Subscribe to the NCSA BlogLance Stephenson’s Character Risk
July 1st, 2009 - byLance Stephenson is one of the best prep players in America. By all accounts he should have chosen from his dozens of scholarship offers months, if not years, ago. However, Stephenson only this week made a verbal decision to attend the University of Cincinnati.
Why, did it take so long? There are a myriad of reasons, but they all prove why coaches are looking at a player’s 
character now more than ever.
The first reason is the fact that he made abundantly clear that he has no real desire to attend college in the first place. He would have much preferred to make the prep to pros jump, but was restrained by the NBA’s age limit rule.
The next reason are numerous questions about his attitude and a troubling sexual asualt case. He was always seen barking at teammates and generally displayed an angry demeanor on the court. Oh, and his father is not seen in the best of light by the basketball community.
Finally, there are questions on his actual eligibility. After the O.J. Mayo fiasco at USC nobody wants to paint a giant target on their back for the NCAA. Stephenson was involved in an internet TV show picked up MTV2 and questions linger if he was compensated.
All, this adds up to numerous schools saying thanks but no thanks after they took a deeper look. Only Stephenson’s incredible athleticism and potential bailed him out of this jam (and Cincinnati will still be looking further into his eligibility).
If you are a hopefull recruit can you afford anywhere near the read flags Stephonson has raised? Of course not. The recruiting process is a once in a lifetime experience. Make sure you take every step possible to ensure it goes smoothly.
