Jerry Meyer from Rivals rips into Lance in his mailbag:
Who do you think will be the better college player: Lance Stephenson or Xavier Henry?
-- Tim from Oakland
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Lance Stephenson has developed a reputation for struggling to fit into a team concept.
Stephenson is an exceptional physical talent, but the odds are much better that Henry excels as a college player than Stephenson. Henry is a great physical talent as well, but also has the complete package as far as intangibles and coachability. The same just can't be said for Stephenson, who has a reputation for erratic behavior and an inability to fit into a team concept.
One glaring example of Stephenson's struggles is when he was cut for the USA 18-under national team this summer by Davidson coach Bob McKillop. Stephenson was clearly the most physically gifted player trying out for the team, but the nature of his game and his attitude just wouldn't mesh with McKillop's system. Stephenson's necessity to over dribble and dominate the ball killed any offensive flow, and his attitude alienated himself from his teammates.
Stephenson's game is best suited for a situation where he can dominate the action playing with players who are significantly less talented than him. His high school team is of this nature, and a travel team was created last summer around Stephenson.
Henry on the other hand, played for a travel team with three other high major prospects and fit in well with them while still putting up big numbers. At Memphis, Henry will also put up big numbers while playing within the system and fitting in with his teammates.
If Stephenson played for a struggling program like St. John's next year, he will likely be given free reign and will put up huge numbers - but most likely in a losing cause. The other probable scenario for Stephenson is that he finds a European team that will take a chance on him, and then we will never know the answer to this question.