BoxofMess.com

Special to ZAGSBLOG.COM

TRENTON, N.J. -- Here’s a complete rundown on Saturday and Sunday’’s action at the PrimeTime Shootout at the Sun National Bank Center…

In the last game Saturday night, Doron Lamb scored 49 points — three shy of LeBron James‘ 2003 tournament-record 52 — on 21 of 29 shooting but Oak Hill Academy fell to St. Peter’s Prep, 84-81.

Lamb’s college list now includes five schools: Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, UConn and West Virginia. West Virginia assistant Larry Harrison was in the house.

“Coach [Jim] Calhoun’s leave of absence got me a little worried, but now he is back so I am not concerned,” Lamb said of his decision to add UConn to his list.

In the win for St. Peter’s Prep, Myles Davis had 33 points, while St. John’s-bound forward Ron Roberts had 23.

Davis and Plainfield junior guard Tyrone Johnson attended the Georgetown-Rutgers game Sunday at the RAC, won by Rutgers,71-68. Georgetown just offered Johnson last week.

***Earlier Saturday, Life Center knocked off Our Savior New American for a second year in a row at the Primetime Shootout, 75-58, behind 34 points from Syracuse-bound guard Dion Waiters and 14 points from uncommitted junior LaQuinton Ross, who transferred from Murrah (Miss.) High.

LaQuinton on his transfer, “My people thought it was time for me to play in some better games against some better competition.”

LaQuinton’s list, “Villanova, Georgetown, UConn, the ‘Cuse, Mississippi State, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, the list goes on.”

On visits, “I plan to take some visits this summer.”

On a college decision, “Probably next year. I’m going to narrow it down to a top 5 by the end of the summer.”

Dion reflecting on the list of 5, “Next year they going top 5 and Syracuse is gonna be in there.”

Dion jokingly talking about not being selected to the McDonald’s game, “They jerked me, that’s motivation man, they jerked me, I know I deserved to be there.”

AND ON A DIFFERENT NOTE….. LaQuinton Ross does not know who Van Gogh is….

***Lincoln defeated Middle Township 61-47 behind Shaq Stokes who had 17 points and Kamari Murphy finished with 7.

Shaq Stokes on when he will commit, “Next year before the season starts”

Shaq Stokes’ list, “Florida, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Stanford, and some more.”

Kamari Murphy’s list, ”Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Auburn, Rutgers, Providince, Virginia, Pittsburgh.”

Kamari Murphy on when he will commit, “This summer”

Kamari Murphy’s favorite, “Virginia”

Ethan Telfair on early favorites (despite not having much interest or offers), “Syracuse”

Tiny Morton when I asked if I could ask him any Lance Stephenson questions, “Oh please no, no, no. I get that to much.

Tiny on Kamari’s Recruiting, “Kamari will most likely reclassify. I see Shaq going D1.”

Tiny on the upcoming AAU Season for Juice All Stars, “I have something new I’m going to try. I am canceling all of April to do individual training with all the players to get them better for the summer. (Later in the interview) “You’re the first one to know that.”

***Coming off Friday night’s nationally televised loss to Oak Hill at Kean College, St. Patrick was led by Michael Gilchrist and Kyrie Irving, who combined for 39 points, as they knocked off Rice, 74-56.

Irving on one thing most people don’t know about him, “I was invited to play for both the Australian and U.S. National teams. I was born in Australia so I have dual citizenship. Both invites are a big honor to me.”

***In Sunday’s action, Half Hollow Hills West defeated Christ the King, 73-69, as Tyler Harris’ free throws sealed it at the end. Tobias Harris, despite fouling out, had 19 points, while Tavon Sledge led the way with 22. Omar Calhoun led CTK with 24 points.

Among the coaches on hand were UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Villanova’s Jay Wright, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Rhode Island’s Jim Baron.

Tyler Harris’ list, “It’s going a lot better this year. West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Indiana, a lot of Big East and ACC schools. I’m getting more offers like Seton Hall.”

