Lance Stephenson - SF - Abraham Lincoln HS - Brooklyn, NY

From Jeff Goodman and Adam Zagoria:
 (Goodman: http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox/2008/07/23/STILL_NO_NUMERO_UNO; Zagoria: http://www.zagsblog.net/2008/07/23/kansas-st-johns-watching-lance-vegas-notes/)

Honestly, and I’ve been a noted Lance Stephenson critic, the New York native – when he plays under control and has the right mindset – could certainly lay as much claim as anyone else as the top player in the class.

How about the fact that Kansas’ Bill Self was the only high-major coach in the gym watching Stephenson.

That’s right. Self and his good buddy, Norm Roberts of St. John’s, are basically the only ones actively recruiting Stephenson.

I’m not quite sure what that says. On second thought, I think I am sure.

Is he saying: 1. there is a done deal or 2. lance won't qualify or 3. those are the only coaches willing to put up with lance?  because that makes little sense.

Is he saying: 1. there is a done deal or 2. lance won't qualify or 3. those are the only coaches willing to put up with lance?  because that makes little sense.

I'm hoping for 1 or 3.  Even if this kid only stays for one year and has a poor attitude atleast it will finally have the city buzzing about St. John's again.

beasley was supposed to be a punk kid and he came into kstate and i could be wrong but i dont think he did one thing wrong all year...the one thing norm has proven is that he is a good guy and a strict coach...he can handle lance...and even if he doesnt, if hes as good as advertised ill put up with whatever bs the kid decides to pull, scandals aside

beasley was supposed to be a punk kid and he came into kstate and i could be wrong but i dont think he did one thing wrong all year...the one thing norm has proven is that he is a good guy and a strict coach...he can handle lance...and even if he doesnt, if hes as good as advertised ill put up with whatever bs the kid decides to pull, scandals aside

I met Beasley when he was in highschool when I worked for ESPN and he wasn't so much of a punk but more of an idiot. It was a struggle to interview him because he couldn't speak in sentences. He might be a punk to a teacher but I don't think he was a punk in a sense like pac man jones.

Its sad to say but at this point in time we are not good enough to pass on a kid because he may or may not have behavioral issues.  Norm stay on this kid and worry about controlling him once he signs on the dotted line.

I don't think Lance has behavioral issues but more ego issues. I think this is what throws up the red flags to most coaches. Any combo of Lance, Omari, and Scott would be pretty awesome.

he did get suspended for punching a kid i think.

lance's big prob is his temper.

you gotta figure every 17 or 18 year old is somewhat undisciplined and immature...and that shouldnt be a big deal...kids are kids...they occasionally get into fights, get in trouble at school, do bad on tests...its normal...as long as a kid doesnt mess up too badly or go outside the norm for teenage behavior, you shouldnt brand a kid as a bad seed...the media shouldnt blow every little thing an athlete does way out of proportion...off topic, so i hope i dont get yelled at here, but same thing with some of the miley cyrus pics that people are going off on...i have friends with sisters and i dated in hs...a 15 year old girl taking pics with her friends making a kissey face is what every girl that age does...yea shes a celeb and it starts the whole argument that athletes and celebs should be held to a higher standard bc people look up to them, etc, but i feel like they're just kids, leave them alone...and back on topic, a kid like lance or beasely, when they get to college and realizes college coaches and more importantly (to them maybe) nba teams wont put up with it, their attitudes change pretty quick

watch lance during a game. he's constantly yelling and looking frustrated.  he's got serious temper issues. 

these guys didn't seem to like Lance very much

http://nbadraft.net/node/1586

Lance Stephenson

There was much buzz surrounding Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson's talent and skill set. Unfortunately, what we saw today was...mildly put...disappointing. Seeing him for the first time, he immediately looks very awkward and his body is not that of a basketball player. He is somewhat bowlegged and tends to move around on his toes too much, making him look as if he is strutting rather than running.

He has a very well-defined body and some nice length, but his quickness and explosiveness are marginal. Both he and his team were badly outplayed by a squad that put on an offensive clinic, running backdoors and getting shooters open coming of numerous screens.

Stephenson forced the issue early on, putting up shots and trying to attack the basket even when numerous defenders ran at him. His handles are decent, but when it takes 8-10 dribbles to get anywhere, it defeats the purpose of putting the ball on the deck in the first place. His shooting stroke is nice, but he rushes it almost every time and he likes to fade on shots that don't require it.

He got into foul trouble in the second half, and that is when his team actually made a push and got the game close. Once he returned, he killed all the rhythm his team had going. Surprisingly, his motor and intensity level was highly suspect, not running back on defense, and even taking possessions of on offense as his teammates were fighting to score. One has to wonder if he has bought into all the hype and stopped working hard at his game.

