
07-23-2008, 09:52 PM
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My reality check bounced.
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Join Date: Oct 2004
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Total Points: 44,439.15
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At USA U-18 trials, one star who still needs to grow up
Lance Stephenson (right) has led Brooklyn's Lincoln High to three consecutive New York City championships.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Tuesday evening, 18 of the top teenage basketball players in America gathered on the Washington Wizards' practice court at the Verizon Center. The players had been invited by USA Basketball to try out for the team that will compete at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship tournament in Argentina later this month.
When it came time for full-court scrimmaging, Lance Stephenson, the much-heralded guard who has led Brooklyn's Lincoln High to three consecutive New York City championships, tried taking over the point guard duties. Stephenson wanted to show off the skills he picked up at Nike's Steve Nash camp last month, but he turned in an awful performance. He dribbled into traffic and committed sloppy turnovers. He fired no-look passes that sailed out of bounds. He drove to the basket and heedlessly forced up bad shots.
Even worse, after every mistake he acted like it was someone else's fault. He barked at his teammates. He whined to the refs. He rolled his eyes and slapped his thighs. He shook his head and muttered to himself.
In other words, he acted like what he is: a 17-year-old kid.
This may come as a surprise to those who have already proclaimed Stephenson to be the next big thing. We're told he's the next Stephon Marbury or Sebastian Telfair, just because he plays for Lincoln like they did. We're told he's the next O.J. Mayo, whom he once challenged at a recruiting camp when Stephenson was a high school freshman. (I was there; Mayo schooled him) Lance is supposed to be the next LeBron, the next Kobe, the next Carmelo.
It's a safe bet nobody would say those things about Stephenson if he were from, say, Phoenix instead of New York. At any rate, Stephenson demonstrated quite clearly at the Team USA trials that he is none of those things -- not yet, anyway. To be sure, he deserves to considered among the best 10 or 15 high school seniors in America, which is where most scouting services rank him. At 6-foot-5, 202 pounds, Stephenson was the most physically developed player at the trials. When the coaches made the players run the length of the court and back within 10 seconds, Stephenson completed the sprints way ahead of the pack. He also displayed a fierce will, which, combined with his speed and strength, enabled him to score a ton of baskets around the rim.
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Entire article: At USA U-18 trials, one star took over in all the wrong ways - Seth Davis - SI.com
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