Could Lance Stephenson be headed to the PAC-10 Conference?
A new school has become involved in the Stephenson Sweepstakes and things are starting to heat up.
“Arizona has expressed interest in Lance Stephenson,” a source with direct knowledge said. No campus visit has been set, however.
Sources say Stephenson is not completely happy with his current choices — he has taken official visits to St. John’s, Maryland and Kansas — and is open to other options.
Arizona recently hired former Xavier coach Sean Miller and assistant Book Richardson.
Richardson, a New York City native, is already involved with New York wing Kevin Parrom, who is slated to visit Arizona next weekend.
Richardson also has a relationship with Stephenson, the 6-foot-5 McDonald’s All-American out of Brooklyn’s Lincoln High School.
Richardson coached Stephenson and his teammates to a gold medal at the USA Basketball 2007 Men’s Youth Development Festival. That team was filled with superstars, including Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Ed Davis, Devin Ebanks, Willie Warren and Greg Monroe.
Arizona has produced 29 NBA players, 13 first-round picks and eight lottery picks, so if Stephenson is looking for a future in the NBA, Arizona wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
“That’s what I’m playing hard for. That’s one of my goals. If I make it to the NBA, that’s going to change my whole life around,” Stephenson told me in February.
Stephenson seemed poised to pick Kansas at the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 31, but held off on announcing his decision.
Kansas subsequently signed Xavier Henry, a 6-6 wing, and added his older brother, C.J. Henry, a point guard.
Now it is almost May and Stephenson is still weighing his options.
“I think I can go to any school,” he said in February. “I can’t say I’ll go here or there. I think I can go to any school and fit in, so wherever I feel comfortable and how the coach treats me and talks to me and we get to bond with each other, that’s where I’m going to go.”
cdoherty / April 26, 2009
The Drama!! Enough. This kid’s a chucklehead. Consistent with Telfair and Marbury I guess. 1 and done anyway.
/
pgrady / April 26, 2009
Typical recruiting scenario for Norm Roberts.. the local kid keeps them involved because they are the local team but in the end the star will go elsewhere and leave Norm holding his.. . again..
/
A-rob / April 26, 2009
It is completly obvious that he does not want to play with X at Kansas and he does not want to play in NY.
Maryland never had a shot, ever.
Arizona is a good pick for Lance. He will get to be the star and have a pretty good team around him. He will also get the right amount of exposure there are well.
/
USC.trojan / April 26, 2009
What up Zag!
Looks like Lance is rethinking his choices.
Nice story.
Kansas is out.
Maryland is out. Offense too restrictive.
St.John – no really. seriously.
And then there is Arizona.
Tell me when is the VISIT?
Check out wildcatsportsreport.
Good work Zag.
/
USC.trojan / April 26, 2009
Zag,
West coast is eating up Lance-A-Lot!
Read acouple of posts in wildcatsportreports.
Nice write up on Lance-A-Lot.
And Emanuel’s new Book. Funny.
But, who is Jessie Wildcat???
http://www.wildcatsportsreport.com/forums/showthread.php?p=45651#post45651
/
USC.trojan / April 26, 2009
Zag.
West Coast is eating it up.
Big time.
Can Lance-a-lot handle the fast pace Arizona basketball?
I did read the post in wildcatsportsreport.
But- Who is JessieWildcat???
/
briehan / April 26, 2009
LMAO
/
bosybillups / April 26, 2009
Lance and Zona would be awesome. He would get to destroy a weak pac-10, and get away from the hood for a while to clear his head.
Do it Lance. Join Iguadala, Jefferson, Bayless, Jordan Hill, Chase, Bibby, Jason Terry… Be the next to come out of the NBA factory.
/
RockChalkWoody / April 26, 2009
I think that Born Ready will take a pass on the Pac 10 for one reason: the games are on too late for his homies in NY to catch.
Those Pac 10 Fox telecasts are the worst.
/
bosybillups / April 26, 2009
True – but his homies will watch him on SportsCenter the day after. And it’s those homies that he needs a one year break from so he can grow up to be a Man with coaches who really care about him as a person, not a stat-sheet filler. Besides, when he gets to the NBA, he may land in the West Coast anyways, so it’s a moot point.
/
ZONA / April 27, 2009
Lance Stephenson would be a perfect fit at the University of Arizona. The basketball family that UofA has is Tremendous. Having to work out with past players during the summer and taking in and learning from the best players, the Mike Bibbys, Gilbert Arenas, Andre Iguodalas the Jason Terrys, Richard Jeffersons to name a few, would help his game in college and in the N.B.A.
Lance would be part of the wildcat family that has had success year after year, competing against the best in the nation and has proved and shown that UofA
is a top elite program in the nation.
With Lance going to play under Sean Millers first year at Arizona, is history in it’s self. The 2009-2010 year would go down in Arizona Wildcat history. The torch has been past and the new era for Arizona Wildcat basketball is here.
