Roman Catholic forward Lamar Stevens wants to ‘make history’ at Penn State

PennLive.com, part of a series:

Every so often, Lamar Stevens is shocked by the gaping holes he finds while driving to the basket.

The Roman Catholic forward, who plans to sign with Penn State on Wednesday, doesn’t mind slicing through them and flushing home one of his signature power dunks.

“I’ll be going down the lane, and people just move,” Stevens said with a shrug. “It makes my job easier.”

It’s hard to blame high school defenders for shying away from the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Stevens. His broad shoulders and sculpted arms match those of a Division I linebacker, but he has the speed and athleticism to be a force on the fast break.

That’s why he raked in scholarship offers from basketball powerhouses Villanova and Indiana. Coaches ogled at Stevens’ strength and fluidity in the open court and flocked to Philadelphia to watch him play for the Fighting Cahillites and Team Final, an AAU power.

But Stevens, ranked by ESPN as a four-star recruit and the 18th-best small forward in the nation, spurned programs with more storied pasts for the Nittany Lions and a chance to revitalize a program that’s gone to the Sweet 16 just once — in 2001 — since 1955.

He hopes to turn around Penn State’s program with highly touted point guard Tony Carr and gritty wing Nazeer Bostick, his AAU and high school teammates.

“I ultimately told [Villanova and Indiana] that I didn’t want to follow anybody, I wanted to start my own path,” Stevens said. “At Penn State, they believe in us.” …

Source: Roman Catholic forward Lamar Stevens wants to ‘make history’ at Penn State | PennLive.com