The 18-year-old who finished up at St Andrew’s College last year was named in the Junior Tall Blacks team over the weekend.
The squad was meant to be playing now in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany but it had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Instead of preparing to wear the black singlet, Stodart is seeing out the pandemic with his family near Invercargill.
“I’m certainly enjoying some home cooking,” he said.
“It’s not where I expected to be at this time but everyone is giving up something at the moment, so it is what it is.
“It was great to be named in the team.’’
Stodart trialled for the Junior Tall Blacks in February.
“I felt I trialled well and there were guys there I hadn't seen too much of before and they were playing well, so the level of competition was high."
The 2m forward said since moving to Christchurch for his senior secondary school campaign, he had enjoyed the added physicality and ability to improve his defensive technique.
“Moving up, I thought there would be a higher level of competition and coaching as well, so it was a big part of my decision to move.
“My defence has improved because I’ve been playing against bigger guys regularly,” he said.
“The pace of the game is higher and being able to adapt.
“There’s a demand for guys who can do multiple things like pass, dribble, shoot and have really good ball handling.”
He said he also prided himself on being a big guy who can shoot the long ball.
“I’ve always prided myself on being able to shoot from the perimeter and it’s worked out for me."
In announcing the squad, Junior Tall Ferns coach Aaron Fearne said Stodart was a hard worker at both ends of the court.
“He has an ability to stretch the floor and shoot the three-ball,” Fearne said.
“He is a team-first guy and has a great attitude.”
Stodart is looking forward to returning to Christchurch, weighing up any potential college options in the United States and starting training with the Mainland Eagles.
