Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Lance Stephenson is the No. 1 senior basketball player in the nation.
Pittsburgh is the No. 1 college team in the land.
Could the two be destined for a match?
Pitt associate head coach Tom Herrion watched Stephenson drop 37 points last week on Brooklyn Boys & Girls in a loss and a source close to the situation says Stephenson has “interest” in the Panthers.
Pitt has numerous ties to the metropolitan area, including current senior guard Levance Fields of Brooklyn. The Panthers have done well recruiting New York and New Jersey and just landed a verbal commitment from Isaiah Epps, a junior point guard from Plainfield (NJ) High.
Stephenson has mentioned St. John’s, Kansas, Memphis and USC among his suitors but it’s not hard to imagine him ending up at Pitt.
The Big East campus is only about five hours from New York, close enough for his family and friends to watch, but not as far as Kansas or Memphis. Additionally, the Panthers play numerous games in the area at St. John’s, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova, as well as the Big East tournament in March.
“Right now, I’m just worrying about basketball and at the end I’ll do all that college stuff,” Stephenson said previously. “I’m going to do my high school season and after that I look forward to telling everybody what school I should go to.”**[Check out the SNY video interview with Tom Konchalski where he discusses Lance Stephenson’s recruitment.]**Stephenson and Lincoln have a couple of very high-profile games coming up in the coming weeks:Jan. 17 — vs. Jamestown-Dewitt, Big Apple Invitational, Baruch CollegeJan. 19 — vs. LeFlore (Ala.), Hoophall Classic, Hall of Fame (ESPNU) Jan. 24 — vs. St. Benedict’s, Newark Invitational, Prudential CenterFeb. 3 — vs. Thomas JeffersonFeb. 5 — vs. Boys & GirlsFAVORS, GILCHRIST UPDATESMy man Alex Schwartz of the Northstar Basketball Blog has updates on senior Derrick Favors and sophomore MIchael Gilchrist here.The 6–9 Favors is down to Georgia, Georgia Tech and N.C. State, while the 6–7 Gilchrist lists Syracuse, Villanova, Memphis, UMass and Seton Hall.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Lance Stephenson is the No. 1 senior basketball player in the nation.
Pittsburgh is the No. 1 college team in the land.
Could the two be destined for a match?
Pitt associate head coach Tom Herrion watched Stephenson drop 37 points last week on Brooklyn Boys & Girls in a loss and a source close to the situation says Stephenson has “interest” in the Panthers.
Pitt has numerous ties to the metropolitan area, including current senior guard Levance Fields of Brooklyn. The Panthers have done well recruiting New York and New Jersey and just landed a verbal commitment from Isaiah Epps, a junior point guard from Plainfield (NJ) High.
Stephenson has mentioned St. John’s, Kansas, Memphis and USC among his suitors but it’s not hard to imagine him ending up at Pitt.
The Big East campus is only about five hours from New York, close enough for his family and friends to watch, but not as far as Kansas or Memphis. Additionally, the Panthers play numerous games in the area at St. John’s, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova, as well as the Big East tournament in March.
“Right now, I’m just worrying about basketball and at the end I’ll do all that college stuff,” Stephenson said previously. “I’m going to do my high school season and after that I look forward to telling everybody what school I should go to.”
**[Check out the SNY video interview with Tom Konchalski where he discusses Lance Stephenson’s recruitment.]
**Stephenson and Lincoln have a couple of very high-profile games coming up in the coming weeks:
Jan. 17 — vs. Jamestown-Dewitt, Big Apple Invitational, Baruch College
Jan. 19 — vs. LeFlore (Ala.), Hoophall Classic, Hall of Fame (ESPNU)
Jan. 24 — vs. St. Benedict’s, Newark Invitational, Prudential Center
Feb. 3 — vs. Thomas Jefferson
Feb. 5 — vs. Boys & Girls
FAVORS, GILCHRIST UPDATES
My man Alex Schwartz of the Northstar Basketball Blog has updates on senior Derrick Favors and sophomore MIchael Gilchrist here.
The 6–9 Favors is down to Georgia, Georgia Tech and N.C. State, while the 6–7 Gilchrist lists Syracuse, Villanova, Memphis, UMass and Seton Hall.
