The Dagger - NCAAB

Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:58 am EDT

Do teams still want Lance Stephenson?

His stock has fallen farther than General Motors. Once the most-hyped recruit in the country, Lance Stephenson enters June without a school, without much hype and with many in recruiting circles saying he's not worth the trouble. This begs the question: Does anybody still want Lance Stephenson?

Steve Yanda asked as much in The Washington Post this morning. It's partial hyperbole -- of course somebody will still take Stephenson, but for a guy whose college choice commanded national attention two months ago, Yanda argues that the suitors are far less in number than they once were. It's not as much where Stephenson wants to go, but which program will take him.

The questions aren't about Stephenson's game, but about the off-court issues. He seems to be the guy that every coach would rather be somebody else's problem. Between the pending criminal charge, questions about amateur status and the general sense that where Stephen goes drama follows, he just might not be worth it. Gary Williams, for instance, is desperate to sign a big-time national recruit. Will putting up with a possible Stephenson-headache be worth it for next season?

Probably not, when you consider quotes like this from a USA Basketball official. Speaking about Stephenson not making the under-18 men's national team last June:

"[Lance] was worthy of being on [the under-18 men's national team in 2008], but what you deal with is it would have taken too much energy for the coaches to maintain Lance playing less minutes and being on the bench, and it would have diverted [them] from working with the top five to seven guys to win a gold medal."

Translation: Stephenson is a chemistry killer. Taking one-and-done guys (as Stephenson is likely to be) is always a crapshoot, but there always seem to be more danger with the ones whose feet are already out the door before they step foot on campus. That doesn't lead to Final Fours, it leads to first-round NCAA tournament exits and a difficult recruiting situation in the fall.

Headed into the off-season, there were three main recruiting questions to be solved. Xavier Henry committed to Kansas back in April and John Wall signed with Kentucky before Memorial Day. The other dominoes have fallen and it's now up to Stephenson to finish off the major '09 signings. Or, more appropriately, it's up to whichever team decides to welcome him and his circus to town.

digg delicious
more

1817 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. Hitman
    1. Posted by Hitman Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:58 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    An Allen Iverson clone.
  2. Steve
    2. Posted by Steve Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:49 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    That's cool....
  3. C West
    3. Posted by C West Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:49 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    he's no demarcus cousins
  4. Lew
    4. Posted by Lew Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:50 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    really didn't describe what his issues are, wasn't really worth reading
  5. nick
    5. Posted by nick Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:51 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    cool never been this high
  6. TO
    6. Posted by TO Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:51 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Wesley Pipes
  7. G money
    7. Posted by G money Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:51 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Practice...practice...practice....we talkin' bout practice?
  8. Doug D
    8. Posted by Doug D Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:52 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    For a college to avoid this type of problem they need to quit focusing on the sports and focus more on the academics.
  9. Chris L
    9. Posted by Chris L Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:52 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    lol
  10. Cole
    10. Posted by Cole Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:52 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Character is becoming more and more important in recruiting these young stars. I just hope that this will start to send a message to those who will follow. Keep your head on straight, and keep your eye on the prize. Skills on the court will not always translate to an automatic scholarship to a big time program.
    Hopefully this will influence the professional teams as well. I think teams have started to take a tougher look at the character of their potential stars. No one wants to end up like the Cincinatti Bengals.
  11. Grant
    11. Posted by Grant Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:52 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Oh don't worry.....SOMEONE will take him...They will all cry about how he should get a ten, eleven, twelve, chances (see Brandon Marshall) and that he really is a good kid. What a frickin joke....I bet anyone out there his SAT sucks...He couldn't get into a community college if he tried and he probably has under a 2 grade point average. But because all these colleges need and want the almighty dollar instead of people with character and class he will land at a big time program. Ain't America great?
  12. STANBLAZE
    12. Posted by STANBLAZE Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:52 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    He is a good kid, colleges do not like extra investigations in to their already shoddy programs...perhaps?
  13. Pete M
    13. Posted by Pete M Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:53 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Sounds like he would fit right in on the Denver Nuggets
  14. Cowboy
    14. Posted by Cowboy Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:53 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Allen Iverson is a future Hall Of Famer
  15. Justin C
    15. Posted by Justin C Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:53 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Bet some prison team would take him gladly!!
  16. Olayiwola A
    16. Posted by Olayiwola A Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:53 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    how are you
  17. tribe
    17. Posted by tribe Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:54 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Yes, screw him and praise Lebron for his disrespect of the game. That makes do much sense, not..
  18. Four Leaf
    18. Posted by Four Leaf Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:56 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Darkness!
  19. swisscow18
    19. Posted by swisscow18 Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:56 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    i wouldnt sigdn him. too much baggage
  20. Toonhead
    20. Posted by Toonhead Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:56 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    He sounds like more of T.O./Iverson clone.
  21. Rich
    21. Posted by Rich Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:57 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Ehh.. Just put up with it, If he's as good as they say he is, you put up with it one year. Get your program in the right direction and use it as a recruiting tool in the future =).
  22. A Yahoo! User
    22. Posted by A Yahoo! User Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:57 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Not worth the issues with his lack of maturity and character.
  23. mr no name
    23. Posted by mr no name Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:57 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    do ya mean P.U.N.K.
  24. J Rizz
    24. Posted by J Rizz Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:58 am EDT

    Report Abuse

    So glad we got X instead of this clown.

The Dagger

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

Jeff Eisenberg

The Dagger is a college basketball blog edited by Jeff Eisenberg. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Chris Chase, Matt Norlander,

Related Photo Gallery

Featured NCAAB Video

Y! Sports Blogs

The Dagger Recent Readers