Booneville, MS – After beginning his collegiate career with Northeast in the 2022-23 season, former Tiger and All-MACCC first team selection Corey Stephenson will continue his basketball career in the professional ranks of the NBA after signing with the Detroit Pistons.
"Just a proud moment" said Northeast Head Coach Cord Wright. "Corey has always been a tough competitor, and this is just the beginning for him. Corey's story is why Juco is special to me. I get to recruit great young men and watch them chase the dreams."
In his lone season at Northeast, Stephenson averaged 17.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while leading the Tigers to a 16-11 overall record. He reached double figures in 23 of his 27 games played with eleven scoring more than 20. Stephenson kicked off his freshman season averaging 22.0 points per game through six games including a 35-point performance on 73% shooting in a 119-115 win over East Central to help earn him MACCC Player of the Week honors.
Following his time with Northeast, Stephenson signed with Cal State Bakersfield to play at the Division I level. As a sophomore for the Roadrunners, he averaged 6.7 points through 30 games with 18 starts. In the 2024-25 season he became a primary scoring option for his team, averaging 11.4 points per game with 5.7 rebounds while improving his three-point percentage to 43.2% from long range.
Stephenson transferred to Florida International for his senior season this past year where he was an All-C-USA second team selection for the 2025-26 campaign. His 18.0 points per game ranked third in the conference and first for the Panthers with Stephenson also adding on 6.4 rebounds a night with 2.3 threes made per game on a 39.8% clip. In 30 of his 31 appearances, he tallied ten or more points while scoring high numbers against top teams with 25 points and 10 rebounds against LSU and 23 points against Miami. In an 88-84 overtime win against Middle Tennessee State, he scored 34 points on 59% shooting with four made triples and nine rebounds for FIU and two weeks later helped to clinch a win over Missouri State by cashing in a game winning three with two seconds left.
After the conclusion of his senior season in the sunshine state, Stephenson was named to the 2026 Reese's All-Star game where he was named the MVP after leading all scorers with 22 points for the East team. He also earned a spot at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in mid-April as the first ever Panther to earn an invite to the PIT. After showcasing his talents in the All-Star game and the PIT, Stephenson earned invites with multiple NBA teams where he worked out for the Lakers, Bucks, Magic, Pacers, Nets, Suns, and the Pistons.
Detroit finished the 2025-26 NBA regular season as the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 60-22 record. Led by a pair of All-NBA selections in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, the Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs in seven games before falling to the Cavaliers in seven in the second round. He will suit up for the Pistons in the NBA Summer League for his first taste of competition at the pro level with the Las Vegas Summer League scheduled to begin on July 9th.