Revised article excerpts:
http://www.zagsblog.com/2008/12/11/lance-has-17-at-the-half/#more-8668With Kansas head coach Bill Self looking on courtside, Lance Stephenson scored a game-high 32 points but the Lincoln Railsplitters came up on the losing end, 77-57, against Duncanville (Texas) in the Old Spice Classic on ESPN.
After repeatedly powering his way to the basket and also showing his long-range shooting skills by draining a 3-pointer from two feet behind the line, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound
Stephenson was named MVP of the game upon making 13 of 21 from the field. He entered averaging 34.3 points per game.
“He’s got the God-given body, and he’s blessed with quickness to go with it,†Duncanville coach Phil McNeely told the Dallas Morning News prior to the game. “That’s a deadly combination.â€
Coach Self sat courtside with a Diet Coke. Stephenson is being most heavily recruited by Kansas and St. John’s, and Self is clearly interested.
Asked about the possibility of playing overseas like Brandon Jennings, Stephenson reportedly told the ESPN guys before the game, “Going to college.â€
Lincoln, No. 6 in the ESPN Rise Fab 50, overcame a 20-4 deficit to take 36-35 halftime lead on No. 10 Duncanville behind
17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from Stephenson.
“[Lance] is a kid who can put the ball in the basket,†Lincoln coach Dwayne “Tiny†Morton told the Dallas Morning News.
“Lance is very aggressive on the court. I think a lot coaches would love to have a kid who could put ball in the hole the way he does.â€
“Every coach in the country will tell you he’s as talented as anybody in the Class of ‘09,†he said. “Part of the question mark you have about Stephenson if you’re a college coach evaluating him is, How does he fit into a team setting? Sometimes a little bit selfish, maybe a little bit lackadaisical in his approach to the game.