TrojanNYC.com

Lance Stephenson Powers Lincoln HS to 3rd City Championship

From NYDailyNews.com:

There is little doubt that is what everyone at the Garden thought Sunday every time the 6-5 Stephenson touched the ball. Just as he had as a freshman and sophomore, Stephenson raised his game under the lights of the Garden. This time he led Lincoln to its third straight PSAL title and sixth in seven years. Lincoln beat Boys and Girls, 88-57, in front of a small and strictly monitored crowd.

"It gave me chills," Morton said. "It was like watching the second coming of Sebastian (Telfair). It's too bad he can't go straight from high school." The coach was referring to an NBA age minimum of 19 that was instituted in 2005.

Stephenson scored 27 points and had eight rebounds in 25 minutes. He scored inside on offensive rebounds and outside, finishing 3-of-7 on three-pointers.

"The thing with Lance is the bigger the stage, the better he plays," High School Basketball Index recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski said. "He likes the lights."

Stephenson admits he responds to the big-time feel of the championship game.

"I was so hyped before the game, I just wanted to get out there and destroy them, and get the game over with so my other teammates can see how the court feels," Stephenson said.

Lance has a chance at leading Lincoln High to a 4th straight City Championship next year, which is something Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair weren't able to do.  I know Rivals ranks Lance as the 4th best player in the 2009 rankings, but to me, he is the clear #1.  I'd take him over Renardo Sidney (current #1) any day of the week.  It's still a long-shot for Lance to come to SC, but until he starts cutting teams off of his list, I'll keep the possibility alive. 

Lance Stephenson - Born Ready

From BornReady.tv:

Lance is a target recruit for '09.  Some recruiting services have him as the best HS basketball player in the nation of any class.  He visited SC during the weekend of the Oregon State game and reportedly had a great time taking in Southern California.

Sidney & Stephenson to Visit SC This Weekend

Renardo Sidney and Lance Stephenson (l-r)

From FoxSports.com:

USC will have two of the nation’s top juniors, Renardo Sidney and Lance Stephenson, on campus this weekend. Stephenson has already taken an unofficial visit to Indiana for Midnight Madness and also plans to go to Kansas later this month.

If you see them at the football game (just look for two guys 6'5+), let out a holler and make them feel at home.  On Rivals.com, Renardo is currently the #1 player and Lance the #4 player in the class of 2009.  Landing these two would be absolutely huge.  I wrote a post about a month back about Lance's infamous run-in with O.J. at the ABCD Camp, the two are friends so you can be sure O.J. will be in his ear the entire night talking up SC.  Let's hope Coach Floyd and staff can make a lasting impression. 

Demar DeRozan - The Compton Way

Here's a link to a few clips of Demar DeRozan going through some drills at Compton High.  You'll also notice that he's ranked #10 overall in HighSchoolHoop.com's ranking of HS ballers (regardless of graduating of class).  Here are the players SC is recruiting on the list:

1.  Lance Stephenson, SG/SF, Lincoln, NY 2009

- Seton Hall and Indiana have emerged as serious players in the race to land America's top player. The 6-5, 205-pound wing is physically mature beyond his years and plays with the competitive edge you always see from the great ones. As a sophomore he put up 26 points and 10 boards a game and won his second straight NYC championship.

4.  Renardo Sidney, PF, Fairfax, CA 2009

- When he comes to play, Sidney is hands-down the best all-around talent in the country. At 6-9, 250, he can score inside, knock down threes, handle like a guard and take guys off the dribble. On the high school level he's unstoppable in the post. He put up around 19 points, nine boards and three blocks per game on a loaded Artesia (Lakewood, Calif.) squad as a sophomore, and has transferred to L.A. powerhouse Fairfax for his junior year. Sidney has Ohio State, USC and UCLA high on his list.

10.  Demar DeRozan, SG, Compton, CA 2008

- The USC-bound skywalker has a fanbase that extends well beyond his Southern Cali home base. Talk to any of the top high school players in the country and they have DeRozan ranked high on their list.

Our chances with Lance are pretty slim at this point, but you never know...

Tim Floyd Visits Lance Stephenson ('09)

From NYDailyNews.com:

The recruiting war for Lincoln High's junior phenom Lance Stephenson has just started and it's already heating up. Stephenson's father just texted our guy Eb Samuel with word that USC coach Tim Floyd -- who pulled off a major coup by signing O.J. Mayo last year -- dropped by to watch Lance work out. Stephenson's biggest problem will be narrowing his list of suitors down as time goes by.

Lance is one of the top players in the class of 2009, but might be better known (at least for now) for being the middle-schooler that went head-to-head with O.J. Mayo @ the '05 ABCD Camp (YouTube Video).  Here's a quote from Seth Davis on the infamous battle:

Stephenson was a trash-talking, finger-pointing, tongue-wagging blur who got in Mayo's face as soon as they took the court to start the second quarter. When Stephenson made a quick move along the baseline, the Brooklynites erupted. Then Mayo got mad. He started taking it right at the youngster and repeatedly scored at will.

During one unforgettable sequence, Mayo buried a 3-pointer in Stephenson's face, then gesticulated wildly toward Stephenson's posse in the stands. After Mayo's team got the rebound on the ensuing possession, Mayo dribbled the ball down the left wing and prepared to take it to Stephenson again. Stephenson, however, was caught in a defensive switch. So Mayo literally ordered Stephenson to guard him, waited for the youngster to take his defensive stance and then buried another long 3-pointer

Two things can be taken from that story:  (1) Mayo has the killer instinct and (2) Stephenson is going to be a great player at the next level.  I think at this point it's a long shot for SC to be in the mix with LS, but if TF uses O.J. properly and he becomes a lottery pick, which he likely will, lot of top of prospects heads will turn, including Stephenson's...