Lance Stephenson and Derrick Favors were the first two players selected for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Event to be held in Harlem’s famed Rucker Park Aug. 22.
The roster will continue to be announced throughout the month by ESPN Rise, and we expect that several other locals will be picked, including St. Patrick of Elizabeth standout Dexter Strickland, who participated last year.
The 6-foot-5 Stephenson out of Brooklyn Lincoln, known as “Born Ready,” was the Co-MVP of last year’s game after dropping 36 points in front of a capacity crowd.
He was recently cut from the USA U18 team that will play in the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina beginning Monday. Many people in the basketball world say this is the best thing that could ever happen to Lance because he will be forced to take a long, hard look at his attitude on the court, which U18 head coach Bob McKillop felt was not always helpful to the team concept.
“What I’m really happy about is how hard he competes,” McKillop said. “Usually someone that has been given that amount of attention he has had, they don’t have that sense of accountability in terms of competitiveness, and he really competes. He gets discouraged when a play doesn’t go the right way, either by himself or by a teammate. And he needs to transcend the play and go on to the next play.”
