Contrary to popular belief, Lance Stephenson will go to college

July 1, 2:26 PMCollege Sports ExaminerJacob Osterhout

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Cincinnati just got a whole lot better.

He was one of the best high school basketball players in the nation last season and yet, until Tuesday, Lance Stephenson was without a college basketball team.

Sure, he had many suitors, but most programs had shied away from the six-foot-five shooting guard who finished high school as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the state of New York with 2,946 points. There was the issue of his academic eligibility, the controlling nature of his father, and, of course, a looming sexual harassment case.

But on Tuesday, the University of Cincinnati decided to focus on the positive and snagged the last top-100 basketball recruit still on the market.

"We are very excited about Lance's decision to become a Bearcat," Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin said in a statement released by the university. "Lance has terrific talent as a basketball player and is also a fierce competitor on the court. His desire to win will help us compete for a Big East Championship."

While Cincinnati was never on Stephenson's short list of possible schools, the choice isn't a complete surprise in recruiting circles. Cronin has connections at Lincoln High, where Stephenson attended high school. Back when Cronin was an assistant at Louisville, he was integral in getting another Lincoln High star, Sebastian Telfair, to commit to Louisville before Telfair ultimately decided to go straight to the NBA.

Assuming that Stephenson overcomes his academic and legal problems, and is eligible to play for the Bearcats next season, his presence on Cronin's team suddenly makes Cincinnati, which posted a mediocre 8-10 conference record last year and returns a core group of quality players, a contender to win the Big East.