As the last day of the spring signing period comes to a close today there is no end in site for the Stephenson Circus. It appears his decision will drag out until his pending sexual assault court case is resolved. And since the next hearing in that case isn’t until June 29th, it could be a while before we hear from Lance. All of this is being reported by Zagsblog and Adam Zagoria also noted that Arizona and Memphis appear to be the primary players for Stephenson, although we have heard Maryland's name tossed around a bit.” Interesting news there as Zags, along with a lot of people, had previously reported that the Terps were out of it for Lance. So, take it with a grain of salt (what else is new when it comes to Stephenson?) but I suppose that it is positive news that the Terps haven’t been officially dismissed, as St. Johns and Florida International have been. Read my crazy theory as to what might have happened after the jump.
I’m starting to wonder now if Gary’s visit to Lance last month was more about “you’re good to go to Maryland if this court case clears up.” Maybe and I must say this is 100% speculation on my part, Lance was told by Maryland that if he was found innocent, they’d take him with open arms. But if he was convicted, the deal was off, as the Terps didn’t want another Tyree Evens case on their hands. Lance could have heard similar things from other schools as well. That might have made him start to look at other schools (Memphis, Arizona, etc.) because he wanted to commit before this case was finalized, in case he was convicted. Or those schools said they’d still take him even if he was convicted, which is why they suddenly became an option. Now that the case might either be dismissed or there is a good chance he might be found innocent and because the Terps didn’t get Painter, there is still a scholarship waiting for Lance and thus the Terps are once again an option for him. I’d think he’d like to play at Maryland over Memphis and Arizona, considering the proximity to NYC, potential to have a great team with him, Vaz and the new kids coming in, and playing for a future hall of fame coach. Again, just my random, crazy theory. By this time tomorrow, Maryland could again be out of it and Sienna might be the new leader to land Lance…
As always, stay tuned…
