Latest Rumor: Lance Stephenson to Cincinnati
Words. Andrew Katz
Just as Florida went from being completely out of the picture to center stage about a month ago, there’s a new school rumored to be at the top of Lance Stephenson’s wish list. According to Adam Zagoria (ZAGSBLOG), Lance’s commitment to the Bearcats could happen as early as Tuesday, if his outstanding trial for sexual assault is adjourned today.
“Word is Lance is signing with Cincinnati,” one Big East assistant coach said. “I think he will on Tuesday from what I’m being told.”
Lance and his family took a visit to Cinci this weekend, where he played with some guys on the team in an open gym. With “Born Ready” the Bearcats are a contender in the Big East. They’ll have a pretty tough tandem - Lance and big man Yancy Gates.
This isn’t a sealed deal quite yet. Though Maryland has supposedly dropped out of the running, Florida International, Memphis and Arizona remain possibilities for Stephenson. The NY Daily News insists that choices are fading for Lance and his family. Schools have lost interest and the family doesn’t even know.
Maryland is no longer recruiting the Coney Island standout, a source close to Terrapins coach Gary Williams has confirmed. Lincoln HS coach Dwayne Morton says “Memphis has been calling” and remains interested. Arizona and playing in Europe also remain options.
As of Wednesday night, Lance Stephenson Sr. had no knowledge that Maryland has stopped recruiting his son.
“As far as we know Maryland is still an option,” the father said.
But once this sexual assault case closes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a place with an available scholarship turn Stephenson down.
As Stretch told the Daily News about the Terps, “There are 20,00 schools out there. That’s just one.”
Cinci might be the one to sweet up Lance. And that could be a great move for Stephenson if he wants to go one-and-done. The Bearcats aren’t expected to make the Tournament. But if Lance and Gates can do enough to earn a spot in the Dance this year, his draft stock in 2010 will shoot up. As a whole, the Big East isn’t what they were a year ago. Villanova will be a Top 5 team, but Syracuse, Marquette, UConn, Louisville, Pitt are all down from last year.
Sources: ZAGSBLOG and NY Daily News
[...] If you said that Lance Stephenson, the first four-time NYC champion (along with classmate Buddha Ellis), was going to commit to Cincinnati a year ago, people would have called you crazy. But that’s exactly what just happened. [...]