With two other signess from the class of 2009 and Lance Stephenson. Wildcat Basketball would be a power house and unstoppable. PAC-10 TITLE?? in site
/
DiamondbackRuss / April 27, 2009
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
/
Gohard / April 27, 2009
Here comes this freakin’ KU crusader to Lance’s rescue. His “homies” live in the city that never sleeps, they’ll stay up to watch his game @ 11 or 1130 whenever they come on out here on the east. At least UA has a scholarship to give and they aren’t gonna ask an AZ local to pay his way for a year.
/
Husky Pride / April 27, 2009
I am not associated with any of the schools that have connections with the recruits on this website, I am just a fan of college basketball and like all the recruiting news. However, after reading comments on various stories for the last month or so, I have to give my opinion on something…Gohard is by far the biggest douche bag on this site, followed by some of the KU fans. I know you don’t represent the entire KU community but just let this “Gohard” make his moronic, better than everyone comments, and move on. Go Washington!
/
jayhawkfan11 / April 27, 2009
Gohard, why do you bother posting on here? You are such a girl. Dont take out your frustration on us. Just because Lance isnt going to fulfill your wildest fantasy and go to that 2nd tier program Maryland, dont act like a bitter old woman.
So, you are making fun of KU because we have filled all of our schollies? Most teams do. And, no one ever asked Brady Morningstar to pay his way. His father offered that option JUST INCASE we needed it for someone that’s family could not afford it.
Go crawl back in your bitter little turtle shell and come back when you know what you are talking about!
ROCK CHALK!!
/
Terrapins92 / April 27, 2009
Just for the record, yesterday Gohard said he was an Arizona fan, not Maryland.
/
Gohard / April 27, 2009
I keep telling them that. They keep accusing me of being a UK or Terp fan because I disagree with most of the stuff they say.
/
Gohard / April 27, 2009
I don’t act like my comments are “better than everyones” recently I’ve been having fun with this guy’s recruitment though, I’ll admit that. Most of the KU fans that I’ve exchanged words with on theis site are jerks and they think they’re high and mighty but they’re not, so I tell them they aren’t. If you have a problem with me doing that, too bad.
/
community coach / April 27, 2009
Parents, student athlete and “wanna be PRO” play attention. Yes, play attention. Lance has been trying to become part of the NIKE family for a long time. The basketball community knows the connection of Emanuelle “BOOKER” Richardson to NIKE by way of GAUCHO’S. The decision has played out too long. I hope that all parents, student athlete’s and “wanna be” pro are paying attention to this unfortunate sequence of events. Lance is the truth but has been living a lie. Staying in NYC has destroyed his stock on the court but not off the court. Lance has been playing out of position since childhood. Parents and student athlete’s this is the part where you play close attention: Growing up on the AAU circuit he has played behind smaller guards (IRV WALKER) because NYC dictates that the smaller guard is quicker and can handle better. Then came high school, prime time and the national schedule. Once again playing out of position behind a smaller guard because NYC still believes that ARCHIBALD hasn’t left the building. Lance became a basketball player not a position player therefore he became highly recruited as an athlete with basketball savvy. NYC was robbed of the second coming of “THE PEARL.” Lance will have a more serious problem when he gets to the next level. Wanna be PRO this is where you play attention: Being a position player by the time you get to high school is very important because it will dictate how you will be recruited for college and drafted as a PRO. What Lance will play in college will have a lot to do with “if he goes pro.” If he would’ve played what he was “BORN READY” to do this would’ve been a done deal at half time of the McDonald game. Hopefully, he and his family will not make his next move a lie and they will take their time to live the truth! Lance is a point guard. Play that and the next level will be yours. Peace to Lance and all that follow behind him.
/
nogicat / April 27, 2009
Become an Arizona Wildcat at “Point Guard U” and his dream will come true.
/
fmizzou31 / April 27, 2009
Xavier Henry and Bill Self put a clown suit on this kid. Pac-10 would actually be perfect for Lance. A watered down, overrated conference that is far away from NYC and gets tons of exposure. If he played at Kansas he just couldn’t see the floor enough. Would have loved to have had the kid here, but I wish him the best of luck wherever he decides to go.
/
cdoherty / April 27, 2009
hey jayhawk fan…way to throw stones dude. Couple of facts from an alumni and fan of a second tier program.
Second tier Program: Wins national championship in 2002.
Second tier Program: Slaps “elite” Kansas silly with Gooden, Hinrich, Bosche, Collison, etc. (no one accused Roy of being a great game coach, still shakes going against Gary with three times the talent)
Elite Program: Loses to Bucknell and Bradley in back-to-back first rounds.
Elite Program: Would still have their heads up Danny Manning’s a*s if it weren’t for a lucky 3 by Chalmers.
Elite Program: Won 2 national championships (credit due) in 21 years leading that Elite conference, the Big 12 that outside of Kansas has won, ummm…..oh ya…NOTHING!!
Second tier Program: Plays in a REAL Conference without the luxury of playing Colorado, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Iowa State, etc. etc. Sorry, we’re not quite to stature of Duke or UNC. Name other programs that have been.
Elite Program: Desperately wants to be in conversations with Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, and UNC but doesn’t have the resume to match up. Somehow I’m supposed to care about Wilt Chamberlin, Dean Smith, and Phog Allen.