Tobias Harris on Tyler Smith being kicked off Tennessee, “No, not at all. They’re just taking steps up after that.”
Tobias on being a McDonald’s All American, “It’s an honor, it feels great. I’m excited to have a lot of fun.”

Tobias on one thing most people don’t know about him, “Not to many people can beat me in ping pong.”

Omar Calhoun’s list, “Villanova, Rutgers, Louisville, UCLA, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, …. the list goes on.”

Calhoun’s visits, “I visited Pitt and St. John’s unofficially. St. John’s was fun and so was Pitt.”
Calhoun’s college decision, “By my junior year.”

Calhoun on possibly playing for John Calipari, “It would be great. I’m not going to think about that now. I’m just going to keep getting better so I can in that situation.”

Calhoun on location, “Location will not be a factor for me.”

Despite Jayvaughn Pinkston getting in foul trouble, Bishop Loughlin beat Cherokee 55-36. Kareem Canty led Loughlin with 13 points.

Pinkston on being a McDonald’s All American, “It’s a big honor. It’s a big basketball and it’s a great honor for me, you know.”

Pinkston on why he didn’t sign yet, “No, I’m signing in April. I was originally going to commit to Tennessee but some things happened along the way so I went with my 2nd option in Villanova. Tennessee was my first.”

Pinkston on one thing most people don’t know about him, “I’m a good kid.” (smiling)

Coach Calhoun on how he is doing, “I’m doing pretty good.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.

Attorneys for both sides huddled briefly before Judge Alexander Jeong said, “We will meet on July 15.”

Jeong had previously adjourned the case once, to Monday from May 19.

“It’s a process,” said Alberto Ebanks, Stephenson’s attorney.

Stephenson and Ellis are alleged to have groped a 17-year-old girl outside Lincoln High School last fall. If convicted, Stephenson could face up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Ebanks has maintained his client’s innocence throughout.

“[Stephenson] is 100 percent innocent,” he told me last month. “Just apply logic to the situation. At 2:50 p.m. as school is letting out, this God-awful incident goes on across the street from the school and no one sees anything? No one? Not one school safety officer, not one member of the administration, not one fellow classmate? Come on.

“It’s just a shame.”

Neither Stephenson nor his father, Lance Sr., spoke to the media Monday.

Lance and his family were coming off a weekend official visit to the University of Cincinnati and one Big East assistant coach said he expected Lance to make a verbal commitment to the school on Tuesday.

Yet it seems unlikely that any school would take a commitment until the groping case is resolved, which now has been pushed back.

The 6-foot-5 Stephenson is the all-time leading scorer in New York State history and he led Lincoln High School to four straight PSAL championships.

He has taken official visits to Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s and would have one remaining if the Cincinnati visit was an official.

Other potential schools in the mix include Memphis, Missouri, Pittsburgh and UNC-Charlotte, according to a source close to the Stephensons.

Florida, Florida International, Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s have already bowed out.

“We are going through the process of picking a school,” Lance Sr. wrote Sunday in a text. “Things are going well with the schools we are talking to. We look forward to announcing in the weeks to come.”

“He got here yesterday [Friday],” said a player on the team. “We just got through playing open gym. [He played] with the whole team and a couple old players.

“He was doing good. I guarded him. He played good. We could use him. If we get him we’ll be good.”

This is Stephenson’s fourth official visit. He has visited Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s and Lance Stephenson Sr. recently said his son would take two more.

Memphis and Arizona may still be involved, but no visits have been set, as far as we know.

Other potential schools in the mix include Missouri, Pittsburgh and UNC-Charlotte, according to a source.

Cincinnati returns a solid core including guards Deonta Vaughn and Rashad Bishop and forward Yancy Gates. Point guard Cashmere Wright also becomes eligible this year after sitting out last season with an injury. The Bearcats are bringing in big man Ibrahima Thomas and guards Sean Kilpatrick and  Jaquon Parker. Kilpatrick is a White Plains, N.Y. native.

