Haverford School's Stevens keeping busy in recruiting

Lamar Stevens used to watch older basketball players at the Haverford School gather college offers.

And he said he always wanted it to be him.

"Now that it is me, it's a little surreal," the junior said.

It's also starting to get busy for Stevens. Stanford will visit him at school on Sunday. Vanderbilt will check in later in the week. The 6-foot-6 small forward will visit Penn State on Oct. 25 and Indiana on Nov. 14.

He has scholarship offers from Indiana, Penn State, La Salle, St. Joseph's, Temple, Villanova, and others.

Stevens was one of the star attractions Saturday night at the All City Classic Philly vs. New York showcase at Ben Franklin.

But he was limited after crashing down hard on his left hip early in Philadelphia's 67-60 loss to New York in the junior game. He finished with seven points.

Stevens established himself on the summer AAU circuit as one of the area's top recruits. He helped Team Final's 16-and-under team reach the final of July's Peach Jam Tournament. Indiana called his high school coach, Henry Fairfax, at halftime of the championship game to extend a scholarship offer.

"He told me right after, and I couldn't believe it," Stevens said.

Hunter impresses. DeAndre Hunter used to think about the leg injury that sidelined him for his entire sophomore season. The Friends' Central junior said he does not think like that anymore.

"You have to forget about it," Hunter said after scoring 12 points in the junior game. "If you keep thinking about it, it's going to make you play worse. I had to get it out of my head."

The 6-6 forward impressed on Saturday by displaying his all-around game. Hunter can handle the ball like a guard and defend like a forward. He drives the lane with speed, has a nice outside shot, and can play with both hands.

"I worked hard trying to get back to what I could do," Hunter said. "I did a lot of lifting on my legs to get my explosiveness back."

Hunter said Maryland and Penn State are the two universities working the hardest to get him. Hunter also has offers from La Salle, North Carolina State, Penn State, St. Joseph's, Temple, and others. He has so far visited Temple and Penn State.

"It was nice," Hunter said of last week's visit to Happy Valley. "I toured the campus and watched practice."