There is likely no bigger enigma among high school and
college basketball coaches, fans, players and media members.
Lance Stephenson is both sinner and saint, hero and
villain, celebrated teammate and detested opponent.
And when he decides which college he will attend, he’ll
instantly become both a celebrated incoming freshman with great expectations as
well as a prize recruit that spurned an entire fan base and got away.
The 6-foot-4 senior from Coney Island has been a star
since even before he stepped foot on the campus of Lincoln’s (Brooklyn, N.Y.) campus. His
entire high school career has been under a giant, Big Apple-sized magnifying
glass. The context for his stardom is framed around the success of his
Railsplitter predecessors, Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair.
Very little is normal about Stephenson’s high
school career, mainly because very little about his game is normal.
Stephenson combines the build of a tight end with the grace
that would make him a threat to win Dancing with the Stars. He simply overpowers
smaller guards and blows past bigger defenders.
Lance Stephenson presents match up problems to most guards.
Photo By Lonnie Webb
The same Lance Stephenson that taunted Boys and Girls
High School fans last season in the teams’ first meeting after a brawl
in Madison Square Garden the previous season is also the Stephenson that
politely sat at last year’s Primetime Shootout and signed autographs for anyone
that asked.
The trash-talking, in your face Stephenson would routinely
fire off verbal barbs at opponents while playing for the Juice All-Stars in the
summer. But he would also softly and quietly answer questions from the media
after big wins.
Lance Stephenson is an exercise in complexity. It’s
fitting, therefore, that his college recruitment process has been anything but
simple.
First, there was talk that Stephenson might take the
Brandon Jennings approach and play professionally in Europe for one season
before he became eligible for the NBA Draft. At this point, playing overseas
seems unlikely, but should not be ruled out entirely.
Last spring, with Stephenson’s mind not close to being
made up, reports surfaced that Stephenson and fellow mega-recruit Renardo
Sidney might be a “package deal,” a recruiting term usually grounded more in
fiction than reality that suggests two high school players insist on playing in
college together, and any college pursuing one would also have to offer a
scholarship to the other.
“It has to be the right situation for Lance,” Lincoln
coach Tiny Morton told the River-Enterprise
last April. “He’s not just going to go somewhere because of Renardo.”
Morton also suggested at that time that Stephenson might
consider both USC, where Sidney is expected to land, and UCLA.
“That means it’s still wide open for him,” he said.
Morton also said then that he expected Stephenson to make
his choice in September.
That summer, UCLA and USC hung around, but it seemed that
two schools were in the lead for Stephenson’s services --- defending national
champion Kansas and runner-up Memphis.
St. John’s, which has been
desperately trying to retain a big time New York City recruit and inject some
life into its otherwise tepid basketball program, would likely miss out.
As the fall arrived, Memphis began to fall out of the
picture. On Nov. 18, John Calipari accepted a verbal commitment from Putnam
City (Okla.) star shooting guard Xavier Henry. With Henry already on board, it
seemed that Memphis and Stephenson had a mutual understanding that he might fit
better elsewhere.
This created an opening for Maryland to enter the fray,
and St. John’s to re-assert itself.
Maryland had secured a commitment from Stephenson’s teammate,
6-8 forward James Padgett, and began to put on the full court press to make it
a twin killing. Stephenson took an impromptu and controversial visit to College
Park, which included a tour of Under Armour facilities.
James Padgett could help lure Stephenson to Maryland.
Photo By Lonnie Webb
Under Armour’s founder, Kevin Plank, is a former Terrapin
football player who also sits on the school’s Board of Trustees. According to
an article in the Washington Post,
the NCAA considers Plank a booster, making Stephenson’s rendezvous at Under
Armour very controversial.
The sneaker side stories and endorsement drama only
further clouded Stephenson’s recruitment. However, it soon became clear that
the hometown Red Storm were also back in the mix.
New York City often has a love/hate relationship with its
athletes. On one hand, it’s supportive of its homegrown sons, and as passionate
about its teams as any city in the country. On the other hand, it can be a
beacon of negativity, jealousy and resentment.
So, while conventional wisdom had Stephenson leaving the
Big Apple to get away from all the distractions of the city, the idea of
helping resurrect the St. John’s basketball program seemed to gain appeal, and the star's flirtation with the Red Storm increased.
At this time, Stephenson was expected to make his college
decision on March 21, after the PSAL championship game at Madison Square
Garden.
Another prime time game, another PSAL title for
Stephenson, as he led Lincoln to its fourth straight championship. Still, he
seemed no closer to making a college decision, as he postponed choosing a
school.
Then on March 22, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.net reported
that Stephenson was likely to choose Kansas. He cited Stephenson’s competitive
drive, desire to play for a winner and Danny Manning’s effective recruiting as
reasons he would become a Jayhawk.
Stephenson then scheduled his announcement on March 31 at
the McDonald’s All-American game, only later to postpone again.
What was the hang up this time?
Memphis coach John Calipari officially decided to take
the job at Kentucky on March 31. This meant that Xavier Henry, who Kansas
narrowly missed out on initially, would likely become an eligible man again.
This also meant that the Jayhawks may be able to land Henry, whom they seemed
to prefer to Stephenson.
With only one available scholarship (Cole Aldrich and
Sherron Collins both formally announced their plans to return to school last
night), this created a potentially sticky situation for Stephenson, so he
decided to hold off on a decision.
Since then, Stephenson has reportedly taken an official
visit to St. John’s, and the Red Storm may have gained so momentum. Kevin
Armstrong, of SI.com, reported that Stephenson recently became a father, which
could provide further impetus to stay home.
As his recruitment hits the home stretch, there are three
teams with a puncher’s chance to land Stephenson:
Kansas: Stephenson was close to committing to the
Jayhawks a few weeks ago, so they still need to be considered the front runner.
Even if Kansas jumps back in the mix with Henry, he and Stephenson are
different types of wing players. Additionally, scholarship situations often
find a way of working themselves out. Odds Stephenson picks Kansas: 70 percent
St. John’s: Stephenson may decide to get away from the
hectic New York lifestyle. Or, he may decide to embrace it, and be the face of
New York City’s most well-known college sports team. While Lawrence, Kan., may
allow him to concentrate on basketball, St. John’s would allow him to remain
close to his family members, who often attend his games. Odds Stephenson picks
St. Johns: 25 percent
Maryland: The forgotten suitor, Maryland would love to
land Stephenson. It would be a major coup for Gary Williams, who has come under
fire recently for his recruiting. Given Stephenson’s enigmatic nature, the fact
that teammate James Padgett will be a Terrapin, and the school’s close
connection to Under Armour, Maryland is not totally out of the picture. Odds
Stephenson picks Maryland: 5 percent
