St. John's, once rumored to be the front-runner for the services of high school superstar Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson, is officially out of the sweepstakes.
According to the New York Daily News, sources on both SJU and Stephenson's side say there's virtually no chance the 6-foot-6 guard from Lincoln HS (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will choose Norm Roberts' wallowing program. Maryland, which the Coney Island native made an official visit to in April, is also an afterthought at this point.
That leaves Kentucky (which shelled out a fortune for John Calipari, who'll help ressurect the once-prosperous program) Memphis, and Arizona as the three remaining teams on Stephenson's list.
"At this point (St.John's is) out," a legit source said in an interview with the Daily News.
"They're not a priority for us. Maryland coach embraced Lance, but for some reason that wasn't the right move."
The late signing period ends May 20. Stephenson, however, will not be reprimanded in any way if he makes his decision after that date.
So, the Lance Stephenson saga and sweepstakes continues....With yet an another example of St. John's failing to keep homegrown talent.
They hounded Stephenson throughout the big city of dreams. Stephenson flirted with the notion of staying local and helping the program flee from obscurity.
Stephenson's been an explosive scorer during his stay at Lincoln (he became New York State's all-time leading scorer this season), so it made sense that he would select school that would immediately feature him as the go-to-guy.
Not so fast.
"Roberts and his staff have waited patiently but time is growing short. They still want Stephenson but are now fearful that waiting much longer means missing out on others," states the Daily News, paraphrasing the source.
St. John's fans who have called for Roberts' job the past year have grown tired of it. In the heart of a city filled with talent and hoops hotbeds, SJU diehards see no reason why Roberts can't seem to keep homegrown talent.
It's become a pattern during the Norm Roberts era.
“We’re going to try to recruit the best kids in New York no matter what,” said Roberts in the fall.
Roberts received a major off-season boost when 6-foot-4 New York guard Omari Lawrence committed in late August, following his visit to the Queens, N.Y. campus.
“We’re always going to try to. The key is, the kids are not always going to stay home. I think people tend to forget that they don’t look at it from the opposite side. You know, sometimes kids that live in a rural area will say, ‘I’m sick of living in this rural, country area. I want to go somewhere in the metropolitan area.’"
Roberts continued, "Sometimes you have the city kids say, ‘I’m sick of living in the city, I want to go somewhere else.’ And that’s what happens. What we’ve got to do, is get the guys that are the best, the guys that want to stay home, that want to be here and make them as good as they can possibly be.”
So, another city hoopstar leaves the urban confines. This cat is likely headed for the beautiful blue-eyed beauties and country-side somewhere, as his choices would indicate.
For More on Lance Stephenson, please go to:
http://www.nydailynews.com/
Stephenson was featured on the cover of SLAM when he was 14, was the star of an online reality show, and has been celebrated as the epitome of a hip-hop hoopster. Which is all well and good, except that the kid also happens to be a jerk. Last fall, Stephenson was arrested on a Class B misdemeanor charge of sexually harassing a 17-year-old girl on the school grounds. Midway through his junior season, he was involved in an in-school altercation with a teammate that drew blood. The outcome of his arrest has not yet been decided, but Stephenson was suspended from school for five days (and two ball games) for the fight. OK, youngsters sometimes get into trouble. But consider his behavior late last month during a game in upstate Glens Falls, N.Y., that matched the Big Apple's public school champions (Lincoln) vs. the private school champs (Rice). Late in the first half, Stephenson executed a power dunk, but instead of letting go of the rim he chose to swing-and-sway to emphasize his accomplishment. This led to one of the refs' tooting him for a technical foul, which under local rules simultaneously counts as a personal foul — Stephenson's third. Much to Stephenson's displeasure, his coach, Dwayne Morton, quickly — and appropriately — yanked him from the game. Stephenson responded by loudly cursing the coach — something he's done all season-long — and sitting himself on the floor beyond the end of Lincoln's bench. Still cursing. Morton has put up with his star's antics for two reasons: The kid's extremely talented and has helped Lincoln to four straight PSAL championships. Like most very successful high school coaches, Morton is undoubtedly yearning to graduate into a college job. Rice won the game 77-50, with Stephenson — the state's career scoring leader — scoring only 14 points. According to reports, if Stephenson doesn't choose to pursue a hefty contract overseas — good riddance! — he'll pick Kansas, St. John's or Maryland as his next stop. But why would any self-respecting college coach want anything to do with Stephenson? Especially since he'll only be around campus for one season before declaring for the NBA draft. Just what the NBA needs — another spoiled, self-indulgent, knuckleheaded player who thinks he already belongs in the Hall of Fame. So what's wrong with the game? Too many colleges recruit players on the basis of their talent. Ditto for the NBA's draft process. And hardly anybody recruits/drafts on the basis of a player's character. The truth that so many recruiters/drafters don't get is that talent and character are not always mutually exclusive.
