It took just 3 days, and Lake Norman center Trent Steinour knew what he needed to do

It wasn’t the bugs, the heat, or the humidity, Trent Steinour said.

“I just missed the team,” said Steinour, explaining why he decided to leave one of the nation’s leading prep basketball academies and return home to Lake Norman High for his senior season.

“I wanted to play with the team, because we’re family,” added the 6-foot-10 senior center, a Clemson commit. “And I feel like we have unfinished business this season at Lake Norman.”

Steinour’s decision to leave Lake Norman and attend Montverde Academy, in the Orlando suburbs, made big news in basketball circles during the offseason.

“They play top-level national competition, they practice every day, and it would have given me a chance to face great players,” Steinour said of his decision to move to Florida.

He said he was there three days when he decided to return home.

“Guys like Josh (Yates), Nick (Arnold) and Tre (McKinnon) — we’ve been together for a while,” Steinour said. “With the way we finished last year ... well, we want another shot at it.”

The Wildcats were 28-2 when they faced North Mecklenburg in the 4A state quarterfinals last March. Lake Norman lost 65-61 in overtime, despite 14 points and 15 rebounds from Steinour. North Mecklenburg, powered by Duke commit Isaiah Evans, went on to win the state championship.

Steinour said the Wildcats’ feeling, approaching this season, is, “Why not us?”

“We have a ton of talent on this team,” he said. “We’re certainly motivated, after last season.”

“Most of us have been playing together for quite a while,” he added. “Our practices are crazy. We really get after it.”

Steinour said that in his short time at Montverde Academy, he learned a few things.

“”I learned that I’m more grateful to be part of a family,” he said. “But I also learned things from watching how the players at Montverde approached the game.”

He said Montverde Academy players go hard every day and train rigorously. Steinour said he has talked to his Lake Norman teammates about what he saw in Florida.

“I took the training seriously in the offseason,” he said. “Lifting (weights) was huge for me. I lifted five days a week, and I’ve gained about 15 pounds. I worked a lot on my upper body. And I shot a ton.”

A sprained ankle curtailed his practice time for part of the summer, but Steinour said he is ready to go now.

“I feel great,” he said.

There was a time when tennis was the sport for Trent Steinour. His father, Sean, played tennis at North Carolina and is tennis director at The Peninsula Club in Cornelius. Growing up in Richmond, Trent focused on tennis.

Even after growing and becoming a sought-after basketball recruit, Steinour has continued to play tennis. He compiled a 9-2 record in singles last spring for Lake Norman.

“I like tennis a lot,” he said. “And my height gives me some obvious advantages. But basketball is the main sport.”

Steinour also isn’t bad with the rod and reel. He spends a chunk of his free time fishing at Lake Norman and elsewhere in the area. He landed a 45-pound catfish earlier this year.

But basketball is what has made Steinour a big-name athlete.

He chose Clemson over Charlotte, Georgia, Penn State, South Carolina, Wake Forest and a number of other schools. Steinour’s maternal grandfather, Randy Mahaffey, was a first-team all-ACC player for the Tigers in the 1966-67 season.

“It felt like the place where I needed to be,” Steinour said of his decision.

In the meantime, he is focused on making the most of his decision to return home to Lake Norman.

“It’s really cool to be at a school where both the boys’ and girls’ teams are so successful,” he said. “The playoffs at Lake Norman are a special time.”

“And we get such great support from the community, and our teachers, and the student body,” he added. “That’s part of the ‘family’ thing for me. It’s what helped bring me back.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2024 at 6:15 AM.