Elite Program: Others do feel sorry for you because, well, you’re in Kansas and not much else goes on out there…..I’ll head out in DC or Baltimore or head to NYC. You kick it in Topeka or Wichita.
Why don’t you go and crawl back into your Jayhawk whatever that’s supposed to be and we can argue which of our football coaches weighs more.
/
RockChalkWoody / April 27, 2009
cdoherty, your program is a joke. You’re not anywhere close to being on the same level as KU. Hell, you’re not even in the upper tier of the ACC. You’re program hasn’t been relevant since 2002, your fans are obnoxious, and you have no shot at Lance Stephenson.
You go kick it in DC or Baltimore, but make sure you tune in next March when we make a run at our 4th NCAA Championship.
Newsflash: we are in the conversation w/ the other members of the Big 6. Sorry, it’s an exclusive club. Do any of your alums have buildings named after them (i.e., Rupp Arena or Dean Smith Center) or do they just have noteriety for going #1 in the draft and dying before getting a paycheck?
By the way, I can live with that “lucky 3” by Chalmers. Get ready to see some more of it in the future.
/
machphantom / April 28, 2009
Well I guess I would expect a lowlife fan like you to use the tragic death of Len Bias as a way to win an argument about which school has a better program. You want to talk about the warrants of each program, that’s fine, but to use a kid’s drug overdose as a punchline is way out of line.
/
davidpk19 / April 28, 2009
What a way to go!
/
terplaw / April 28, 2009
At this point, I’m really starting not to care about Lance any longer. We almost made it into the sweet 16 with Greivis Vasquez and without a post game whatsoever. Squatty 6’6-6’7 YMCA player Dave Neal was our center for Pete’s sake….the man could shoot, but he wasn’t exactly the most imposing big man. Although he did have that nice pick against Duke….
My point is….if Greivis comes back, with the addition of 2 highly touted bigs, the Terps will be making noise in the ACC in 2009-2010, with OR without Lance.
People who call MD fans rowdy and obnoxious make it sound like a bad thing. I love our water bottle throwing, expletive hurling, “Hey You Suck!”, riot proned, New York/Jersey inspired fans.
/
terplaw / April 28, 2009
When I think of Kansas….all I can think of is Jayhawk sports, tornadoes, and the Wizard of Oz….is there anything else going on out there in prairie land?
/
RockChalkWoody / April 28, 2009
machphantom, you’re way too sensitive to be hanging around this meesage board.
I’m pretty sure that Terp fans have yelled things equal to, if not worse than that when the Dukies or UNC comes to town. Grow up.
I’m not even sure why Terp fans are even visiting this board any longer. Stephenson only visited your school in order to try and parlay it into a fat UnderArmour contract at the next level. FYI I heard their basketball shoes suck the big one.
/
Mikey R / April 28, 2009
Wow Kansas fans really are stupid. When UNC went down with Dogherty there was one team to stand up against My Duke Blue Devils and that was UMD. As much as I hate to admit Gary has made UMD very relevant in ACC play for many years and despite their struggles reacently they have beaten UNC and us more than any other ACC school. Also they beat us in the 2004 ACC Championship so that remark that Maryland has not been relevant since 2002 is very false. In fact, RockChalkWoody should be Embarassed about that statement and never allowed on this blog ever again. In the past 20 years Kansas and Maryland have been very close in terms of production. Any team in the ACC is not a second teir program. The bottom half of the big 12 cant even get a sniff of the ACCs bottom half.
/
RockChalkWoody / April 28, 2009
Yeah, I’m pretty embarassed by 6 Final Fours and two National Championships since ’88.
You’re right I guess–our programs are side by side. And I didn’t realize that the almighty ACC doesn’t have second tier programs. I guess programs like Virginia are right up there along side the Jayhawks as well.
I know that this concept is hard for the east coast elitists (like you) to grasp, but there is some pretty good basketball also being played west of the Mississippi River.
Then again, you’re a Dook fan so you’re obviously smarter than the rest of us.
/
Mikey R / April 28, 2009
I never said anything about Virginia and Kansas. I said the Big 12 bottom half teams are more second teir anything bottom team in the ACC.
Yes you should be embarassed about your previous comment because it shows your knowledge about basketball ranges from farming to a jayhawk.
And thank you for recognizing that I am smater than you.
I know what what basketball is out there beyond the MISS. River. The sad thing is, is that you dont know about basketball east of the MIss. River.
Also thank you for recognizing that the East Coast is the Eilte in college basketball. And you are there is SOME pretty good b-ball being played out there.
/
Husky Pride / April 28, 2009
I am convinced that Mikey R is only a Duke fan and not a student or graduate. After reading that last comment, there is no possible way Duke would admit someone with his intelligence into their program.
/
Mikey R / April 28, 2009
Haha! try class of 2000 son.
You Uconn people are always crossing lines. I think you get it from your coach.
/
Husky Pride / April 28, 2009
Well I guess you’re an example that anyone can earn a college degree.
/
Mikey R / April 28, 2009
You are right anyone can earn one if they put their mind to it.
/