After the commitment of Kevin Parrom, i wrongly fully closed the door on the class of 2009, but I was promptly proven wrong by Sean Miller as he extended a recruitment attempt towards Lance Stephenson. So for the last time before fully closing the book on basketball and moving towards football, we'll take a look at this potential recruit.
By the Numbers:
| Lance Stephenson | |
|---|---|
| Position: SF/SG | Height: 6'5" |
| High School: Abraham Lincoln High |
Weight: 202 |
| Class: 2009 | Scout.com Pos. Rank: #1 |
|
Stars: 5 Star Recruit |
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY |
Video:
Strengths:
One of the most physical wing players in the nation. His body is too strong for most high school wings and he's able to get into the paint at will. Plays an attacking style and with a body style similar to LeBron's, it works for him. Competitive, wears his emotions on his sleeve. (Scout.com)
Stephenson is difficult to guard at the high school level, as he’s clearly much stronger than anyone else he goes up against at this stage. He has a knack for scoring that can’t be taught, and he regularly makes impressive plays around the basket after creating his own shot from the perimeter with his excellent ball-handling skills. Stephenson is a good passer when he wants to be—he obviously has a very good feel for the game. (DraftExpress.com)
Weaknesses:
Shot is an area for improvement and he's gotten better in that area each season. (Scout.com)
Stephenson wanted to show off the skills he picked up at Nike's Steve Nash camp last month, but he turned in an awful performance. He dribbled into traffic and committed sloppy turnovers. He fired no-look passes that sailed out of bounds. He drove to the basket and heedlessly forced up bad shots. Even worse, after every mistake he acted like it was someone else's fault. He barked at his teammates. He whined to the refs. He rolled his eyes and slapped his thighs. He shook his head and muttered to himself. (SportsIllustrated.com) This was a typical week from Stephenson (#7 Scout, #9 Rivals, #8 ESPN) from what we’ve come to expect over the past few years. First he missed his flight, arriving here late. Then he made a big fuss out his college announcement, canceling and rescheduling it multiple times, much to the chagrin of the organizers, until he eventually called a press conference to announce that he has nothing to announce. On the court, it was much of the same: bad shots, selfish play, terrible body language, cheap shots to the opposition, plenty of turnovers, predictably followed by him visibly blaming others for his own mistakes. The more other members of this class continue to catch up as far as physical development is concerned, the less Stephenson’s ability to overpower his way to the basket works. He repeatedly tried to bulldozer his way into the lane over the course of this week, and only saw mixed results in the process, due to his inability to play above the rim. His jump-shot wasn’t falling, and he only seemed to pass as either a last resort or when he had a chance to make himself look good with a highlight reel caliber assist. (DraftExpress.com)
Summary:
Interestingly Lance Stephenson hasn't been receiving much interest from big name schools due to his character concerns and the question is whether or not Arizona wants his services rather than the other way around. According to Zags blog, Stephenson will be visiting Arizona shortly. However Jeff Goodman of FOXSports disagrees and says that Sean Miller will not be interested in taking Stephenson. So I want your opinion folks. Simple yes or no.