Leading off today: Lance Stephenson says his latest decision to
postpone the announcement should not be taken as an indication that he does not know where he's going to school this fall.
That's probably not true, but don't hate on the Abraham Lincoln senior. He just appears to be trying to make the best of what could be either a very good or a bad situation for him in light of developments from the last 48 hours.
Stephenson, a 6-foot-5 all-state guard for the PSAL's four-time champions, was expected to announce his college choice -- the consensus was Kansas -- yesterday or early today while in Miami for the McDonald's All-American Game. But that likely went out the window when John Calipari left Memphis to become the head coach at Kentucky.
Here's why:
Memphis had commitments from shooting guard Xavier Henry (who reportedly has a gentleman's agreement to be released from his letter of intent if necessary) and center DeMarcus Cousins (verbal commitment only), rated the nation's No. 4 and 6 recruits, respectively, by Scout.com. The No. 7 Stephenson and No. 2 John Wall, a point guard, are still free agents, so to speak.
Cousins and Henry could follow Calipari to Kentucky, setting off shuffling by several other players rated in the top 200 but still unsigned. But Wall reportedly is still heavily involved with Kansas, and Henry was looking closely at the Jayhawks for awhile, too. Those two plus Stephenson added up to at least one too many guards for Kansas.
No one wants to lose out on an opportunity to play there, but the first (or the last) of the group to decide could theoretically end up at the suddenly rejuvenated Kentucky. And, of course, all have several other potential suitors.
The educated guess from here is that hometown St. John's still has almost no chance at recruiting Stephenson, but Maryland's chances have improved substantially in the last day even if Kansas remains the leader.
Tennis player collapses, dies: A 16-year-old Wingate Campus tennis player collapsed and died while practicing with his coach after school in Brooklyn yesterday.
Aaron Marion, a junior, reportedly collapsed while on courts in the Wingate section of Brooklyn. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The
