Wren girls basketball star Riley Stack commits to Coastal Carolina over UNC-Charlotte

Joshua Miller, Anderson Independent Mail
·2 min read

Wren star basketball player Riley Stack is ready to ball at the beach. Stack, one of South Carolina’s top talents, committed to Coastal Carolina over the weekend.

Stack’s early announcement came as a surprise, but she said she was ready to get it over with as the recruiting process became increasingly stressful.

Now Stack can enjoy her final AAU season and have a clear focus through her senior year as she’s confident in her decision.

Wren junior Riley Stack (4) blocks the shot of Blue Ridge High sophomore Maggie Scott during the fourth quarter of the Class AAA State Playoffs at Wren High Saturday, February 19, 2022.
Wren junior Riley Stack (4) blocks the shot of Blue Ridge High sophomore Maggie Scott during the fourth quarter of the Class AAA State Playoffs at Wren High Saturday, February 19, 2022.

“New coaches were coming into the equation, asking me for visits, and then all the other coaches I’ve been talking to were (asking), ‘have you narrowed it down? Do you have a top five? What do we need to do?’ And I almost kind of knew once I went to Coastal on my visit, I just had a feeling … I know I’ve made the right decision, so I’m super excited.”

Stack is 6-foot-4 with great perimeter skills. She averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks last season as she helped lead the Hurricanes to a region title and a 20-6 record.

Stack had a plethora of offers to choose from including Furman, South Carolina, Michigan, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and more. But in the end, Stack was torn between Coastal Carolina and UNC-Charlotte.

Wren junior Riley Stack (4) shoots the ball near Blue Ridge High senior Quadaija Langley during the third quarter of the Class AAA State Playoffs at Wren High Saturday, February 19, 2022.
Wren junior Riley Stack (4) shoots the ball near Blue Ridge High senior Quadaija Langley during the third quarter of the Class AAA State Playoffs at Wren High Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Stack said it was a difficult phone call to inform UNC-Charlotte of her decision, but she couldn’t fight that indescribable feeling at Coastal and new coach, Kevin Pederson, was a big draw as well.

“I think it says a lot that all of (Pederson’s) coaching staff came with him (from Lander) to Coastal, along with his managers wanting to come with him too,” Stack said. “He also brought I think two players, so I think that speaks very highly of him. And he seems very, very passionate.”

Pederson previously coached at Lander University and Anderson University. He takes over a Coastal Carolina program that finished 15-11 last season.

Joshua Miller covers high school sports for The Anderson Independent-Mail. Have questions, story ideas, scores and stats involving high school athletics? Send them to his email at jdmiller@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @NameIsJoshua

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Wren girls basketball star Riley Stack commits to Coastal Carolina