Lance Stephenson will make his college announcement April 1 at the McDonald’s All-American Game in Miami and will likely choose from between defending NCAA champion Kansas and St. John’s.
The 6-foot-5 Stephenson, ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2009 by Hoop Scoop and No. 9 by Rivals, had initially said he might announce after Saturday’s PSAL championship game at Madison Square Garden.
Top-seeded Lincoln is seeking its fourth straight PSAL title and will face No. 2 Kennedy at noon at the Garden.
Instead, Stephenson will wait until April 1, with Kansas or St. John’s the likeliest destinations. Kansas assistant Danny Manning and St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts have been tracking Stephenson in recent weeks.
Stephenson has taken an official visit to Kansas and has seen St. John’s unofficially on numerous occasions.
He also took a much-discussed official visit to Maryland but a source with knowledge said Maryland is basically out of the picture.
Showing posts with label 2008/2009 season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008/2009 season. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Born Ready Under a Radar 24/7
By ADAM FISHER
Naplesnews.com
FORT MYERS — It’s a scene you’re more likely to find in a commercially named professional arena rather than a cozy high school gymnasium.
The final horn sounds, the game is over, and before he can leave the court, the star player is swarmed by throngs of autograph-seekers. Cameras and recorders are shoved in his face as he does his best to answer questions while signing everything handed to him by fans.
In the locker room, the coach wants to address the team but is forced to wait almost 20 minutes while the star fights his way through the crowd.
Very few high school basketball players receive such treatment. For Lance Stephenson, it’s just another game and the attention that comes with being the best player in one of the world’s most recognizable cities.
“It’s not a distraction,” said Stephenson, the top-ranked player in the nation from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I’m used to it. I’ve been playing since I was little.”
Stephenson, who at 6-foot-6 can play guard or forward, showed Monday why he’s considered the best player in the country by HoopScoop.com and a top 10 senior by most recruiting services. He had 26 points and 12 rebounds in Lincoln’s 81-67 victory over Philadelphia-Roman Catholic in the Bank of America City of Palms Classic at Bishop Verot.
In what has been referred to as one of the most talented high school basketball tournaments ever assembled, Stephenson is the biggest name. He comes from the same school that produced NBA point guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, was dubbed “Born Ready” by the regulars at Manhattan’s famed Rucker Park and played in an ESPN-televised game just two weeks ago.
Stephenson started making national headlines long before he led Lincoln to three straight New York City championships. In 2003, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram named the Coney Island, N.Y., native the best seventh-grader in the country.
A year later, a video showed an eighth-grade Stephenson battling top high school player O.J. Mayo, now with the Memphis Grizzlies. The clips made Stephenson a YouTube sensation.
Since leading the Railsplitters to three straight city titles and two state titles in his first three years, the buzz around Stephenson has been amplified. He has his own Web site as a junior (www.bornready.tv), which produced a documentary on his entire season.
Stephenson also turned some heads when he hinted that he might play professional basketball in Europe next season until he is eligible for the 2010 NBA Draft. He has since said he won’t go overseas and is considering Kansas, Memphis, St. John’s and Southern California as college choices.
All the attention hasn’t seemed to faze his team, though.
“Nah,” said coach Dwayne Morton when asked if it was a distraction. “We’re used to it, too.”
In Monday’s fifth-place bracket game, Stephenson showed how easy he can score when he wants to. Heeding his coach’s advice to save energy early, he didn’t score until 1:12 left in the first quarter. He missed four of his first five shots and didn’t have a field goal until 40 seconds remained in the period.
Stephenson hit nine of his next 15 attempts. He is averaging 29.7 points a game in the City of Palms — less than his 34 a game average this season.
Roman Catholic’s Maalik Wayns, Rivals.com’s fourth-best senior point guard who is committed to Villanova, scored 27 points to lead the Cahillites.
While Stephenson doesn’t mind the focus on his game, several incidents this year have taken the attention off the court. He was suspended from school for five days in January for fighting with a teammate. In October, Stephenson was arrested on sexual assault charges after a classmate accused him of grabbing her inappropriately at school.
