By Danny Wild
MaxPreps.com
NEW YORK – With the national spotlight on New York City hoops, Rice again stepped up.
Actually, the spotlight wasn't turned on until after Rice picked up a five-point win over a red-hot Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.) team. It was Lincoln, a day after Honest Abe's birthday, which fell to St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) in game two of the Nike Super 6, televised live on ESPN2 Friday night.
Rice, one of the hottest teams in the nation, picked up a huge win, while Lance and Lincoln fell apart just two days before the Railsplitters face Thomas Jefferson in the Brooklyn Borough Championship at LIU on Sunday.
A big weekend in the rose-filled city.
Rice, ranked No. 45 nationally in the latest MaxPreps rankings, ended Paterson Catholic's 15-game winning streak with a 67-63 win at Fordham in the night's first game. Big man Kadeem Jack, 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, added four late points, including a pair of free throws with 1.4 seconds left, to give Rice (15-2) the win.
The Raiders, ranked No. 16 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50 this week and No. 1 in the New York state by MaxPreps, coughed up a 14-point edge at the half but rallied late behind Jack's 15 points and a game-high 12 boards.
Miami-bound senior guard Durand Scott finished with a team-high 17 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals for Rice (more on Scott below).
The Raiders stopped St. Raymond (Bronx), 60-42 earlier this week after the Miami-bound Scott scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half.
So who showed up to see the three Nike games? Chuckie Martin (Marist), Craig Carter (Rutgers), Derm Player and Scott Adubato (Seton Hall), Jorge Fernandez (Miami), Jared Grasso (Fordham) and Phil Martelli Jr. (Niagara), according to SNY's Adam Zagoria.
And, of course, ESPN2 was present, with all cameras pointed at Lance Stephenson amidst Lincoln's 63-58 loss to St. Patrick. Stephenson, arguably New York's top undecided recruit, said last week that he's dropped Memphis from his list of potential colleges and is now looking at... Maryland.
And who else is heading to MD? Lincoln's James Padgett, who's three-point play late in the fourth quarter Friday brought the Railsplitters to within five points.
But, that was last week. Friday brought more news: Stephenson confirmed that he will visit Kansas on Feb. 21 for a game against Nebraska. Lance also said he will play in the McDonald’s All-American Game April 1 in Miami.
St. Patrick's Dexter Strickland said he will also play in the All-American Game.
Zagoria broke the Maryland news last week following Stephenson's 21-point effort in Lincoln's win over Thomas Jefferson. Stephenson, long rumored to end up locally with St. John's, said he'll announce his decision in March, ideally after he leads the Railsplitters back to the Garden for a fourth straight city crown.
“Hopefully when I win the city championship — hopefully we get there — I’ll name right after that,” Stephenson told Zagoria.
Watch MaxPreps.com video of Stephenson and Lincoln!
He listed his current schools as “St. John’s, Maryland, Kansas and USC."
Memphis is apparently off the list. Stephenson claims they've already found their man in Xavier Henry. He reportedly visited Maryland last weekend, the school-of-choice for Lincoln teammate James Padgett, a 6-foot-8 forward.
“They’re kind of high on my list," Stephenson said. "I didn’t go and visit all the other schools. I just visited that school. It’s the first official visit. I’m just going to see what the other schools look like and pick by that.”
Right, he didn't. But he will. St. John's has been hounding the 6-foot-5 Stephenson, and Kansas must be drooling over the senior after his 50-point effort on Feb. 10 in Lincoln's 113-78 dismantling of FDR in the first round of the Brooklyn Borough Championships.
Who was there to see Lance score 50? Maryland coach Gary Williams, who led the Terps to the 2002 NCAA title.
In more Lance news, the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic rosters were announced this week and Stephenson was not selected.
It apparently did not bother the Coney Island star. Two days after scoring 50 points, Stephenson knocked down 46 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as Lincoln clubbed Transit Tech, 91-67, on Thursday in the Brooklyn Borough semifinals.
Lance (star of his own web documentary) is averaging nearly 32 points a game.
Zagoria goes much further in-depth with Stephenson and Padgett on his excellent blog.
More City News
- Rice's Miami-bound Durand Scott was selected to the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic roster and will compete in the nationally-televised game at Madison Square Garden on April 18 at 8 p.m. Scott was the lone NYC player picked for the game, which features some of the top seniors in the nation...and, of course, Michael Jordan sitting courtside with his posse of celebs and big names.
The game, organized through Nike, featured Rice alumi Kemba Walker last year. Nike had some kind words for Scott: "Scott is a fierce competitor and proven winner throughout his high school career. He is most productive when slashing to the basket but has no problem setting back and hitting the jumper. Scott’s great length and quick feet are what make him a solid defender. His high basketball IQ and good court vision make him a lock to make an impact at the next level."
The game, in past years, has basically featured a who's-who of NBA stars, some of which return for the event each year. The Nets' Vince Carter sat courtside last year.
- Christ the King defeated Archbishop Molloy (Briarwood), 84-69, as 6-foot-7 junior Dominyka Milka recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Sean Johnson netted 30 points this past week. The Royals had lost to Xaverian, 46-44, and are ranked No. 20 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50.
- Bourough Championships will finish up on Sunday, and the city playoffs begin on Feb. 24. A and B division crowns will be awarded on March 21, while the AA division title will be at Madison Square Garden on March 15.
- Robert Wagner's Steven Edwards leads the PSAL in scoring with 697 total points. The senior, who also plays volleyball, is averaging 36.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this year.
- Nine players on St. Francis Prep's girls varsity basketball team were suspended after their parents refused to allow them to board a bus to play a league game, according to the New York Daily News.
Danny Wild is a writer and photographer for MaxPreps and can be reached at danny@danny-wild.com.