The 6-foot-5 Stephenson is the all-time leading scorer in New York State history and a McDonald’s All-American.

He is due in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Monday to face sexual assault charges because he is alleged to have groped a girl outside Lincoln High School in Brooklyn last fall.

Until this point, several schools, including Kansas, Florida, Florida International, Maryland and St. John’s have bowed out of the Lance Sweepstakes.

(Photo courtesy Daily News)

Lance Stephenson will graduate from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, his future awash in uncertainty.

Just over 24 hours later, the NBA Draft will take place just 10 miles away at Madison Square Garden.

Had Stephenson graduated in 2004 instead of 2009, he likely would be hearing NBA commissioner David Stern utter his name from the podium Thursday night and preparing for life as a young multi-millionaire.

“Late lottery,” said draft expert Chris Monter of Monter Draft News, referring to where Stephenson would have been picked if he were eligible. “He’s talented but he has a lot of baggage and is perceived as a selfish player.”

Read the full story here.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — It was late in the third quarter of the Frankie Williams Charity Classic when Lance Stephenson finally donned a white No. 24 jersey and checked into the game.

After taking a test at school and getting delayed by traffic, Stephenson played only about 15 minutes in a contest his White team lost 128-122 to the Blue team, but he sure made news in the time he was there.

In a wide-ranging interview, Stephenson and his father, Lance Stephenson Sr., talked about the schools they’re still considering; the recruiting process; the pending sexual assault case; the recent Washington Post story which was highly critical of Lance and his father; the BornReady.TV Website; and whether Lance Sr. has ever asked for money in the recruiting process.

The 6-foot-5 Stephenson is a McDonald’s All-American and the all-time leading scorer in New York State history. He seemed poised to pick Kansas in late March, but held off and the Jayhawks eventually received a commitment from Xavier Henry instead. Now Stephenson says he’s considering four schools.

“Arizona, Florida, Memphis and Maryland. I don’t have a favorite,” Stephenson said after scoring 21 points in the loss.

Stephenson faces a sexual assault hearing on June 29 in Brooklyn Criminal Court, and any school willing to take his commitment would likely want that case resolved first.

“I’m just taking my time,” he said. “I got about three more weeks so I’m just going to stay focused, work out and play a little more ball. I got three more weeks to make my decision.”

Asked if he had a specific date in mind, Stephenson said, “No.”

Stephenson has taken official visits to Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s and has two remaining. Lance Sr. said his son would take his two remaining visits — presumably to some combination of Arizona, Florida and Memphis — but declined to say when or where the visits would take place.

“We have two official visits left and we’re going to use those last two visits real wise,” Lance Sr. said. “At this point we’re just trying to keep Lance’s recruitment private so that he can actually be recruited.”

The Washington Post story was critical of Lance Sr.’s involvement in his son’s recruitment, saying that sources said “his father’s involvement has been heavy-handed to the point of becoming detrimental. Those sources also indicated some coaches were apprehensive of the role the father would assume once Stephenson arrived on campus.”

In response, Lance Sr. said: “Well, The Washington Post’s opinion is like an asshole. Everybody got one. It’s just opinion.”

He added: “I haven’t heard a coach say my presence in the situation has hindered his recruitment so it’s just speculations and opinions. The Washington Post is a big-time newspaper and we have a lot of respect for them, but it’s their opinion. What more can I say about it?”

Lance Sr. added that he felt the media had turned on him and his son and to some extent, I have to agree. Consider the things that have been said and written about Lance Stephenson in recent weeks by every Joe Blogger with an Internet connection out there, most of whom have never met Lance or his father. Lance has been called a thug, a killer of programs and all manner of other bad names.

Now this is me saying this, not Lance Sr., but seriously, would the media ever talk about a white player like this? Somehow members of the media seem to toss out these terms more often when talking about black athletes than white ones.

