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.
Some say Lance Stephenson will succeed at Cincinnati. Others think he’ll fail and maybe implode the team along with him.
Personally, I’m in the former category. I think Lance is in a perfect spot at Cincinnati. He’s surrounded by a tough coach (Mick Cronin), experienced players who also want to win (Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates) and he’s out of the fishbowl of New York City.
The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native was voted the Big East preseason Rookie of the Year.
He also impressed observers Saturday in his first scrimmage when he dropped 22 points in 25 minutes, leading the Red team to a 50-43 victory over the Black team, according to Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“The guy can play offense,” Cronin told Koch. “He’s got a lot of natural, God-given ability. I think our style of play will help Lance.”
Stephenson was joined on the Red team by Vaughn, Gates, Cashmere Wright and Biggie McClain.
“The good part about it for Lance,” Cronin told Koch, “is that he doesn’t have to carry our team. He’s got a lot of other players around him.”
As reported previously, Cincinnati is still awaiting word from the NCAA as to Lance’s eligibility vis-a-vis his amateurism issues.
SELBY CUTS BAYLOR
Matt Scott at TheShiver.com reports that Josh Selby has eliminated Baylor from his list of schools, bringing his list down to five schools.
The 6-3, 180 combo guard out of Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton has already visited Kansas unofficially. He plans to see Syracuse, Miami, Indiana and Kentucky and his mother will announce a visit schedule this week.
FREE THROWS
6-8 forward Terrence Jones of Oregon is visiting Kentucky now and will return Friday, according to an email his mother, Linda, sent to TheShiver.com. He visits Oregon on Saturday. Jones is also considering Washington, UCLA, and Oklahoma…Djim Bandoumel, a 6-8 center for Monroe (N.Y.) College, has committed to Idaho, according to assistant coach Brock Erickson.Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
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.
Some say Lance Stephenson will succeed at Cincinnati. Others think he’ll fail and maybe implode the team along with him.
Personally, I’m in the former category. I think Lance is in a perfect spot at Cincinnati. He’s surrounded by a tough coach (Mick Cronin), experienced players who also want to win (Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates) and he’s out of the fishbowl of New York City.
The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native was voted the Big East preseason Rookie of the Year.
He also impressed observers Saturday in his first scrimmage when he dropped 22 points in 25 minutes, leading the Red team to a 50-43 victory over the Black team, according to Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“The guy can play offense,” Cronin told Koch. “He’s got a lot of natural, God-given ability. I think our style of play will help Lance.”
Stephenson was joined on the Red team by Vaughn, Gates, Cashmere Wright and Biggie McClain.
“The good part about it for Lance,” Cronin told Koch, “is that he doesn’t have to carry our team. He’s got a lot of other players around him.”
As reported previously, Cincinnati is still awaiting word from the NCAA as to Lance’s eligibility vis-a-vis his amateurism issues.
SELBY CUTS BAYLOR
Matt Scott at TheShiver.com reports that Josh Selby has eliminated Baylor from his list of schools, bringing his list down to five schools.
The 6-3, 180 combo guard out of Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton has already visited Kansas unofficially. He plans to see Syracuse, Miami, Indiana and Kentucky and his mother will announce a visit schedule this week.
FREE THROWS
6-8 forward Terrence Jones of Oregon is visiting Kentucky now and will return Friday, according to an email his mother, Linda, sent to TheShiver.com. He visits Oregon on Saturday. Jones is also considering Washington, UCLA, and Oklahoma…Djim Bandoumel, a 6-8 center for Monroe (N.Y.) College, has committed to Idaho, according to assistant coach Brock Erickson.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