Despite the misdemeanor charges, Morton said Stephenson has grown up this season and is putting his off-the-court issues behind him.
“He’s definitely maturing,” Morton said. “He’s learning how to respond to different situations.”
Growing up has helped him on the court. Known as a stellar offensive talent and not much else most his career, Stephenson said he’s worked on improving his defense.
In Monday’s game, Stephenson guided his team to victory even when he wasn’t scoring. His six assists tied for the game-high with teammate Darwin Ellis, and he also had five offensive rebounds and two steals.
“I played better defensively,” said Stephenson, who called Monday his best game of the tournament. “There are some tough teams here. We just have to play hard and get ready for when we go back (to New York).”
Naplesnews.com
FORT MYERS — It’s a scene you’re more likely to find in a commercially named professional arena rather than a cozy high school gymnasium.
The final horn sounds, the game is over, and before he can leave the court, the star player is swarmed by throngs of autograph-seekers. Cameras and recorders are shoved in his face as he does his best to answer questions while signing everything handed to him by fans.
In the locker room, the coach wants to address the team but is forced to wait almost 20 minutes while the star fights his way through the crowd.
Very few high school basketball players receive such treatment. For Lance Stephenson, it’s just another game and the attention that comes with being the best player in one of the world’s most recognizable cities.
“It’s not a distraction,” said Stephenson, the top-ranked player in the nation from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I’m used to it. I’ve been playing since I was little.”
Stephenson, who at 6-foot-6 can play guard or forward, showed Monday why he’s considered the best player in the country by HoopScoop.com and a top 10 senior by most recruiting services. He had 26 points and 12 rebounds in Lincoln’s 81-67 victory over Philadelphia-Roman Catholic in the Bank of America City of Palms Classic at Bishop Verot.
In what has been referred to as one of the most talented high school basketball tournaments ever assembled, Stephenson is the biggest name. He comes from the same school that produced NBA point guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, was dubbed “Born Ready” by the regulars at Manhattan’s famed Rucker Park and played in an ESPN-televised game just two weeks ago.
Stephenson started making national headlines long before he led Lincoln to three straight New York City championships. In 2003, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram named the Coney Island, N.Y., native the best seventh-grader in the country.
A year later, a video showed an eighth-grade Stephenson battling top high school player O.J. Mayo, now with the Memphis Grizzlies. The clips made Stephenson a YouTube sensation.
Since leading the Railsplitters to three straight city titles and two state titles in his first three years, the buzz around Stephenson has been amplified. He has his own Web site as a junior (www.bornready.tv), which produced a documentary on his entire season.
Stephenson also turned some heads when he hinted that he might play professional basketball in Europe next season until he is eligible for the 2010 NBA Draft. He has since said he won’t go overseas and is considering Kansas, Memphis, St. John’s and Southern California as college choices.
All the attention hasn’t seemed to faze his team, though.
“Nah,” said coach Dwayne Morton when asked if it was a distraction. “We’re used to it, too.”
In Monday’s fifth-place bracket game, Stephenson showed how easy he can score when he wants to. Heeding his coach’s advice to save energy early, he didn’t score until 1:12 left in the first quarter. He missed four of his first five shots and didn’t have a field goal until 40 seconds remained in the period.
Stephenson hit nine of his next 15 attempts. He is averaging 29.7 points a game in the City of Palms — less than his 34 a game average this season.
Roman Catholic’s Maalik Wayns, Rivals.com’s fourth-best senior point guard who is committed to Villanova, scored 27 points to lead the Cahillites.
While Stephenson doesn’t mind the focus on his game, several incidents this year have taken the attention off the court. He was suspended from school for five days in January for fighting with a teammate. In October, Stephenson was arrested on sexual assault charges after a classmate accused him of grabbing her inappropriately at school.
Despite the misdemeanor charges, Morton said Stephenson has grown up this season and is putting his off-the-court issues behind him.
“He’s definitely maturing,” Morton said. “He’s learning how to respond to different situations.”
Growing up has helped him on the court. Known as a stellar offensive talent and not much else most his career, Stephenson said he’s worked on improving his defense.
In Monday’s game, Stephenson guided his team to victory even when he wasn’t scoring. His six assists tied for the game-high with teammate Darwin Ellis, and he also had five offensive rebounds and two steals.
“I played better defensively,” said Stephenson, who called Monday his best game of the tournament. “There are some tough teams here. We just have to play hard and get ready for when we go back (to New York).”
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