The Stanford men’s basketball team notched two top-30 recruits in the early signing period, as forward Andrej Stojakovic and guard Kaanan Caryle signed their letters of intent to play for the Cardinal.
Stojakovic, who is from Carmichael, Calif., plays at Jesuit High School, where he averaged 25.3 points per game along with 9.3 rebounds in his junior year. Stojakovic will be the second Jesuit player in three years to come to Stanford, as sophomore point guard Isa Silva is a Jesuit graduate. Stojakovic comes from basketball royalty, as his father Peja was a star for the Sacramento Kings in the early 2000s before winning a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
According to 247’s Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein, Andrej’s game mirrors his father’s game in many ways. “Andrej is a proven shot-maker like his dad with a full assortment of threes, pull-ups and stepbacks,” said Finkelstein.
Head coach Jerod Haase had similar acclaim for the 6-foot-7-inch forward. “Andrej has a lot of tools: he is a terrific shot-maker and ball handler, allowing him to score at an extremely high level,” Haase said. “Defensively, he has great versatility, something we look for in the recruiting process.”
Meanwhile, Carlyle, who hails from Alpharetta, Ga., currently plays for Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league that has attracted some of the best high school players in the nation. Despite speculation that he might sign a professional contract with the league, Carlyle followed through on his commitment to the Cardinal.
This summer, Carlyle played for the United States U18 team in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, helping the team take home gold. Scouts have raved at Carlyle’s scoring arsenal and athleticism. “His handle is as good and tight as anyone in the class,” said 247 recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins. “He is simply wired to score from all three levels and never has seen a shot he does not like.”
In addition to his offensive play, Haase complimented Carlyle’s disruptive play on defense. “Defensively, there aren’t too many players that can do what he does to disrupt an offense,” Haase said.
Because of his two-way ability, Carlyle has been compared to Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell, who helped the Baylor Bears win a championship in 2021.
This is the third time in four years that Haase has landed a top-30 recruit, having inked Ziaire Williams and Harrison Ingram in 2020 and 2021, respectively. With the likelihood that senior forward Spencer Jones and sophomore forward Harrison Ingram both declare for the NBA Draft after this season, Carlyle and Stojakovic could help fill the offensive production that both will leave behind next season.