“Lance just wants to play ball,” his father said. “I think he gets a bad rap because the people want to talk to him and want to be around him. He as a player and us as a family have allowed the media to be involved with us. And it seems like at this point the media is turning on him.”

He added: “I think that he and his family have been fair with the media and we just ask for the same respect….If the media will just bear with us, I think Lance will be that player that everybody thinks he can be.”

As for the court case, Lance Sr. said his son wants his name cleared. Alberto Ebanks, the Stephensons’ attorney, is hoping to get the case dismissed or plea bargained, but on Thursday Ebanks indicated there was no news and the case seemed headed for adjudication on June 29.

“The court case is out there and that’s just something he’s got to go through,” Lance Sr. said of his son. “He wants his name cleared and he wants to be recognized as a good person on and off the court.”

On the subject of academics, Lance Sr. said his son would definitely qualify for college.

“He’s going to qualify and we’re happy for that. We just want him to finish with school so he can go on to the next level,” he said.

While there are rumors out there that Lance Sr. has asked for money in exchange for sending his son to school, the father flatly denied them as false.

“All we ask for is for an opportunity for our kid to play basketball, that’s it,” he said. “We only dealt with St. John’s, Maryland and Kansas and…we just want our son to play ball. We recognize that a scholarship is money because you’re getting a free ride at a prestigious university. So money is not something that me and my wife are out to get for Lance.

“We come to events like this [Charity Classic] and nobody offered us money or gave us money, so I couldn’t see a coach saying that we wanted money. That’s not the reason why we didn’t pick a certain school. That’s definitely a violation. We don’t want to do anything to break the rules.”

As for colleges, Lance Sr. has always said he wanted to get his son out of New York and thus perhaps it didn’t come as a surprise that St. John’s was not in the final mix. But Lance Sr. said his son also feels proud to represent New York City.

“I love New York and I don’t want to make New York sound like it’s hell, because it’s not,” he said. “Lance comes into the game repping New York first, Brooklyn second and Coney Island. He loves New York and there’s nothing about trying to get away because of this.

“I feel like he went through this whole process unharmed and he pretty much did everything he said he was going to do, that’s win four championships, he broke the scoring record, he led Lincoln in rebounding, I thought he made his teammates better.”

Kansas seemed like a likely destination for Lance in late March, but after John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, Henry became available and Kansas got him instead.

“This is a long process and you have to be sure of where you want to go and what you want to do. Kansas is a good program but we just have to look out for Lance and make sure that he’s comfortable,” Lance Sr. said.

As for reports that the BornReady.tv Website triggered Kansas or other schools to back off Lance’s recruitment, Lance Sr. said he believes the site is in compliance with NCAA regulations.

“The people from Born Ready did the documentary in compliance with the NCAA and we made sure that everything was done right and it was legal to do it,” he said.

The Washington Post reported that compliance officers said “a school likely will look into any prospective athlete’s affiliation with a Web site to determine whether the relationship produced compensation for the athlete or his family, whether a third party like an agent or financial adviser was involved and what prompted the company producing the Web site to form the relationship in the first place.”

The newspaper said representatives from Fader Films and Den of Thieves, the production companies that run bornready.tv, declined to comment for their story.

The NCAA did not begin investigating Renardo Sidney until he committed to Mississippi State, so a potential investigation of BornReady.tv likely wouldn’t begin until Stephenson committed to a school, a college coach involved in his recruitment said.

As for the schools still remaining, Lance Sr. said Maryland was in the hunt for Lance’s services.

“I talk with Coach [Gary] Williams, Coach [Keith] Booth and Coach [Chuck] Driesell, they’ve just been there,” he said. “Maryland is going through their process where they want to pick a player and they’re not putting any rush on us. They want Lance to be sure if he does want to go to Maryland, that he really wants to be there. Maryland has been really patient in working with the family.”

Both Memphis and Florida are also apparently in the mix, although Lance Sr. didn’t comment specifically on them.

