Lamar Stevens

Lamar Brandon Stevens (born July 9, 1997) is an American basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Canton Charge of the NBA G League. Lamar played college basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Lamar Stevens
Stevens with Penn State in 2017
No. 8 – Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-07-09) July 9, 1997
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegePenn State (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020 / Undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentCleveland Cavaliers
2020–present→Canton Charge
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Stevens attended The Haverford School in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania for his sophomore and junior years. At Haverford, he was named to All-State and All-District teams both years, as well as leading Haverford to two straight state championship runs. During his senior season he attended Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia where he played alongside future Penn State teammates, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick. During his senior year, Stevens was once again named to All-State and All-District teams, as well as All-Philadelphia. Roman Catholic dominated all season, ranking Number 1 in Pennsylvania and top 15 nationally, according to MaxPreps. Stevens scored 20 points on the way to winning the state championship game.

Recruiting

After the season, Stevens was ranked 100th on the ESPN's Top 100 recruits of 2016 and third-ranked overall in Pennsylvania.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Lamar Stevens
SF		 Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic (PA) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 18, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.
    Honors and Awards
    • 3x PIAA AAAA All-State (2014, 2015, 2016)
    • 2016 PIAA Class AAAA State Champions
    • 2016 Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Daily News
    • All-Philadelphia First Team (2016)
    • 3x PIAA District 12 First Team (2014, 2015, 2016)

    College career

    During Steven's freshman season at Penn State, he started all 33 games for the Nittany Lions and was named Freshman of the Week multiple times with teammate Tony Carr. He was named as a First Team All-Freshman by the Big Ten and averaged over 12 points per game his first season. [1][2][3]

    Stevens scored a season-high 30 points on January 5, 2018 against Northwestern.[4] As a sophomore, Stevens averaged 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He helped the Nittany Lions post a 26–13 record and win the NIT. Stevens was named Most Outstanding Player of the NIT.[5]

    As a junior, Stevens averaged 19.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He was named All-Big Ten Conference first-team accolades by the media and second-team honors from the league’s coaches. Stevens was an All-District VII second-team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.[6] After the season, Stevens declared for the 2019 NBA draft but decided to return to Penn State.[7]

    On December 16, 2019, Stevens was named Big Ten player of the week after scoring 18 points and collecting 11 rebounds in a victory over fourth-ranked and previously undefeated Maryland.[8] On February 1, 2020, Stevens became the third player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points, scoring 13 points in a 76–64 win against Nebraska.[9] He scored a career-high 33 points on February 8, leading the Nittany Lions to a 83–77 win over Minnesota.[10] At the close of the regular season, Stevens was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.[11]

    Professional career

    Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–present)

    After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Stevens was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers to a two-way contract.[12] He made his NBA debut on December 28, 2020 in a 118–94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored two points and collected two rebounds in five minutes of action.[13]

    Career statistics
    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    College
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2016–17 Penn State 333327.8.429.344.7675.51.7.8.612.7
    2017–18 Penn State 393933.1.465.319.6965.91.9.61.115.5
    2018–19 Penn State 323236.9.422.220.7707.72.1.7.819.9
    2019–20 Penn State 313131.1.423.263.7196.92.21.11.217.6
    Career 13513532.2.435.276.7386.51.9.8.916.3

    Personal life

    Stevens is the author of the children's book "Lamar's Climb -- A Journey to Happy Valley." The book, which teaches geography based on his experience and involves people with special needs in the creative process, was distributed at Penn State games.[14]

    See also
    • List of Pennsylvania boys basketball records

    References
    1. "Penn State beats Nebraska, 76–67, in the Big Ten tournament: recap, final stats, photos". PennLive.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
    2. "Michigan State thrashes Penn State to open Big Ten Tournament". MLive.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
    3. "'Grown up' Michigan State destroys Penn State in Big Ten tournament". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
    4. Gery, Ryne (January 6, 2018). "Penn State's Lamar Stevens makes statement as one of Big Ten's best hybrid forwards". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
    5. Hunt, Donald (October 19, 2018). "Lamar Stevens named to Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
    6. "Men's basketball's Lamar Stevens named to 2019-20 preseason All-Big Ten Team". Penn State University. October 2, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
    7. McGonigal, John (May 29, 2019). "Penn State basketball star Lamar Stevens withdraws name from NBA draft, returns to Nittany Lions". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
    8. "Illinois, Indiana and Penn State Claim Weekly Men's Basketball Honors". Bigten.org. CBS Interactive. December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
    9. Donohue, Tyler (February 1, 2020). "Stevens, Watkins reach milestones in 4th straight Lions win". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
    10. "Stevens' leads No. 22 Penn State over Minnesota". ESPN. Associated Press. February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
    11. "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
    12. Brennan, Mark (November 19, 2020). "PSU's Stevens not taken in 2020 NBA Draft, signs free-agent deal". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
    13. Donohue, Tyler (December 28, 2020). "Former Penn State star Lamar Stevens scores in NBA debut". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
    14. Lingerman, Matt (February 7, 2020). "'A man for others': Lamar Stevens' children's book epitomizes his career with Penn State men's basketball". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
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