Real-time documentary chronicles Stephenson's rise

Lincoln's Lance Stephenson is learning how to smile for the cameras as a documentary crew follows his moves on and off the court. Al Tielemans/SI

TRENTON, N.J. -- Surrounded by younger fans focusing their cell phone cameras on him and trailed by one camcorder late Saturday night at the Sovereign Bank Arena, Lance Stephenson Jr. appeared to be getting along swimmingly in his fishbowl.

The 17-year-old guard had just scored 35 points to lead Lincoln (Coney Island, N.Y.) to a 75-68 win over New York City rival Rice in the Primetime Shootout's made-for-TV matchup. As he made his way off the court, he stopped to catch his breath and answered questions from a member of a crew filming a documentary entitled Born Ready, which is chronicling his junior season on and off the court. Then, after a quick post-game talk in the locker room, Stephenson and Lincoln coach Dwayne "Tiny" Morton, emerged from the arena's inner bowels for an on-court interview with ESPNU. "I love the cameras," Stephenson said. "They help me get exposure and the recruiters can watch me on TV."

Two years into filming, the unfurling of Stephenson's tale has already begun. Last month, the Web series documentary was released on the Internet at Bornready.tv. Packaged as an episodic real-time look at Stephenson, 11 chapters have already been released and a new 3-5-minute segment comes out each Tuesday. "I think no one had seen me laugh before," said Stephenson, who is working with a Lincoln teacher on his one-on-one interview skills. "It's showing me in a different light."

In humanizing the headliner, who had gained a reputation for demonstrative celebrations after scoring and demeaning chidings of teammates when they did not pass him the ball the last two years, the family believes the documentary has only helped. "We give the crew a heads up to let them know our schedule, but we have nothing to hide," said Lance Sr., who wears a microphone during most games and provides his own color commentary. "People can judge for themselves and I think this eliminates any misconceptions."

Two summers ago, project co-creators Paul Rivera and Justin Leonard, who have extensive basketball backgrounds but no history with documentaries, sat in the Stephenson's living room to pitch the concept of following their son's journey. "They had every reason to ask what two guys with no experience were planning to do with their son, but there was a definite trust they placed in us," said Leonard, who is also an associate publisher at Dime magazine.

The family had watched former Lincoln guard Sebastian Telfair's documentary Through the Fire, but they did not feel their family's story was worthy of a fully-committed project. Before Leonard and Rivera could pitch their vision, the parents both asked, "We're simple. We're boring. Why would you want to do something on us?"

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