Blogger Adam Zagoria, who has scored a number of scoops regarding basketball in the metro New York area, reported today that the Abraham Lincoln standout guard who holds the state career scoring mark, cited a source close to the family in reporting the player will attend the University of Cincinnati.

   Zagoria said Lincoln coach Dwayne "Tiny" Morton confirmed the commitment. Stephenson visited the Big East school over the weekend.

   A McDonald's All-American who averaged 31.9 points as a senior, Stephenson led Lincoln to an unprecedented four straight Public Schools Athletic League city championships.

   Cincinnati, coached by Mark Cronin, was a late entry into the Stephenson recruiting derby. He had taken official visits to Kansas, Maryland and St. John's. Kansas backed off after receiving a commitment from Oklahoma schoolboy Xavier Henry, who reportedly is now wavering and could bolt for Kentucky.

   Yesterday, the sexual assault case involving Stepehnson was adjourned until July 15, The Daily News reported. Stephenson and Lincoln teammate Darwin Ellis are alleged to have groped a 17-year-old girl last October. If convicted of the Class B misdemeanor, Stephenson could face three months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

   CHSFL tightens grid rules: A rule approved last month puts new limits on offseason football workouts by members of the 21-team Catholic High School Football League.

   The rule prohibits 11-on-11 workouts during the offseason, The Journal News reported. No more than seven players can be on the field for a team at one time, though pads and full contact are still permitted.

   "The league felt that there were some teams going to too many camps and they wanted to scale it back a little," Mount St. Michael coach and AD Mario Valentini told the paper. "The committee doesn't want to restrict kids from getting better at football. . . . But the 11-on-11s, they felt, were taking it to another level. They felt they were losing

Coming Thursday, July 2 New York State Sportswriters Association All-Sport Championship

control of what was taking place."

   The penalty for a violation is severe: A school using more than seven players during a workout prior to the official Aug. 24 start date will be banned from postseason play.

   Coburn is an Olympian: Rutgers junior guard Mike Coburn, the NYSSWA Class AA co-player of the year in 2007 as a Mount Vernon senior, is expected to play for the Jamaican National Basketball Team in 2012. Coburn was named to the team Saturday in Kingston, Jamaica, according to Rivals.com.

   Coburn started nine games as a Rutgers sophomore and averaged a modest 4.0 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 32 games.

   Extra points: Waterford baseball coach Bob Jesmain, 178-94 overall, is stepping down in order to spend more time with his family. The Fordians were 19-5 this spring and reached the Section 2 Class C final. . . . With Scotia-Glenville unlikely to supply any players this season, the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake hockey program is moving to combine resources with Ballston Spa, The Saratogian reported. The proposal awaits approval from the Section 2 hockey committee. "With our numbers we can’t have a team of our own financially,” BH-BL AD Bob McGuire said. “It helps to defray some of our costs.”