Lance Stephenson? Eh?

by Bill C. on Jun 29, 2009 3:52 PM CDT in Mizzou Basketball 08-09 Comment 7 comments

Lance has visited Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s and Lance Stephenson Sr. recently said his son would take two more.

Memphis and Arizona may still be involved, but no visits have been set, as far as we know.

Other potential schools in the mix include Missouri, Pittsburgh and UNC-Charlotte, according to a source.

-- ZAGSBLOG, on the ongoing recruiting saga of Lance Stephenson.

Who's Lance Stephenson? This is Lance Stephenson. And this. And...this.

The Missouri mention is a new twist. Granted, I'd be willing to bet a decent amount of money that he ends up at Cincy at this point, and probably pretty soon, but still...an interesting twist.

The Beef and I had an e-mail conversation about Stephenson this morning. And really, this goes back to the "Culture vs Caliber" debate I've talked about a lot on RMN. Does the culture of the program matter more than the caliber of the talent/athlete? Mizzou's chemistry was unbelievable last year; if Anderson could bring in a guy like Stephenson, with other-worldly talent and an awful "me first" reputation, and make him a team player and contributor, and if he was absorbed into the team culture of guys like J.T. Tiller, Kim English, and Zaire Taylor, not only would the sky be the limit on the 2009-10 team, but I think recruiting could see a major upswing as a result.

On the other hand, if he comes in and pollutes the water, pouting the first time he doesn't play 20 minutes in a game or get enough shots, and if the ongoing strangeness involving his eligibility were to continue, then this would not at all be a gamble worth taking. My fascination with grey areas makes me want Missouri to take this chance, but my love of and comfortability with known knowns (in this case, ridiculously good team chemistry) wants me to tell Mike Anderson to run away screaming. But after 2008-09, Anderson gets a free pass from me on this one. If, after the Stefhon Hannah drama blew up in his face, he still feels it's worth the risk to try to woo Stephenson here, so be it. If not, I'm more than okay with that.

Poll

Mizzou potentially trying to jump into the Lance Stephenson recruitment:

Wonderful idea. I mean, have you SEEN this guy play?

43 votes

Good idea

56 votes

Bad idea

48 votes

WHAAAAAAAAT??? Worst. Idea. Ever.

22 votes

169 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Terrible Idea

Yes he has the scoring record of NYC high schools and he has been playing with pros since he was young, but I dont see him considering missouri that hard. But, if the reports of his offered scholarships being revoked because of issues with his eligibility and his character are true, then do we really want to offer this kid? He is a legend on NYC playgrounds so I dont seem him changing for a midwest program like ours, no matter how strong the team chemistry is. He could ruin it.

by mcboomofdoom on Jun 29, 2009 4:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed 90%

Stephenson is one huge crapshoot. Sure CMA has the power to turn him into a valuable role player, but there’s too many if’s. He could destroy the chemistry and be huge ball hogging cancer. I vote bad idea.

Eh, my sig needs a little time off

by ratherfantastic on Jun 29, 2009 4:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

for what it's worth...

…a pretty reliable contributor on PowerMizzou said that Mizzou did indeed look into it and decided that it wasn’t worth it.

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by Bill C. on Jun 29, 2009 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Recap from the Mc D's AA Game

12 pts, 6-11 fg, 0-2 3p, 0-2 ft, 4 rebs, 3 stls, 6 asts, 6 to, 23 min — Had a rough go of things committing 6 turnovers. Showed good speed in the open floor with the ball, but gets out of control. On one occasion, he got off the ground before passing causing a turnover showing his lack of fundamentals. He did make some solid plays down the stretch including the game clinching pass to Favors. Has a nose for scoring. Really excels attacking the rim off the bounce. On the negative side his feet look awkward, as he runs up on his toes, not fluid. Talented kid with a great body for his age, but below average athleticism for the NBA level and his fundamentals, work ethic, and body language are big concerns.

Only one of those bold descriptions (excels at attacking the rim off the bounce) say “40 Minutes of Hell”) 6 TO’s? Lack of control/ fundamentals? Bad work ethic and body language? Doesn’t sound like a guy CMA would even consider to be on the team.

Eh, my sig needs a little time off

by ratherfantastic on Jun 29, 2009 5:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs