Cincinnati waits for Lance Stephenson to jump one more hurdle

Lance Stephenson, who was once being recruited by schools such as Maryland, Memphis, Florida and Arizona, has jumped the first of two hurdles that forced those schools to back off the 6-6 forward out of New York's Lincoln High School. Stephenson has reached a deal with the State of New York by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct after being accused of groping a 17-year-old girl Oct. 3 2008 outside of Lincoln HS. The guilty plea requires Stephenson to perform three days of community service and seek counseling.

Still in front of Stephenson is an investigation from the NCAA into weather or not his family received money for the documentary, "Born Ready," which Stephenson starred in during his junior year in high school. Cincinnati's Mick Cronin does not appear to be concerned with the situation:

"We are very excited about Lance's decision to become a Bearcat. Lance has terrific talent as a basketball player, and is also a fierce competitor on the court. His desire to win will help us compete for a BIG EAST Championship."

Will Cincinnati's gamble pay off? If the "Born Ready" acquisitions blow over will Stephenson be able to turn around a Cincinnati team that finished 10th in the Big East with a 8-10 conference record and 18-14 overall? Does Cincinnati become an instant contender making four other big name schools look foolish or will Stephenson prove to be the kryptonite other Universities chose to distance themselves from?

1 comment:

  1. Stephenson is apparently the real deal, but it is probably good for Terps fans that he won't be running down the floor in College Park this year. While I'm not sure he's going to help Cincy contend for the Big East title, he'll certainly get them a few more wins and for good or for bad, some more publicity.

    ReplyDelete