Brooklyn guard prospect Lance Stephenson, the last top-10 player from the recruiting class of 2009 to select a school, has committed to Cincinnati, a source close to the recruitment told Sporting News on Tuesday.
At 6-5, Stephenson can play any of the three perimeter positions. He led Lincoln High to four consecutive Class AA New York City Public League championships.
Cincinnati looks at Stephenson as a pro-level talent who can add scoring punch to an NCAA Tournament contender-and an elite recruit who can elevate the program's profile in pursuing other top prospects.
He is the first McDonald's All-American to choose Cincinnati under Mick Cronin as head coach. As an assistant under Bob Huggins, Cronin recruited the last McDonald's stars to join the program: guards DerMarr Johnson and Kenny Satterfield.
Stephenson's first college choice had been Kansas, which he selected nearly three months ago, but the Jayhawks asked him to delay making a public commitment while waiting for the NCAA to examine questions about his amateurism.
Almost immediately afterward, John Calipari left Memphis for the head coaching job at Kentucky, which freed top-10 wing Xavier Henry from his letter of intent at Memphis. Kansas preferred Henry and offered him a scholarship, leaving none available for Stephenson.
That left several other schools recruiting Stephenson, including St. John's and Maryland. Florida also recruited Stephenson and, a source said, still was pursuing him as recently as this weekend.
Stephenson still has a misdemeanor sexual assault case pending against him in court. On Monday, the case was delayed until July 15.
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