Jul 1, 2009 7:12 pm US/Eastern
'Born Ready's' Recruit's Eligibility In Question
Once Viewed As Next Great Prospect From Brooklyn's Lincoln HS, Lance Stephenson Faces Misdemeanor Trial Later This Month
CINCINNATI (CBS) ―
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Lance Stephenson #1 of the East Team lays the ball up over Avery Bradley Jr. #11 of the West Team in the 2009 McDonald's All American Men's High School Basketball Game at BankUnited Center on April 1, 2009 in Coral Gables, Florida.
Doug Benc/Getty Images
University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin sounded confident Wednesday that New York prep star Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson will emerge from his court case unscathed later this month.
Stephenson finished the year as the No. 8 rated prospect in the country according to Scout.com.
Stephenson signed with Cincinnati, one of the schools still interested in him following his latest off-court problems. He is scheduled for trial later this month on a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge.
Numerous schools backed off the 6-foot-6 guard from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn following his arrest on Oct. 3.
He is accused of fondling and threatening a student at the school.
Cronin, who is trying to rebuild the Bearcats' basketball program, said he had no worries about Stephenson's reputation.
"I'm interested in two things in every recruit we bring in: Does he play hard and does he want to win?" Cronin said. "The answer with Lance Stephenson is a huge yes and a huge yes."
It's unclear whether he will be eligible to play next season.
There are questions about his eligibility after he participated in a "Born Ready" documentary during his junior year at high school.
"Obviously Lance made a late decision," Cronin said. "Getting him into school is the first step of the process. Our compliance department will check with the NCAA, like we do with any recruit, to see if there are any other issues. There's a lot of talk about potential issues, but to our knowledge, there are none."
Stephenson is the most controversial recruit that the Bearcats have signed since former school president Nancy Zimpher ousted coach Bob Huggins shortly before the start of the 2005-06 season.
Zimpher was unhappy with Huggins' drunken-driving conviction and the basketball program's image, driven by numerous arrests and NCAA violations.
Zimpher left to become chancellor at the State University of New York in May. The Bearcats finished 18-14 last season -- their best mark in Cronin's three seasons -- and went 8-10 the Big East.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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