[Stardust]

Stephenson worth risk for UC

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090...isk+for+UC

The kid is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. He can play point guard, shooting guard and small forward. He shoots well, he passes better.

“He doesn’t have any weaknesses offensively,’’ says UC basketball coach Mick Cronin. He was among the 10 best high school players in the country last year, according to the people who rate such things.


He would be the best Bearcat recruit since DerMarr Johnson, a decade ago. His signing is a breakthrough event in the Mick Cronin Era.

He’s also accused of groping a 17-year-old.


He’s also jeopardized his eligibility by taking a tour of a sports apparel maker’s factory, owned by a University of Maryland booster. He appeared in an Internet reality show. No one’s saying he accepted anything from Under Armour or taken money for being on ‘Net TV. The NCAA is checking.

UC has checked. UC is satisfied that Lance Stephenson, prep stud from the prep stud heaven of N-Y-C, will be a fine player, student and citizen. “I feel comfortable with what we’ve done,’’ says Bearcats athletic director Mike Thomas. Cronin is straight-up about the situation.


“In 2009, if you recruit the top 10 or 20 players in the country, this is our world. This is the way it is in college basketball,’’ the coach said.


“I’m not even talking about Lance, specifically. You have to do your due diligence, but there’s going to be an unknown.’’ Great players aren’t always great citizens. Risks are taken. Dice are rolled. Perceptions are ****ed.


Here’s what’s known about men’s basketball in Clifton: It’s vital to the athletic budget. It needs to re-capture the local imagination. Crowds of 7,500 in a 13,276-seat gym will not cut it. You want to win, you need good players. Good players come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds............