stevenson commits

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

DeShawn Stevenson Commits
To Kansas--(Oct. 21, 1999)

deshawn1.jpg (9832 bytes) Well, if we had a hat, we'd be on our third course of chapeau right about now, because from everything our sources were telling us about DeShawn Stevenson (6'-5" Sr. SG/SF) --and these were some very reliable people, who are extremely close to DeShawn--prior to this weekend, things were looking very good for DeShawn to stay home and attend Fresno State. UCLA had a decent shot too. Maybe even Tubby Smith. But all that changed when 10,000 screaming fans packed into Allen Fieldhouse this weekend for "Late Night with Roy Williams", KU's version of "midnight madness," which was attended by Stevenson and his SoCal road-buddy, Travon Bryant (6'-8" Sr. SF/PF) from Long Beach Jordan.

While Bryant has thus far resisted the almost overwhelming urge to commit, saying he'll take his official visit to Cal, and also possibly to Missouri and Kentucky, Stevenson evidently made up his mind late Monday night, and several sources, including the Kansas City Star, the Lawrence World-Journal, ESPN, and the Fresno Bee have all confirmed the fact that he's verballed to Kansas Coach Roy Williams.

To say that Stevenson's decision comes as something of a surprise, is an understatment. Prior to the visit to Kansas, he consistently told everyone that he would wait until next spring, and would take all five of his official visits to Fresno State, Kentucky, UCLA and UConn. DeShawn told the Kansas City Star that one of the reasons he committed was his friendship with Andrew Gooden: ""I know I can come in and really contribute," he said. "I'm a good
friend of (freshman center) Drew Gooden, which really helped. I think it's in my best interest to go ahead and give (Kansas) a commitment."

The Jayhawks have three available scholarships. The early signing period starts on November 10 and ends November 17. Players who don't sign by then have to wait until the start of the early signing period which begins on April 5, 2000 and which continues into May.

Andy Katz of the Fresno Bee had a lot more direct information on Stevenson's decision than the other newspapers did, including quite a few quotes from Stevenson and his mother, Genice Popps. "I picked Kansas because of a great coach, a great program and I like the Kansas players," Stevenson told Katz on Tuesday. "I was getting tired of the recruiting. I knew where I wanted to go, and I wanted to see how it looked."

Katz also noted that the decision came as a shock to Stevenson's summer-travel team coach, Darren "Mats" Matsubara, as well as for first-year Washington Union High coach Larry Trigueiro, who told Katz that he had expected Stevenson to take other visits, especially an official one to Fresno State.

The Bee noted that Stevenson's parents, Genice and Terry Popps; his four-month-old brother, Tyler; and an uncle, former Edison High and Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor, accompanied him on the recruiting visit. Genice Popps told Katz that the the family paid for the trip themselves and Taylor drove from his home in Lincoln, Neb, so I guess we can all be thankful that there were no violations which would render Stevenson ineligible at Kansas.

Genice Popps also told Katz that "committing early will allow him to concentrate on getting eligible to play as a freshman." Stevenson still needs to earn a qualifying score on a college-entrance exam, and many people continue to speculate that if he doesn't qualify, he'll try to make the jump to the NBA. Popps told Katz that she will enroll Stevenson in a prep class for the test, but then Katz quoted Popps as saying: that "DeShawn hasn't been focused on the tests. He made a commitment to sign with Kansas. He's focused on the basketball season at Washington and enjoying his senior year, so he's not bogged down with the other stuff."

Clearly it seems that Popps was referring to the phone calls and other distractions from recruiting when she said "the other stuff," but it sure doesn't read that way. . . .

And it also seems that Stevenson's decisions are no longer being made on the basis of whether DeShawn gets to be "the man" and shoot the ball whenever he wants, play 30 minutes of every game, but now he wants to be in a good system. The Popps and Stevenson told Katz they weren't concerned about style of play or a guaranteed starting spot. Genice told Katz that DeShawn will earn playing time like everyone else, and it's nice to see that at least one coach, Roy Williams, apparently just stuck to his guns, not telling a prospective recruit what he thought he wanted to hear. But DeShawn was still evidently exicited about whatever it was that Coach Williams told him: "This year, they want to run and gun and put a lot of points
on the board," Stevenson said of the Jayhawks.

Katz also had one of the funniest bits about DeShawn's recruitment by Fresno State. Apparently Fresno State has plans to build a new arena, the "Save-Mart Center", which is expected to cost $103 million, and which isn't going to be opened, at the earliest, until 2002 (which would be Stevenson's junior year). Some people were saying that Stevenson's recruitment to Fresno State was the "key" to getting the arena built. So Katz asked Genice Popps about whether she had heard those rumors, and here's what she said: "DeShawn can't do it all. He's got to be around good players, and the timing has to be right. Why would people think the Save Mart Center wouldn't be built without DeShawn? Do we have some money somewhere you know about?"