There was no official boxscore available for the game, but Stephenson did not score more than six points. His team lost, meaning they're out of the tournament. Based on what we saw today, Stephenson struggled to look like a high-major college player, much less a player worthy of getting drafted.

OUCH!..  ... man this kid is getting "killed" out there by the critics.

http://www.thememphisedge.com/2008/07/25/more-from-vegas/

More from Vegas

Posted by Dan Wolken


Sorry it’s late (almost 2 a.m. Memphis time!) but I just got in from watching games, then a late dinner.

 Observations:

- I went to watch Lance Stephenson. First time I’ve seen him. I was so personally offended by his play, I had to leave at halftime. I just couldn’t take it anymore. It was like when you walk into a bad movie and 30 minutes into it, you know this thing is going nowhere. Folks, he’s a complete circus. A walking debacle. The pouting, the bad body language, the lazy play, the throwing elbows when he gets frustrated. And he’s not even really that good. Certainly not worth the trouble. I have it on very good authority that Memphis is NOT recruiting him. By the way, when I left his team was down 15 to some suburban Chicago kids

OUCH!..  ... man this kid is getting "killed" out there by the critics.

http://www.thememphisedge.com/2008/07/25/more-from-vegas/

More from Vegas

Posted by Dan Wolken


Sorry it’s late (almost 2 a.m. Memphis time!) but I just got in from watching games, then a late dinner.

 Observations:

- I went to watch Lance Stephenson. First time I’ve seen him. I was so personally offended by his play, I had to leave at halftime. I just couldn’t take it anymore. It was like when you walk into a bad movie and 30 minutes into it, you know this thing is going nowhere. Folks, he’s a complete circus. A walking debacle. The pouting, the bad body language, the lazy play, the throwing elbows when he gets frustrated. And he’s not even really that good. Certainly not worth the trouble. I have it on very good authority that Memphis is NOT recruiting him. By the way, when I left his team was down 15 to some suburban Chicago kids

I think him getting killed by the media might actually be a good thing for us.  The kid is going to have to prove himself for atleast one year in college and what better place to prove himself then in NYC at St. Johns ...

Do we really assume he stays for one year? Maybe he needs more time to mature.

Do we really assume he stays for one year? Maybe he needs more time to mature.

LOL

To an extent, the NBA will be willing to overlook his immaturity.

Quote from: PEEKSKILLREDDEVIL on August 04, 2008, 11:08:13 PM

Do we really assume he stays for one year? Maybe he needs more time to mature.

LOL

To an extent, the NBA will be willing to overlook his immaturity.

Based on other peoples observations maybe Lance is not "Born Ready" for the NBA. Is he another over hyped NYC basketball player?

The below comments really trouble me:
He got into foul trouble in the second half, and that is when his team actually made a push and got the game close. Once he returned, he killed all the rhythm his team had going. Surprisingly, his motor and intensity level was highly suspect, not running back on defense, and even taking possessions of on offense as his teammates were fighting to score. One has to wonder if he has bought into all the hype and stopped working hard at his game.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=838419

Stephenson speculation
Where do you think Lance Stephenson is going to school? Does Tennessee have a shot?

-- Jon from Knoxville
-----
Tennessee did get a mention by Stephenson when I interviewed him at the beginning of July at the USA U18 National Team Trials. At that point he named Kansas, Memphis and Tennessee as the three schools he was looking at the hardest. He also mentioned St. John's, Texas, North Carolina and Duke as schools of interest.

A couple of days ago there was some buzz going around that Stephenson might have committed to Memphis. When I spoke with Stephenson about the speculation concerning Memphis, he denied having committed. He told me Kansas, Memphis, USC and Texas were the schools he was looking at the hardest.

In between these two interviews I've seen a variety of schools mentioned by Stephenson. Speculation about him going to St. John's has been strong. So the point is, there is a whole lot of guess work going on in trying to get a handle on Stephenson's recruitment. Two schools, however, that seem to be mainstays on his revolving school list are Kansas and Memphis.

Tennessee probably does have a shot, but I'd term it a long shot. And with Stephenson, I expect a lot of rumors to circulate - including him following Brandon Jennings to Europe - before he makes an official decision.

Writer forgot the mention the Army as one of his possibilities.   

Think Omari helps us get Lance?

http://www.zagsblog.net/2008/08/21/boost-mobile-lance-planning-visits/#more-2435

Asked if he was still considering St. John’s, Stephenson said, “Yeah, yeah.”

St. John’s just got a commitment from Omari Lawrence of South Kent (Conn.), but Stephenson said that wouldn’t necessarily impact his decision.

“Omari Lawrence is a good player. He’s from New York and he comes from a good school,” he said.

BALDI.....OPEN THE FLOODGATES!!!