Memphis coach Josh Pastner told me the other night that his school is still interested in landing a few more players.

“If we have an opportunity to sign a few more we will, but they’ve got to be good enough,” Pastner said.

Florida appears to have gotten into the mix late. The Gators are losing point guard Nick Calathes to Greece but will bring in point guard Kenny Boynton to complement Erving Walker.

As for Arizona, Lance Sr. said Arizona-bound guard Kevin Parrom is helping to recruit Lance to the PAC-10.

“Kevin’s been wonderful,” he said. “He really wants to play with Lance. He expressed that to me and to Lance. He said, ‘Hey, come down for a visit,’ similar to the way that James Padgett talked about taking a visit to Maryland. ‘Hey Lance, you gotta come down and check out Maryland.’ Well, Kevin’s doing the same thing. He really wants to see him and Lance play together on the same team. It would be a New York thing.”

Stephenson was in Arizona several years ago for an AAU event, the Cactus Classic, but Lance Sr. would not comment on whether his son will take an official to the campus.

“We’re looking into a lot of schools and we’re just going to narrow it down. There’s no rush,” he said. “I don’t want to say any school’s in the lead or reveal our moves. We’re just going to make a move and stick with it and you guys will be the first to know.”

NOTES:

Pitt-bound forward Dante Taylor, a Greenburgh native who is pictured at left, was named MVP of his home tournament after pouring in a team-high 32 points for the Blue team, many on rim-rocking dunks. Cincinnati-bound wing Sean Kilpatrick scored 26 points for the winners, including back-to-back 3’s, and looked highly impressive in taking St. John’s-bound wing Omari Lawrence one-on-one. Miami commit Durand Scott chipped in with 21 points and Kansas State commit Jordan Henriquez added 11 points..

For the losers, Marshall-bound big man Hassan Whiteside led all scorers with 37 points, scoring at will on leaping dunks. He was given the Sportsmanship Award. Providence-bound guard Vincent Council added 15 points and Russ Smith and Brian Voelkel scored 13 apiece.

Lawrence scored 10 points for the White team and said he will play for Jamaica in the upcoming FIBA U19 World Championships in New Zealand.

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks to Benjamin Carter, Dave Vandiver, Tom Sampogna,  Courtney Abrams and the folks from FRENJI Sports for putting on a first-class event for a good cause and taking care of the media. The fish sandwich and maccaroni & cheese were especially tasty.

(Photos courtesy Lonnie Webb Photography)

The story was first reported by the New York Post.

“For 26 years I was the coach of this team and an ambassador for this university,” Green told the newspaper. “I called this place home. For them to treat me this way shows a complete lack of respect for me as a person, as a coach and as a loyal employee.”

He also told The Bergen Record: “This decision kills my career. To get fired in June of year 26 kills a career. I’d hoped to coach another five or six years before I even thought about retiring,” Green said. “It not only affects me, but I’ve got three assistant coaches and two of them have families. There are no Division I college basketball head coaching jobs available in June.”

Green posted a career mark of 407-351, including four NCAA and two NIT appearances. The Knights finished 7-23 last season and were 6-12 in the NEC conference.

“Coach Green is no longer our coach and I can’t say anything else beyond that,” FDU athletic director David Langford told The Record. “Coach Green has worked for FDU for 26 years and done a lot of good things, and helped the university with its visibility and we’re very thankful to him for that.”

One name for FDU officials to consider is Seton Hall assistant Dermon Player, a top-notch recruiter in the New York area. Another excellent choice would be St. Patrick of Elizabeth coach Kevin Boyle, who has won five Tournament of Champions, perenially has a top-ranked national team and is one of the best high school coaches in the country.

Speaking of Seton Hall, 6-9 sophomore forward Brandon Walters is transferring.

“He’s going to transfer,” said Dwayne “Tiny” Morton, Walters’ coach at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. “He talked to the coaching staff and everything went smoothly.”

