St. John’s is expected to announce Monday that freshman guard Omari Lawrence will transfer.
The 6-foot-4, 209-pound Lawrence Tweeted to a friend May 14, “I’m done in the big east my boii.”
The news was first reported by Johnnyjungle.com.
Reached by text, Lawrence declined to elaborate.
“I’m not doing any interviews,” he texted.
A Bronx, N.Y. native, Lawrence averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds last season in 25 games with the Red Storm.
If Lawrence leaves, St. John’s would have a scholarship free to potentially use on 6-7 French star Remi Barry of Del Oro (Calif.) High School.
Tabbed as a future NBA player, Barry told SNY.tv last week he’s considering St. John’s, UCLA and Arizona State. He left Sunday morning to visit UCLA.
His AAU coach, Doc Haynes, said Kentucky, North Carolina, Baylor and Texas also recently entered the picture after some of Barry’s coursework was approved.
But Haynes added by text that, “He’s not big on Kentucky or UNC.”
GRACE DECOMMITS
Junior guard Davontay Grace has decommitted from St. John’s, The New York Post reported.
Grace, out of Brooklyn Thomas Jefferson, had been former coach Norm Roberts’ only 2011 commit but he will not play for new coach Steve Lavin.
“He decommitted but Lavin never reached out and he seemed like he was going in another direction,” Jefferson coach Lawrence Pollard wrote in a text.
Sources close to St. John’s indicated the program will recruit two high-level guards for 2011 whom the staff hopes will be similar to Baron Davis and Earl Watson, Lavin’s first two guards at UCLA in 1997.
(Photos courtesy St. John’s Athletics and Rivals.com)
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bball purist / May 17, 2010
Lavs and his staff have to be confident in their recruiting abilities or they wouldn’t go in this direction so quickly. I believe they’ll make up ground fast and secure the two players they want for the 2011 class. Future NBAers, take note… 🙂
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