According to Katz, Fresno State will now probably end up focusing on Omar Weaver (6'-7" Sr. SG/SF) from Centennial (Compton) as their top prospect in this year's class.

Because the Fresno Bee doesn't archive it's stories, here's the full text of the Fresno Bee story, which can be found at this link, at least for the next few days. When it's gone though, you'll still be able to find it here:

The Washington High senior, among the top players in the country, ends the recruiting frenzy.

By Andy Katz
The Fresno Bee

(Published October 20, 1999)

DeShawn Stevenson ended one of the highest-profile recruitments in central San Joaquin Valley high school basketball history when he chose Kansas late Monday night.

Stevenson made the decision after returning from an official visit to Lawrence for last weekend's Late Night with Roy Williams at the Jayhawks' Midnight Madness.

"I picked Kansas because of a great coach, a great program and I like the Kansas players," Stevenson said from his home in Clovis on Tuesday.

"I was getting tired of the recruiting. I knew where I wanted to go, and I wanted to see how it looked."

The 6-foot 5-inch Washington High guard chose the Jayhawks over Fresno State, UCLA, Kentucky, Connecticut and Georgia. He declined to take official visits to any of those schools. Stevenson, a consensus top-10 player on national recruiting lists, said he will sign a letter of intent with the Jayhawks during the early-signing period Nov. 10-17.

The decision came as a shock to Stevenson's summer-league coach, Darren Matsubara, who was contacted at a basketball camp in Alaska after spending last weekend in Kansas with Stevenson.

The news was also sudden for first-year Washington coach Larry Trigueiro. He said Tuesday he expected Stevenson to take other visits, especially an official one to Fresno State.

The NCAA prohibits coaches from talking about Stevenson until he signs, but Trigueiro said coaches from Fresno State and Kentucky were surprised to hear the player had committed.

Stevenson said Kansas' staff, led by coach Roy Williams, recruited him the hardest. Other schools can still contact Stevenson until he signs his letter of intent. Genice Popps, Stevenson's mother, said committing early will allow him to concentrate on getting eligible to play as a freshman.

Stevenson said he still needs to earn a qualifying score on a college-entrance exam.

Popps said she will enroll Stevenson in a prep class for the test.

If Stevenson doesn't earn the qualifying score, he can still be a partial qualifier (eligible to practice and be on scholarship) with a minimum 2.525 grade-point average from Washington. Big 12 assistant commissioner Chris Theisen said member schools are allowed only two partial qualifiers each for men's and women's sports. Theisen said the Big 12 doesn't take non-qualifiers (but Fresno State does).

"DeShawn hasn't been focused on the tests," Popps said. "He made a commitment to sign with Kansas. He's focused on the basketball season at Washington and enjoying his senior year, so he's not bogged down with the other stuff."

Stevenson's parents, Genice and Terry Popps; his four-month-old brother, Tyler; and an uncle, former Edison High and Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor, accompanied him on the recruiting visit. Genice Popps said the family paid for the trip themselves (per NCAA rules) and Taylor drove from his home in Lincoln, Neb.

Genice Popps said the decision was Stevenson's, but she wasn't going to let him sign without seeing the campus. She said she planned on making similar trips to Kentucky if he was going to follow through with a visit. She said Connecticut was too far and too expensive to visit.

"We couldn't believe they had 17,000 fans, 10,000 students at Midnight Madness," Terry Popps said. "We felt like they knew us, everyone down to the administrators. They even had a car seat ready for us."

The Popps and Stevenson said they weren't concerned about style of play or a guaranteed starting spot, contradicting statements this summer. Genice said DeShawn will earn playing time like everyone else.

"This year, they want to run and gun and put a lot of points on the board," Stevenson said of the Jayhawks.

Stevenson said he felt some Fresno community members thought he would sign with the Bulldogs to rejoin Chris Jefferies, the former Washington High forward who spent one year at Arkansas. "But I want to do my own thing."

The Popps said they felt some community pressure, too. "They'll be upset but bitter, but they'll be OK," said Terry Popps, a former Fresno State track athlete.

Genice Popps said she heard speculation that signing Stevenson was key to Fresno State successfully building an on-campus arena. The Save Mart Center, expected to cost $103 million-plus, is planned to open in fall 2002, which could be Stevenson's junior season.

"DeShawn can't do it all," Genice said. "He's got to be around good players, and the timing has to be right. Why would people think the Save Mart Center wouldn't be built without DeShawn? Do we have some money somewhere you know about?"

Fresno State will likely focus its recruiting on 6-7 Omar Weaver of Centennial of Compton. Without Stevenson, the Bulldogs will likely start Robinson and Jefferies on the wings in 2000-01.