Following a wild 3-point connection to tie the score between Rutgers and Cincinnati on Tuesday night, the ball came in-bounds to Lance Stephenson.
Without a timeout, senior Deonta Vaughn ran near him and other players scurried in search of what do.
Stephenson stood up straight with the ball in his right hand and with an intense sweep of his left, waved his teammates off with confidence.
This was his team, his moment.
The result was a game-winning free throw and the Bearcats' first Big East tournament victory in history.
And the latest step in the evolution of Lance Stephenson.
The New York prep sensation more associated with disappointment than dominance in his anticipated freshman season, appears to finally stand on the correct side of the learning curve.
Since sitting for all but 11 of 45 minutes in a decisive overtime loss to Marquette, Stephenson emerged a changed player. Or, more appropriately, the player everyone expected him to be the moment he stepped on campus.
He's averaged 16 points and nine rebounds in the last five, including 13 points (11 in the second half) and nine boards on Tuesday night. All of this only hours after he was named the Big East Rookie of the Year. For the year, he averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 reboounds.
http://cnati.com/college/stephensons-maturation-continues-001477/
Without a timeout, senior Deonta Vaughn ran near him and other players scurried in search of what do.
Stephenson stood up straight with the ball in his right hand and with an intense sweep of his left, waved his teammates off with confidence.
This was his team, his moment.
The result was a game-winning free throw and the Bearcats' first Big East tournament victory in history.
And the latest step in the evolution of Lance Stephenson.
The New York prep sensation more associated with disappointment than dominance in his anticipated freshman season, appears to finally stand on the correct side of the learning curve.
Since sitting for all but 11 of 45 minutes in a decisive overtime loss to Marquette, Stephenson emerged a changed player. Or, more appropriately, the player everyone expected him to be the moment he stepped on campus.
He's averaged 16 points and nine rebounds in the last five, including 13 points (11 in the second half) and nine boards on Tuesday night. All of this only hours after he was named the Big East Rookie of the Year. For the year, he averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 reboounds.
http://cnati.com/college/stephensons-maturation-continues-001477/
