Prospect seeks to erase stormy past, start fresh

(06-06) 19:42 PDT -- Five stops and five questions into his predraft workout tour, Lance Stephenson on Sunday tried a new strategy for handling questions about his embattled past: Deny it ever happened.

"All of the stuff that (supposedly) happened in my past is based on totally false statements," the Cincinnati combo guard said at the Warriors' training facility in Oakland. "None of it happened."

The Warriors worked out Stephenson, along with Kansas' Cole Aldrich, Houston's Aubrey Coleman, South Florida's Dominique Jones, England's Ryan Richards and Missouri's J.T. Tiller. They'll bring in six more prospects today, highlighted by Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu and Kentucky's Patrick Patterson.

While starring at Brooklyn's Lincoln High in October 2008, Stephenson was arrested on a charge of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl inside the school. He was charged with a Class B misdemeanor for allegedly groping a woman's breasts and buttocks over her clothing. (He eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.)

Nine months earlier, he was suspended five days for fighting with a teammate. He also had to be cleared by the NCAA because of questions surrounding an online Web series about him called "Born Ready."

"Lots of things happened in my past, but I'm grown up now," Stephenson said before trying the all-out denial. "I'm ready to move on to another step. I hope nobody judges me on my past, because I'm a totally different person."

Stephenson, 6-foot-5 3/4, was the Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. Though he's considered by most a second-round pick, he decided to enter the draft following his freshman year in part because he has a 2-year-old daughter.

"I don't think I'm a bad person," Stephenson said. "I'm not sure where that image comes from. I'm totally a good person.

"I don't think I'm going to fight with my teammates or anything like that."

Making a pitch: Aldrich, a 6-11 1/4, 236-pounder and the lone potential lottery pick at the workout, used his media session to appeal to the Warriors.

"I love to go out and dive on the ground, get loose balls, rebound and block shots," Aldrich said. "The Warriors struggled defensively and rebound-wise, and I think I could help them."

Aldrich said he fits the Warriors' up-tempo style and thinks they'll continue to run, even after the team is sold. "Coach (Don) Nelson has had so much success coaching at the NBA level that I would think he would stay around."

Globetrotting: Richards, a 6-11 3/4, 230-pounder who played in Spain and Switzerland last season, burst onto the NBA scene at the combine last month and is taking advantage of the momentum. He has already been to workouts at Chicago, Detroit and San Antonio and will go to Sacramento, Utah, Milwaukee, New York and Houston.

"It's been real different, and I'm enjoying every minute of it," Richards said. "Nobody knows me, so a lot of people want to see me."

High score: Coleman led the nation in scoring with 25.6 points a game. If he ends up with the Warriors, they'd have the scoring champion from the last four college seasons (Stephen Curry 2008-09 and Reggie Williams 2006-08).

E-mail Rusty Simmons at rsimmons@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle