Omari Lawrence - SG - St. Raymonds - Bronx, NY - ST. JOHN's (Signed LOI)

hes more of a stew chicken and rice and peas person. i prefer the pepper shrimp or fried shark roti.

dont jump the gun yet fellas. he still has a couple of visits. i didnt want any of this to get out because the haters are gonna come out and try their best to change his mind. then they are gonna mess with durand and kevin. so there are a few obstacles that must be over come.and hope norm finds a way to get 3 ships. thats very important for this to happen

Does this mean that there have been serious discussions between these 3 players about going to St. Johns together?

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/weiss/2008/07/top-recruit-eyes-red-storm.html

Omari Lawrence, one of the city’s top basketball recruits, doesn’t have a list ranking his college choices, but he says he knows which school is No. 1 right now - St. John’s.

>“I believe great things can happen if I go there,” Lawrence said in an interview at his Bronx home on Wednesday night. “We can start winning games, bring back the program and the fans… . It would bring back life into college basketball in the city.”

Lawrence will have surgery next week on his injured shoulder, which he hurt participating in the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp last month and will be out two-to-four months. He plans to hit the court for the IS8 Tournament in the fall.

If Lawrence signs with St. John’s, he would be Norm Roberts’ first elite New York City recruit. Lawrence said Roberts also wants to land Rice’s Durand Scott and Staten Island native and Oak Hill big man Danny Jennings with the program’s three 2009 scholarships.

Lawrence’s signing could help attract top players to Queens - something Roberts has struggled to do since being hired in 2004. The Red Storm made a push to sign Holy Cross star Sylven Landesberg last year, but the McDonald’s All-American chose Virginia over the Johnnies. Landing Lawrence, a Daily News All-City selection, could change St. John’s status as an afterthought among local recruits.

“I’m interested in setting a trend and letting people know it can be done,” said Lawrence, a rising senior who recently transferred from St. Raymond to South Kent (Conn.). “That’s why I want to do it.”

The 6-4, 205-pound combo guard stressed that he would continue to visit schools, such as UConn, Louisville and Florida later this summer and didn’t set a deadline to decide his college plans.

“I believe I am an instant impact player who can come in and help any program immediately,” said Lawrence, who averaged 18 points and five rebounds for St. Raymond last season. “You never know, anything can happen. At the end of the day, St. John’s may not be the perfect spot, but right now it is No. 1.”

(there's more of the article).

I SAY LET'S HOPE HE BACKS THOSE WORDS UP BY COMMING HERE!

this is what i dont get...no knock on the kid, from what i understand hes a good player...but hes talking about setting a trend for all these great nyc players to stay home and come to sju...is he THAT good...hes listed as a 3 star and the 32 sg in his class on rivals and 136 overall

hes a four star recruit who hurt his shoulder and played the whole summer with it. he was busting lance ass this year. hes real good but if you dont want him i understand. he does hold offers from arizona georgetown and memphis. but like burrell is looking to change the culture of new york high school players.

hes a four star recruit who hurt his shoulder and played the whole summer with it. he was busting lance ass this year. hes real good but if you dont want him i understand. he does hold offers from arizona georgetown and memphis. but like burrell is looking to change the culture of new york high school players.

My friend who saw him at the rumble in the Bronx said he busted up Sidney pretty bad too.

Also I'm working with the men's team at Monmouth right now and I was talking to one of the freshman who was from CT and we started talking about South Kent and I mentioned Omari's name and another freshman just jumped in and said, "That kid is a BEAST, DAMN!" He went onto say how he just nasty and this is coming from another D1 player.

hes a four star recruit who hurt his shoulder and played the whole summer with it. he was busting lance ass this year. hes real good but if you dont want him i understand. he does hold offers from arizona georgetown and memphis. but like burrell is looking to change the culture of new york high school players.

didnt say i didnt want him actually...i just asked if he was good or if he was a program changer like hes advertising

i don't really think he's a program changer per say, but he did out play lance when they faced each other.  but lance could have had fatigue as he played the past two days before that.

nah hes is a program changer. this is the only kid in new york that lance doesnt try the tough guy act with.  omari is a rare breed. hes loyal and hes a stud. hes a program changer because kids follow him plain and simple. uc ant go by what a website ranks him. rivals just started doing the east coast. scout and rivals is a west coast dominant site. site like nyhoops and metro hoops are sites u look at when it comes to ranking the tristate because they cover it. and now nychoops.net. which rivals just added to cover us. and on all those site omari is the number 2 player behind lance. kid is a beast. and his jumper isnt even solid yet. scary

i've seen him play three times. by program changer i mean right away we are in the NCAA's, and he's the face of the program.  i think he can be a very good 4 year player who can average 15-20 ppg his soph-senior years. 

the only program changer i see in NYC is lance and possibly doron lamb.  i do think omari would be a great get by norm, and that omari can be a vital piece of a ncaa team, i just don't think he can be the go-to scorer.

omari is a scorer flat out. his game is gonna be better suited for college. just watch. if he decides to come to st. johns yall have a problem . he is a scorer who can pass the ball. he dogged lamb all his life. doron is supposed to be in the same grade as him. alot of people dont know that. and lance can come to st. johns that doesnt mean they will be a automatic ncaa team. i cant name one program who had one kid change it. the only one u can say is kansas state with mike and at the end of the day he had a 1st round pick helping him. lance is gonna need help also.

omari is a scorer flat out. his game is gonna be better suited for college. just watch. if he decides to come to st. johns yall have a problem . he is a scorer who can pass the ball. he dogged lamb all his life. doron is supposed to be in the same grade as him. alot of people dont know that. and lance can come to st. johns that doesnt mean they will be a automatic ncaa team. i cant name one program who had one kid change it. the only one u can say is kansas state with mike and at the end of the day he had a 1st round pick helping him. lance is gonna need help also.

