Lance Stephenson interview

[BeastUC]

LS did his first tv interview as a Bearcat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iJKrPMiBT0

[bubbachunk]

He handled that very very well and said all the right things.

[OnCampus]

I know it doesn't fit the topic completely, but I saw LS mooning his teammates on Calhoun this morning. Just thought I'd share.

[dp3113]

He handled that very very well and said all the right things.

pretty much stuck with the cliche comments

[bubbachunk]

pretty much stuck with the cliche comments

Idk the whole, wanting to get above a 3.0 was different to me. I expected a purely bball accomplishment to be laid out there.

[dp3113]

Idk the whole, wanting to get above a 3.0 was different to me. I expected a purely bball accomplishment to be laid out there.

that was cute, but do you really think he cares about his gpa THAT much? he is here one year. let's be realistic.

[bubbachunk]

that was cute, but do you really think he cares about his gpa THAT much? he is here one year. let's be realistic.

To me it shows character, something that has been a big question for him. NBA people may see that he can commit himself to being a responsible young man and not question the pick of him anymore.

[dp3113]

To me it shows character, something that has been a big question for him. NBA people may see that he can commit himself to being a responsible young man and not question the pick of him anymore.

keep in mind that the university kept him away from the media for the first semester. his answers could have been pre-meditated and he likely has been coached by the university on how to handle the media. while it is admirable, him saying "i want a 3.0 and got it" does not erase the character questions nba teams have on him.

honestly, i don't care what his gpa is as long as he stays eligible. i have never paid to watch a player go to class or study for a test. i do however, pay to see them play every home game, and that is what i'm concerned about.

[jbreeds1]

keep in mind that the university kept him away from the media for the first semester. his answers could have been pre-meditated and he likely has been coached by the university on how to handle the media. while it is admirable, him saying "i want a 3.0 and got it" does not erase the character questions nba teams have on him.

honestly, i don't care what his gpa is as long as he stays eligible. i have never paid to watch a player go to class or study for a test. i do however, pay to see them play every home game, and that is what i'm concerned about.

Wow. I don't know about some of the people on this forum. Good interview, Lance. Handled very well. I hope you accomplish your goal of a 3.0 GPA. Good for you. Thanks for coming to Cincinnati and helping rebuild our program.

[BearcatAlum1]

keep in mind that the university kept him away from the media for the first semester. his answers could have been pre-meditated and he likely has been coached by the university on how to handle the media. while it is admirable, him saying "i want a 3.0 and got it" does not erase the character questions nba teams have on him.

honestly, i don't care what his gpa is as long as he stays eligible. i have never paid to watch a player go to class or study for a test. i do however, pay to see them play every home game, and that is what i'm concerned about.

I cannot understand why some people constantly feel the need to tear apart OUR players.

I can understand getting on a player for a bad play, bad shot, bad decision, etc., but why the need to say his comments are Univeristy orchestrated and pre-meditated? This is an 18 year old kid! 18!

Even more disturbing is your dismissal of his academic goals and achievements. Once again, he is an 18 year old STUDENT athlete. He is an part of our academic AND athletic institution.

If you don't care for the academic side of college sports, I suggest you divert your attention away from the amateur game and focus on the professional game. In the pros you can rape, rob and kill..........and they'll still be on the court. That should satisfy all your needs.

[dp3113]

I cannot understand why some people constantly feel the need to tear apart OUR players.

I can understand getting on a player for a bad play, bad shot, bad decision, etc., but why the need to say his comments are Univeristy orchestrated and pre-meditated? This is an 18 year old kid! 18!

Even more disturbing is your dismissal of his academic goals and achievements. Once again, he is an 18 year old STUDENT athlete. He is an part of our academic AND athletic institution.

If you don't care for the academic side of college sports, I suggest you divert your attention away from the amateur game and focus on the professional game. In the pros you can rape, rob and kill..........and they'll still be on the court. That should satisfy all your needs.

so i support rape, murder, and robbery? really?

i just said i care about him being eligible. how in the **** do you possibly insinuate that I support all sorts of felonies and crude and inhumane crimes? get f'ing serious dude. you are ridiculous.

[dp3113]

I cannot understand why some people constantly feel the need to tear apart OUR players.

I can understand getting on a player for a bad play, bad shot, bad decision, etc., but why the need to say his comments are Univeristy orchestrated and pre-meditated? This is an 18 year old kid! 18!

Even more disturbing is your dismissal of his academic goals and achievements. Once again, he is an 18 year old STUDENT athlete. He is an part of our academic AND athletic institution.

If you don't care for the academic side of college sports, I suggest you divert your attention away from the amateur game and focus on the professional game. In the pros you can rape, rob and kill..........and they'll still be on the court. That should satisfy all your needs.

also- learn to actually read what i wrote. i said that just because he made one statement in an interview about wanting a 3.0, that alone would not dispel character questions NBA teams have about him, as suggested in the comment i was responding to.

by no means does that "tear" him down or "dismiss" his accomplisments. i just said that doesn't erase questions NBA teams have about him.