Walters is due to visit Siena on Friday and Morton said he had also heard from Manhattan and Hofstra. He will have two years of eligibility left after he sits out a year.

Walters follows fellow big man Mike Davis out the door this offseason. Both saw the writing on the wall with the arrival this season of big men Herb Pope, Melvyn Oliver and Ferrakohn Hall.

“We wish Brandon the best of luck in his future endeavors,” Pirates coach Bobby Gonzalez said. “He worked hard for us in his two years at Seton Hall. By transferring he’ll have a greater opportunity to see an increase in playing time.”

***Thomas Jefferson sophomore point guard Davontay Grace will visit Marquette this weekend for its Elite Camp.

“Next week he’ll be going to the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis, Mo.,” said Hassani Stewart, Grace’s AAU Coach. “Missouri’s been trying to get ahold of his high school coaches to see if he can visit there.”

The 6-2 Grace has also visited St. John’s unofficially.

(Photos courtesy FDU and SHU)

Recruiting expert Tom Konchalski talks Lance Stephenson, John Wall and Kevin Parrom.

LANCE UPDATE NO. 1: A source within the Lincoln High school athletic department said the school is “planning a press conference at Lincoln within the upcoming weeks” to announce Stephenson’s decision. Take that for what it’s worth. No date has been set, and as far as we know Lance has still not made a decision.

LANCE UPDATE NO. 2: Lance scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting (including 3-for-3 from 3) Saturday as the New York Panthers beat NYABC 91-81 in the second-round of the Is8/Nike Spring High School Classic.

The Panthers will meet Syracuse-bound guard Brandon Triche and New York Elite in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 1.

Stephenson doesn’t normally play with the Panthers but teamed up with them for the first time in four years. The Panthers were loaded and also featured Villanova-bound guard Maalik Wayns (15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists), Pitt commit Dante Taylor (13), Arizona-bound wing Kevin Parrom (13) and St. John’s commit Omari Lawrence (11).

“Maalik had texted Lance as he was coming up here and and said, ‘Hey Lance, can you come play with us?’” Panthers coach Gary Charles said.

Once Stephenson showed up, Charles told him: “Lance, you started out with us at is8 as a freshman. Why don’t you finish it off with us as a senior?”

Charles said there was no discussion of where Stephenson might go to college, and when two reporters approached Stephenson he told them he had no comment on the matter.

“We didn’t discuss it all as far as schools,” Charles said. “I know that they came there to have a good time and enjoy the game so I didn’t want to put any undue pressure.”

Arizona fans can dream that Parrom and Stephenson will again team up next year for the Wildcats. Parrom recently committed to Arizona after initially signing with Xavier, and Arizona and Memphis are both trying to land the 6-foot-5 Stephenson.

Maryland head coach Gary Williams had an in-home visit last Friday with Lance Stephenson and his family, according to two sources close to the situation.

One of the sources said Stephenson told Williams that he will decide by the end of the week.

“I think everything will probably come to a head by next weekend,” a third source close to the situation said. “Everything hinges probably on what Xavier Henry does.”

If the 6-6 Henry ends up at Kansas, Stephenson could wind up at St. John’s or maybe even Maryland, although that school had seemed to be out of it.
If Henry lands at Kentucky or remains at Memphis, Stephenson could go to his first choice: Kansas.

Henry told me last week that no visit date had yet been set to Kentucky, but if Henry were to get to Lexington Thursday and Friday, the whole Henry/Stephenson Sweepstakes could wrap up this week.

Adding to the intrigue, both Kentucky coach John Calipari and Kansas coach Bill Self flew into New York to meet Saturday night with Xavier, C.J. Henry and Barbara Adkins at Xavier’s hotel. Henry was playing in the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden. Calipari went first and Self second. One Kentucky source said the “meeting went well.”

The 6-foot-5 Stephenson took an official visit to Maryland that met with some controversy after he was taken on a tour of the Under Armour facilities. Under Armour is owned and operated by Kevin Plank, a Maryland alum and booster.
Stephenson then appeared poised to commit to Kansas on March 31 before holding off at the last minute.