Does Lance think he needs help?

lance isnt as dumb and stuck up as people are making him out to be. hes a cool kid. he has alot of faith in himself same as omari. but at the end of the day they know they cant do it alone on the college level. if they did they would go to a meac or wac or any other low d1 and put up shots.they wouldnt be looking at kansas texas gtown uconn or zona. they not stupid. they are looking to be the man. and with the talent they have whos to say they cant.

Some more video on Omari....

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1214038228&channel=416418754

Omari tells Jeff Borzello of CHN at the Playaz Ball today that St. John's is still his favorite although more schools are courting him.....

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/


HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Despite the fact that he is not even playing, college coaches continue to flock towards rising senior Omari Lawrence.

Lawrence, a 6-4 guard from Bronx, N.Y., tore a ligament in his shoulder and will undergo surgery next Tuesday. The procedure will force him to miss three months in order to recover. However, he is getting new interest from various schools seemingly everyday.

"The new schools are Marquette, Florida, Kentucky and Louisville," Lawrence said at the Joe Brown Memorial Tournament at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

However, he also said that one school remains at the top of the heap.

"St. John’s is definitely my favorite," Lawrence said. "On my visit, I liked the school, and my family did too. I liked the coach, and I felt comfortable."

for more click the link above....

i don't really think he's a program changer per say, but he did out play lance when they faced each other.  but lance could have had fatigue as he played the past two days before that.

Omari Lawrence is absolutely 100% a program changer for St. John's. He's a talented player who makes himself better by being a tough and smart competitor. He's an exceptional rebounder for a guard, a clutch shooter without necessarily being a pure shooter, and a smart player and passer who finds a way to help his team even on an off night. Most of all he has a tremendous will to win, so much so that his toughness is contageous and has really helped his teammate Kevin Parrom become a better rebounder and all around player.

    With all due respect to his performance at Rumble in the Bronx which was outstanding, the game that should have convinced everyone how good he was is the game last spring at LIU vs. Lincoln.  He was the best player on the floor that day, period. And he used all parts of his game, both physical and mental to help his team get a great win.
   If he comes here he will be one of the best ever to play for St. John's and he will represent the school with toughness and hustle on the court as well as class off of it.  He will be one of the best ever to play for St. John's. Here's hoping he says yes and takes the first step on what will be a great journey

Omari, do what others were afraid to do. Bring back a once proud program to the top and you'll see how much respect you'll get from everyone in the area. If you choose SJU you will make NYC proud.

Omari, do what others were afraid to do. Bring back a once proud program to the top and you'll see how much respect you'll get from everyone in the area. If you choose SJU you will make NYC proud.

I certainly jope that Omari LAwrence decides to come to St. John's...

BUT..    why make the comments that "others were afraid to do.."

Do you really think kids college choice comes down to fear..?  Maybe they were worried about there future and were smart enough to not put there future development into the hands of the completely inept coaching staff at St. John's University...

Lawrence Chooses His Frontrunner

July 14, 2008

by Maurice Wingate, RedStormReport.com Editor

http://stjohns.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=826144

RedStormReport.com caught up with one of New York's most elite players, Omari Lawrence, formerly of St. Raymond in Bronx, NY but now with South Kent in CT.

Unlike many student athletes who are reluctant to admit their college preference, the 6'3" junior has a clear number one choice.

"My number one choice is St. John's," says Lawrence. "I like the campus, the scenery and the coaching staff. Norm (Roberts) is cool." When asked what sealed the deal, Lawrence responded, "I was surprised what they've done to the facilities plus my mom and my brother like the school and if they've got my family, they've got me."

Lawrence, a 6'3" shooting guard, is also aware of the impact of him going to the New York college and how they are one or two players away from once again being a marquee ball club. "I think they (St. John's) have a real good chance to comeback and I think that a lot of good players would go to the school if I went there," says Lawrence confidently.

Currently, Lawrence is not playing with his AAU team, the NY Panthers, due to a shoulder injury suffered at the NBA Camp. Lawrence elaborated, "I tore a muscle in my shoulder and I'm going for surgery on Thursday and then I have rehab."

According to the new transfer to South Kent, Lawrence should be back and ready to play in the prestigious iS8/Nike Fall Tip Off Classic with his team.

dont jump the gun yet fellas. he still has a couple of visits. i didnt want any of this to get out because the haters are gonna come out and try their best to change his mind. then they are gonna mess with durand and kevin. so there are a few obstacles that must be over come.and hope norm finds a way to get 3 ships. thats very important for this to happen

Bingo kob... and the sad part is these "haters" actually proclaim to be "supporters" of the program. Some did not like that Norm got the job over some of their "buddies"(see calipari, doh-boy..lol)... while a few other clowns did not like that they were supposedly "snubbed"(see ron naclerio.. lol) for an assistant position at SJU..  ... And for the last 4 years they have done EVERYTHING they could to di$courage kids from signing with SJU. Including flooding the internet with their NONSENSE since the day Norm was hired... Pretty pathetic... Unfortunately, for them, Norm is still here & on the verge of finally landing that "major" class of NYC players that most fans have been waiting for..  .. Hopefully kids like Lawrence, Jennings, Parrom, Scott, Spellman, etc... plus their families can see through all the BS & realize what a HUGE opportunity they have here in Queens.... because if we can add kids of there caliber to the likes of Burrell, Kennedy, Horne, Boothe, Evans, etc... we can finally re-claim our spot among the "elite" of the Big East.... The bottom line is WE(along with MSG, gtown, nova & cuse) built this conference & our return to prominence will be a NATIONAL story... and these kids will be treated like kings in this town once we return to the big dance..  ... peace!