[bubbachunk]

so i support rape, murder, and robbery? do you even know how to read?

i just said i care about him being eligible. how in the **** do you possibly insinuate that I support all sorts of felonies and crude and inhumane crimes? get f'ing serious dude. you are ridiculous.

If your only hope for him is to just get by with grades are good enough then you dont really care for him as a person. Yes winning is the top priority but it is not the only one. We have seen guys come in and not develop as a person before. Such cases lead to law breaking and a black eye for the university. I want the men and women who attend UC not only to excel on the field but also off because for the rest of their lives their actions are a reflection of the university.

[dp3113]

If your only hope for him is to just get by with grades are good enough then you dont really care for him as a person. Yes winning is the top priority but it is not the only one. We have seen guys come in and not develop as a person before. Such cases lead to law breaking and a black eye for the university. I want the men and women who attend UC not only to excel on the field but also off because for the rest of their lives their actions are a reflection of the university.

because a guy whose career will be playing basketball in the NBA and possibly later in Europe will not be made by his GPA at UC during the fall and winter quarter's of his freshman year. He could have a 2.1 or a 3.9, either way- it will have no effect on his future career. he doesn't need to have a high gpa in order to get interviews or be considered for his future jobs like non-basketball players do.

how you insinuate that i do not care about him as a person is beyond me. this is major college basketball and lance is going to stop attending classes in march after spring break because he will likely be going pro, so at the end of the day- his gpa makes no difference. if he was a regular student who needed a high cumulative 4 year gpa to get a job, i'd care what he got. but he doesn't. lance will get drafted regardless of what his gpa is. i'm pretty confident there has been a guy drafted in the lottery with under a 3.0 gpa.

[bubbachunk]

It is about being a responsible adult and learning a good work ethic. Gpa can be a very good indicator of those and that is the point. It also show maturity when you can handle both the grades and basketball well. Regardless if it matters much to him in the future it is a responsibility he holds and if he neglects it or just scrapes by that can easily translate into other parts of his life such as conditioning.

[dp3113]

It is about being a responsible adult and learning a good work ethic. Gpa can be a very good indicator of those and that is the point. It also show maturity when you can handle both the grades and basketball well. Regardless if it matters much to him in the future it is a responsibility he holds and if he neglects it or just scrapes by that can easily translate into other parts of his life such as conditioning.

there are plenty of hard working kids who get mediocre gpa's in college for various reasons, who turn out to be superstars in the workforce. for his vocation, his work off the court in the weight room and conditioning are better indicators. his gpa does not indicate whether he takes coniditioning seriously, as you pointed out. his conditioning indicates that. seeing as how he leads the team in minutes per game, i think he is fine in that respect.

regardless, you still dodged the point i argued, that you attacked whether or not i care about the player, because i don't care what his gpa is. that statement is absurd and again his gpa has no reflection on his future career.

[bubbachunk]

there are plenty of hard working kids who get mediocre gpa's in college for various reasons, who turn out to be superstars in the workforce. for his vocation, his work off the court in the weight room and conditioning are better indicators. his gpa does not indicate whether he takes coniditioning seriously, as you pointed out. his conditioning indicates that. seeing as how he leads the team in minutes per game, i think he is fine in that respect.

regardless, you still dodged the point i argued, that you attacked whether or not i care about the player, because i don't care what his gpa is. that statement is absurd and again his gpa has no reflection on his future career.

My point is that to be taken seriously he needs to take everything he does seriously. I have stated my points as to why I believe it is foolish to not care about his education while he is here. Some day he will need it unless he is an ageless wonder who can play bball for 30+ years.

[dp3113]

My point is that to be taken seriously he needs to take everything he does seriously. I have stated my points as to why I believe it is foolish to not care about his education while he is here. Some day he will need it unless he is an ageless wonder who can play bball for 30+ years.

but his gpa his first 2 quarters at UC will not matter.

[oldcat48]

but his gpa his first 2 quarters at UC will not matter.

You mean it won't matter TO YOU. Because apparently it does matter TO HIM.

You're wrong on this one, man. Just let it go. The kid did good - and learning to do many things with excellence is important for personal success. Geesh, he's not one dimensional as a human being, is he? And you really don't get the concept of "student-athlete" do you?

This kid shows real character with that gpa. Any of our kids who exert themselves in the classroom, especially during the season, show depth and maturity by their efforts. In fact, that effort may say more about Lance who is predicted to only be here one or two years. I am so proud of this kid I can't stand it, and you try to mitigate what he's done. It kind of makes me sick.

Great job, Lance. Keep it up.

[Walston09]

WOW, this thread is a little heated.


Nice interview LS!

[UC/XU fan]

I gotta agree with dp on this one. It's good that Lance is being responsible in the classroom but lets face it, his career would benefit more from spending extra time practicing his jump shot than sticking his nose in a book. By just staying eligible, he is being responsible and congrats to him. And the term "Student Athlete" is so overused for the top players. The kids at the end of the bench are Student Athletes. Lance is in college for basketball, not an education.

