Mick lands Stephenson

[osu99jp]

Sure, he may be a one-and-done guy. Sure, he has red flags. I don't care. I want him on my squad.

Adam Zagoria, who covers Big East football, basketball and recruiting for Rivals.Com, passes along a source close to Lance Stephenson's family who says that the star recruit has chosen Cincinnati.


“They’ve decided. He’s off to Cincinnati,” the source close to the family with direct knowledge of the decision said. “It’s a done deal. I am certain of this.”

[Franny]

Gulp.

Is Cincinnati going back to the future with its Stephenson recruitment? - T... - NCAA Hoops - Rivals.com

Dick "Hoops" Weiss pointed out this hypocrisy on his Hoops on Campus blog:
We find it interesting that Cincinnati, which dumped highly successful Bob Huggins partly because it didn't approve of the recruits he was bringing in, is now seemingly so desperate to get back into the national spotlight, and is one of the last teams standing with this talented, but suddenly, sadly tainted star.
Cincinnati hasn't made the NCAA tournament since Bob Huggins was fired, so it was only a matter of time before they fled the moral high ground in an attempt to get back onto the college basketball radar.

[osu99jp]

I made the same observation yesterday, talking to friends about it..going back to the Huggs days...but I never cared then, and I don't care now. A questionable recruit now and then is nothing to freak out over. The guy is a legitimate stud, he fell in our lap, and could put us over the top next year in terms of just making the Dance, or making the Dance with a good seeding.

[Franny]

Originally Posted by osu99jp

I made the same observation yesterday, talking to friends about it..going back to the Huggs days...but I never cared then, and I don't care now. A questionable recruit now and then is nothing to freak out over. The guy is a legitimate stud, he fell in our lap, and could put us over the top next year in terms of just making the Dance, or making the Dance with a good seeding.

I'm actually with you on this. Mick needs wins, not national honour society certificates.

[david aka the TYZ]

Lets not forget that Zimpher is out now. I'm not so sure I would bring in that baggage for a one-and-done guy, but I do firmly believe in giving guys second chances. Also don't sit myself on a higher than though pedestel that alot of people do. College basketball is about winning and money. This guy will help us in that respect. Another point not to forget is that Huggins pretty much only brought in questionable guys. Cronin has not thus far. Taking a chance on a player here and there is different than going after players other teams don't want because of baggage as your main recruiting style -- ala Huggins and Tark the Shark. We'll see how this one pans out.

[osu99jp]

Sounds like as long as he's eligible, Lance is a Bearcat.

Tuesday, Jun. 30, 2009 - 7:14 p.m. ET

Lance Stephenson easily was the most talented player last summer at the USA Basketball trials for the U-18 national team. It was like David Beckham on a Major League Soccer field, or Justin Timberlake doing an *NSYNC reunion. When Stephenson was cut a week later, though, it was obvious that was the only decision the coaching staff could make.

A 6-5 guard from Lincoln High in Brooklyn, Stephenson not only was the best passer and scorer among the assembled pre-college talents, he also led them in scowls, angry gestures and curse words directed at teammates.

Stephenson clearly needed to grow up. Which is precisely the purpose college basketball best serves. Which is why Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin declares Stephenson's past problems interacting with teammates to be "a zero to less than zero concern for me."

Coaching Stephenson is a challenge he will embrace eagerly.

But make no mistake, it is a challenge.

"Helping young guys channel their energy is something I think I'm pretty good at," Cronin said. "Being a younger coach, it's probably a strength for me. It's all about channeling your energy.

"I love guys that are competitive. I think if our team needs anything, it's a fiery New York City competitor."

Stephenson was the last 2009 McDonald's All American to choose a college. Tuesday, Stephenson committed to Cincinnati over a bunch of schools that leaked to various reporters they were no longer interested but, for some reason, still were endeavoring to contact him as recently as this weekend.

No one at UC will try to convince you the Bearcats were Stephenson's first choice. That always has been Kansas. Stephenson tried to commit to the Jayhawks in early April and still held out some hope even after they wound up with wing Xavier Henry. KU had no scholarship available, though, and probably no need for another scoring wing.