PARROM GETS RELEASE

In other news, Kevin Parrom has gotten a release from Xavier and will explore his options, according to Cincinnati.com.

Cincinnati.com posted a text message from new Xavier coach Chris Mack that read: “I spent the entire day with Kevin and his family on Friday. Kevin, at this point, wants to take a step back and breathe. He wants to examine all his options and so we have granted Kevin a complete release.”

Parrom could opt to follow Xavier coach Sean Miller and assistant Book Richardson to Arizona. He could consider a Big East school like Providence. Or he could opt to remain at Xavier.

“I think Arizona’s a possibility,” a Big East assistant said. “I also think he’ll visit three or four Big East schools. My guess would be Arizona, Providence, St. John’s and Pittsburgh, maybe South Carolina.”

A voicemail left for Parrom was not immediately returned.

Wednesday marks the beginning of the NCAA late signing period and several of the top basketball recruits in the nation — including Brooklyn’s own Lance Stephenson — have yet to pick a college.

Three of the Top 10 recruits in the Class of 2009 according to Rivals.com — No. 1 John Wall, No. 3 Xavier Henry and No. 9 Stephenson — are keeping college coaches and fans sweating until they make their final decisions.

“It’s unusual that that many of the elite players are still available,” said Queens-based recruiting expert Tom Konchalski. “Part of it is due to the dislocation and movement in the college coaching ranks. Xavier Henry would’ve been all settled [at Memphis] had John Calipari stayed. … Some of them like to be the last guy [to pick a school] because that gets them into print more.”

Read the full story here.

**In a related story, Tim Stevens of the News & Observer reports that John Wall could potentially be eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft because he is 19 and is a year removed from his high school graduating class. It should be pointed out that Wall himself has not expressed any interest in going to the NBA this year and instead says he’ll pick a college in the late period.

**Also, Kentucky center Patrick Patterson will test the NBA waters but won’t hire an agent, meaning he could return to play for John Calipari for his junior season. Teammate Jodie Meeks will do the same thing. DraftExpress.com projects Patterson as the No. 23 pick by the Portland Trailblazers.

Lance Stephenson

The 6-foot-5 Stephenson has taken officials to Kansas and Maryland, but not St. John’s. He has been to campus several times unofficially.

Additionally, Kansas coach Bill Self will visit with Stephenson Friday afternoon at his Coney Island home, according to another source.

“They’re getting closer to making a decision,” a third source said of the Stephenson family. “They [the coaches] are all making their last minute pitches and I think this is St John’s last chance to beat the other couple [schools, including Maryland]. This is their best opportunity right now. This is their last chance right now.”

The story was first reported by the Daily News.

Stephenson was initially expected to pick Kansas during a March 31 press conference in Miami, but various sources said Kansas asked him to hold off in part to check out whether the BornReady.tv website would pass NCAA eligibility requirements and in part because the school is also hoping to land Xavier Henry of Putnam City (Oklahoma City).

Henry got his release from Memphis this week and lists Kansas as his favorite. He chose Memphis over Kansas last November to play with his brother, C.J.

Henry could still wind up at Kansas or at Kentucky with former Memphis coach John Calipari. Carl Henry, Xavier and C.J.’s father, said no decision was imminent because Xavier is in Portland, Ore. this weekend for the Nike Hoop Summit and will be in New York next weekend for the Jordan Brand Classic.

If Henry picks Kansas, Stephenson would likely wind up at St. John’s.

Kansas freed up two scholarships Thursday when Quintrell Thomas and Tyrone Appleton both announced they would transfer. Still, if Sherron Collins remains at Kansas and/or Henry commits to Kansas, Stephenson might have concerns over playing time.

“I think this weekend is the major decision day,” the source said of the Stephensons. “They [the Stephenson family] are just waiting to see what the numbers are at Kansas.”