[oldcat48]

UC is not a semi-pro farm team. Whether a kid goes one, two, or six years to undergrad, they benefit by LEARNING. UC, academically, is giving him something he can't get in the arena.

Lance will have more years of his life not playing than he will playing. I am disgusted by these responses. Some of you don't get it.

[UC/XU fan]

And the millions Lance will make by playing basketball will continue to provide him income in those years that he will not be playing basketball. I wish UC had a free throw shooting class.

[Helicopter]

I agree with dp.

The rest of you are trying to put words in his mouth, knock it off.

[catscratchfever]

If your only hope for him is to just get by with grades are good enough then you dont really care for him as a person. Yes winning is the top priority but it is not the only one. We have seen guys come in and not develop as a person before. Such cases lead to law breaking and a black eye for the university. I want the men and women who attend UC not only to excel on the field but also off because for the rest of their lives their actions are a reflection of the university.

Actually winning is my only priority...good grades and good people are a bonus in my book. I'm not looking for role models, i'm looking for W's. Sorry if you don't agree, but that's really all that matters to me.

[bubbachunk]

Actually winning is my only priority...good grades and good people are a bonus in my book. I'm not looking for role models, i'm looking for W's. Sorry if you don't agree, but that's really all that matters to me.

Then that is your opinion but I see that as selling the program short. If that is all you care about maybe you should spend more time rooting for pros or a team in the SEC. Hopefully the thug days are over at UC.

[BearcatAlum1]

so i support rape, murder, and robbery? do you even know how to read?

i just said i care about him being eligible. how in the **** do you possibly insinuate that I support all sorts of felonies and crude and inhumane crimes? get f'ing serious dude. you are ridiculous.

I apologize for suggesting that YOU support that type of conduct.

However, I was insinuating that if you ONLY care about what occurs on the court, you should watch the NBA.

[BearcatAlum1]

I agree with dp.

The rest of you are trying to put words in his mouth, knock it off.

Wrong. Please see his original post that started this debate on the last page.

No one is putting any words in his mouth.

[oldcat48]

And the millions Lance will make by playing basketball will continue to provide him income in those years that he will not be playing basketball. I wish UC had a free throw shooting class.

Every pro is one devastating injury away from no money. Many pros do not manage their money well. Some get "taken" by ill-intentioned advisors.

Anyway, Lance is more than basketball. He's a kid who will continue to learn about a LOT of things in his life. I'm proud he's taking advantage of getting an education and giving a great effort. That will transfer over into a lot of other areas in his life.

[dp3113]

You mean it won't matter TO YOU. Because apparently it does matter TO HIM.

You're wrong on this one, man. Just let it go. The kid did good - and learning to do many things with excellence is important for personal success. Geesh, he's not one dimensional as a human being, is he? And you really don't get the concept of "student-athlete" do you?

This kid shows real character with that gpa. Any of our kids who exert themselves in the classroom, especially during the season, show depth and maturity by their efforts. In fact, that effort may say more about Lance who is predicted to only be here one or two years. I am so proud of this kid I can't stand it, and you try to mitigate what he's done. It kind of makes me sick.

Great job, Lance. Keep it up.

if college basketball cared about student athletes, they wouldn't let kids leave early after 1 year. UC is a quarter system, so the kids actually have to pass 6 credits for two quarters to stay eligible for the tournament. at most schools, which are on semesters, you merely need to pass 6 credits through december 15th or so, i.e. your first 8-10 games, and then after that you do not have to attend one class the entire second semester if you plan to go pro. so for a 1 and done like Lance, in a normal situation (UC is one of the few remaining quarter schools), he'd only have to go to class for 10 of his games, and at that, only have to pass half of his credits (6 of 12). that is not a system that gives 2 shtis about student athetes, so don't give me b.s. about me not caring about the term.

if you do want me to care about the term "student athletes", give me a system that actually cares about it. ncaa basketball is the second most corrupt sport out there next to boxing. agents, runners, middlemen, and high level boosters run the show. it is cute to think that high major basketball is about grades and being students, but its not anymore. this isn't 1980's Indiana basketball anymore; this is 2009 where shoe companies, aau, and agent's runners own college basketball. it's about winning these days, and until the system changes, that's what we need to worry about.

[Bearcats_Rule]

I am proud of Lance regardless what his GPA is... I am very happy he leads the team in GPA though... But my pride is in his basketball skills and him staying clean from trouble or letting any of the hype get to his head (which would disrupt the basketball team) I am not a fan of his studies... I am a fan of his basketball skills...

I was scared when we signed Lance and told many of my friends that I was in a wait and see attitude with the signing... With all the bad press this kid got about not being a team player and being all about himself and a cancer, well I was not expecting much but from everything I have seen I am sold on him as a athlete and a person... Keep up the good work Lance!!!