Cincinnati certainly will find room. The Bearcats are strongest at what would appear to be Stephenson's primary position—shooting guard—where Deonta Vaughn will return after a year of filling in at point guard. But a program working to return to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year hiatus will find minutes and shots for a player with Stephenson's talents, so long as he applies them properly.

"We're really a 3-guard offense. We want guys to shoot off screens, play off the pick-and-roll and beat their man off the dribble," Cronin said. "He's a luxury. He can do all of the above.

"We're a team that needs to improve offensively. He'll make our other players better, because he's a great passer. He's a high-level player that makes things look easy on the offensive end."

When Cronin accepted the Cincinnati job in March 2006, the Bearcats hadn't recruited a McDonald's-level player in a half-dozen years, only one veteran scholarship player remained on the roster and the program faced an APR crisis. His regime has straightened out the academic circumstance, compiled 16 Big East victories over two seasons and put a roster in place that figured to challenge for a tournament bid next season.

Stephenson can change all that. He could make Cincinnati a top 25 team. He also should make the Bearcats a more appealing choice for recruits over the next several years. Look at the talent that followed Daequan Cook into Ohio State, or Arron Afflalo to UCLA. You've got to get that first guy.

Stephenson could wreck it all, too. Because he has been the subject of a reality series on the web, Born Ready, the NCAA will investigate his amateur standing.

"We contacted the NCAA, to see if anything was there and what they could tell us," Cronin said. "We have limited knowledge until we're in full contact with them as far as if they think there are any issues with Lance's amateur status. From our preliminary contact with them, as much research as we could do—including talking to Kansas—we feel there's a strong chance it's not going to be an issue."

It would do Cincinnati no egregious harm if Stephenson were to be ruled ineligible, under the can't-miss-what-you-never-had theory. But if the NCAA were to botch the investigation and it later were demonstrated some issues pre-dated his enrollment—well, Southern California and Memphis are in that very predicament right now. Surely you've heard about all that.

There will be lots of discussion about whether Cronin can make Stephenson a team-first guy, but it's too commonly forgotten he did lead Lincoln High to four consecutive Class AA Public League titles in New York City.

"When I talked to Lance," Cronin said, "he talked about winning as much or more than any recruit I've talked to."

Cronin made considerable progress last season with promising big man Yancey Gates, who'd rarely been pushed as a high school player. And the coach holds all the power in a circumstance such as this, when the player obviously wants to move toward the NBA rapidly and he needs immediate success to get there.

Stephenson will have to be in synch with his Cincinnati teammates. It's really his only choice

[Bengal-Bot]

The Big Lead just posted a blog about the Cincinnati Bengals:

Lance Stephenson: The allegedly great talent - he’s been hailed as one of the best prep players in NYC history - that nobody wanted finally has a home. He’s going to Cincinnati, which actually could be decent next year. The Bearcats return their top three players, and in what will be a down year for [...]

More...

[Woodmania]

Originally Posted by Franny

I'm actually with you on this. Mick needs wins, not national honour society certificates.

True, but he needs players who are eligible. Seems like he's already had enough players who couldn't get on the court. Hopefully he can get this kid to fly right or else there's more talent sitting on the bench doing nothing.

[bearcat428]

Originally Posted by david aka the TYZ

Lets not forget that Zimpher is out now.

good point there tyz!

[Degobah]

We as UC fans had no issue with Dontonio Wingfeld, Corey Blount, Darnell Burton, Tony Bobbitt, Art Long, Robert Whaley or Ruben Patterson...all who came in with equally as bad or worse baggage as Stevenson will. Beggars can't be choosers.

[david aka the TYZ]

I don't think UC fans have a problem with this kids past. They have a problem with Huggins being gone. And somehow Mick bringing this guy in doesn't justify Huggins being fired. I do see a little irony in the situation, but Huggins had a list of players (some just mentioned, others that played here and still more that never made it on the court here) plus his own personal issues. We need to move past Huggins and embrace the present. If this kid gets on the court it could boost our program back to the national spotlight. I say if, cause until I see him on court in a Bearcat uniform I ain't counting on nothing.