BY ZACH SMART
One year after playing sparingly behind 6-foot-8 flamethrower Braylan Ritvo (Quinnipiac) and 6-foot-9, 225-pound behemoth Jordan Gabriel (Marist), Class of 2026 Stepinac inside-outside threat Adonis Ratliff grew up fast his junior season.
Longer, more confident, and adapting to the intricacies of the rim protector role with five blocks per game, the Stepinac/PSA Cardinals product adapted to a critical role for an annual national contender.
Ratliff really elicited an issue for defenders, however, with his ability to stick long 3-pointers and stretch the floor out with an adroit, consistent touch from NBA 3-point range.
Ratliff’s floor spacing moon beams enabled him to leave his stamp on several monumental performances last year. He creates a significant two man foundation with his twin brother, equally versatile 7-foot ’26 Stepinac and PSA Cardinals teammate Darius Ratliff.
The 7-footer’s big shot making tactics came alive during a 73-72 victory over a rugged and deep Cardinal Hayes team featuring Quinnipiac-bound high scoring guard Malik Fields.
Ratliff steered the searing pressure cooker with four consecutive 3-pointers during the waning moments of that memorable mid season CHSAA “AA” matchup, including a tape measure trey with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.
With his twin brother Darius nursing a leg injury, Ratliff finished with 18 points, 11 boards, six assists, and four steals.
Having entered the highly anticipated and prestigious 2025 Border Wars in Las Vegas listed at over 7-foot tall, Ratliff engineered a 3-point onslaught to pioneer the NY Crusaders.
He stuck four of his first five attempts from beyond the arc and finished with a game best 32 points on the strength of a scintillating 9-for-11 from 3-point range.
“It was great to get out there and show what I could do because they haven’t seen what I could do,” said Ratliff, who was briefly nicked up with an injury this summer.
Said Stepinac head coach Pat Massaroni, whose program is seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive city title in 2025-26, “Adonis is a high level player who put on a great shooting performance all weekend.”
Adonis Ratliff was quick to cite Alabama, Arkansas, USC, and Texas as the programs currently recruiting him the hardest. He said he plans on visiting USC next at a date TBD.
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