great free throw shooter—I think it is so important that your point guard be able to free throws well–and wants the ball in his hands. If he is aggressive it is going to translate into going to the free-throw line.”

Harris was an AAU teammate of Glotta with the Gateway Basketball Club after a strong junior season at Webster Groves. In fact, that team finished In fact, he led a balanced Statesmen attack in leading the club to a 24-5 record, a second straight Suburban South Conference and a district championship. Webster Groves is considered one of the top Class 5 teams in Missouri this season. He scored 21 points in the team’s sectional game, pushing the Statesmen into the state playoff. Harris also was name St. Louis Post Dispatch Athlete of the Week in consecutive weeks a year ago.

“Stephen is a slasher-type player who can really get to the rim,” Loos said. “He can score in a multitude of ways. Right now he is more known for his ability to get to the rim than is his shooting ability. But the thing that really impressed us about him is his athleticism and his ability to score baskets.

“What we also like about him, especially this summer, was he guarded some highly-rated kids and did really well.”

In addition to his scoring and shooting numbers, he also averaged 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. He was a 36 percent three-point and 68 percent free-throw shooter for Jay Blossom, the longtime coach at Webster Groves.

“Stephen comes from a great program.” Loos said. “Jay Blossom is one of the great coaches in that area—they have done a lot of winning—and they know how to play the game.

“We signed one kid who plays for his dad, who is a good coach, and another who also plays for a good coach.”

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