PHILADELPHIA — You know the recruitment of Jermaine Lawrence is taking some interesting turns when North Carolina coach Roy Williams is in the stands watching him.
The Carolina coach was indeed here for the Reebok Breakout Challenge, but he has yet to offer the 6-foot-10 Lawrence a scholarship.
“They haven’t reached out to me yet,” Lawrence said after scoring 10 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in the Zigs’ 64-59 loss to the Rams.
A Queens, N.Y., native, Lawrence is currently listing Kansas, Syracuse, Florida, St. John’s, Rutgers and Cincinnati, but said he also plans to visit UNLV toward the end of July.
He has taken unofficials to Rutgers, St. John’s and Virginia Tech.
“Anywhere right now is open to me,” said Lawrence, who left Cardozo High last season and transferred to Pope John XXIII in Sparta, N.J., where he said he plans to spend his senior year.
Lawrence on Syracuse: “I like how they use their forwards. They know to use them. They know how to execute them well in their system, so I like how they play with them.”
Lawrence on Kansas: “We only talked like once on the phone [head coach Bill Self].”
Lawrence on Cincinnati: “They’re a tough team, and they get up and down really.”
Lawrence on missing the recent Rutgers’ team camp due to injury: “I was hurt so I didn’t get to go down there.”
Lawrence on St. John’s: “One thing is it’s at home. It’s local to me and I like the atmosphere over there. I like their system….Coach [Steve] Lavin, we just talk a lot on the phone. He texts me a lot, stuff like that. He would say it would be good to be the King of New York and stuff like that.”
After winning MVP honors at the Mary Kline Classic, Lawrence has missed about a month of action with ankle and wrist injuries, but made 2-of-3 3-pointers in the game and is working his way back into form.
“My ankle feels a little messed up but my wrist is better so I just gotta get my form back and everything because I’ve just been out for a whole month,” he said. “I gotta keep practicting so i can get my rhythm back”
POPE JOHN HOSTING EVENT JAN. 12
Here’s the schedule:
Sparta vs. Columbia, 3:30
St. Benedict’s Prep post-grad vs. Christian Faith Academy, 5
St. Benedict’s Prep vs. St. Andrew’s, 6:30
Pope John vs. St. Patrick, 8
