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

Omari Lawrence.

You wanna know what type of game Omari got? All y'all gotta do is watch him once to find out.

Omari neva, eva quit movin. If the brother seem to be involved in evry play, that 'cause he is. Kid gotta a motor on him that dont quit. He run witout the ball. He run wit the ball. And he run like mad on D.

So what that do? It make Omari open all the time. The brother know where to be on the floor to get the scorin opportunities and he know how to hisself into position. He way ahead of high school playas on that front.

Omari is fearless goin to the hole. The brother will go down the lane on anybody... anybody. ANd sometime y'all will ask y'selves how'd he do it? How'd he score? He is an excellent finisher 'cause most peeps in high school play to his right 'cause he got such a good handle wit his right. Of course, he a natural lefty and even though they may know it in the scoutin reports, it dont mean that play fo it. I remmeber last season a CHSAA coach screamin at his playas in the huddle "NUMBER 12 IS A LEFTY! NUMBER 12 IS A LEFT!" It was mad funny, yo.

Helpin Omari wit his drivin capabilities is his body. The brother got hisself some broad shoulders so he can lean down a lil and barrell his way through. Of course, he still gotta add some muscle like all high school kids goin into college do, but he got hisself the frame to fill out. Wit the right weight trainin, y'all will see defenders literally bouncin off him.

Omari aint no one-dimensional playa neither. He has resurrected a lost art - the mid-range J. If he see the lane clogged or if a zone aint lettin him penetrate, Omari will stop and pop just as well as anybody I seen recently. Mookie Jones had hisself an ill mid-range J. But Omari may have the illest. It a shot that gonna earn him a lotta points in college.

Omari gotta work on his long range J. He got range but it aint consistent and college will be playin that against him. His shot is a lil unorthodox. He get good elevation but he lean a lil too far to his left when he pull up. That mean less wit a mid-range J, but it may be hurtin him wit the three since he aint squarin up.

Omari is athletic and will jam the ball on the break and if he got a clear path to the hole in the half court. But he aint Vince Carter and he dont need to be. He play within hisself. And he position hisself fo boards.

Omari got a very good handle - much betta than almost evry SG in high school. He keep the ball low and he tend not to overdribble (remember he move witout the ball so well and Truck would always find him). Omar also pass very well, but he aint no point. He a straight up scorer.

Anyways, I could go on and on bout this kid. All Ill say is that Im gonna miss him not bein in the city this school year. It a shame and all. He woulda been on Mike Quick all the time. He woulda been in the Daily News all the time. And he woulda gone toe to toe wit Durand Scott to see who the best playa in the CHSAA. But he gotta do what he gotta do.

-Choz4Life

Thanks Choz much appreciated keep up the great posts!

Good stuff about Omari. I would love to see this kid at St.John's. Thanks.

here's some proof of the midrange J Choz was talking about

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovh4wNx8t3E

Omari Lawrence.

You wanna know what type of game Omari got? All y'all gotta do is watch him once to find out.

Omari neva, eva quit movin. If the brother seem to be involved in evry play, that 'cause he is. Kid gotta a motor on him that dont quit. He run witout the ball. He run wit the ball. And he run like mad on D.

So what that do? It make Omari open all the time. The brother know where to be on the floor to get the scorin opportunities and he know how to hisself into position. He way ahead of high school playas on that front.

Omari is fearless goin to the hole. The brother will go down the lane on anybody... anybody. ANd sometime y'all will ask y'selves how'd he do it? How'd he score? He is an excellent finisher 'cause most peeps in high school play to his right 'cause he got such a good handle wit his right. Of course, he a natural lefty and even though they may know it in the scoutin reports, it dont mean that play fo it. I remmeber last season a CHSAA coach screamin at his playas in the huddle "NUMBER 12 IS A LEFTY! NUMBER 12 IS A LEFT!" It was mad funny, yo.

Helpin Omari wit his drivin capabilities is his body. The brother got hisself some broad shoulders so he can lean down a lil and barrell his way through. Of course, he still gotta add some muscle like all high school kids goin into college do, but he got hisself the frame to fill out. Wit the right weight trainin, y'all will see defenders literally bouncin off him.

Omari aint no one-dimensional playa neither. He has resurrected a lost art - the mid-range J. If he see the lane clogged or if a zone aint lettin him penetrate, Omari will stop and pop just as well as anybody I seen recently. Mookie Jones had hisself an ill mid-range J. But Omari may have the illest. It a shot that gonna earn him a lotta points in college.

Omari gotta work on his long range J. He got range but it aint consistent and college will be playin that against him. His shot is a lil unorthodox. He get good elevation but he lean a lil too far to his left when he pull up. That mean less wit a mid-range J, but it may be hurtin him wit the three since he aint squarin up.

Omari is athletic and will jam the ball on the break and if he got a clear path to the hole in the half court. But he aint Vince Carter and he dont need to be. He play within hisself. And he position hisself fo boards.

Omari got a very good handle - much betta than almost evry SG in high school. He keep the ball low and he tend not to overdribble (remember he move witout the ball so well and Truck would always find him). Omar also pass very well, but he aint no point. He a straight up scorer.

Anyways, I could go on and on bout this kid. All Ill say is that Im gonna miss him not bein in the city this school year. It a shame and all. He woulda been on Mike Quick all the time. He woulda been in the Daily News all the time. And he woulda gone toe to toe wit Durand Scott to see who the best playa in the CHSAA. But he gotta do what he gotta do.

-Choz4Life

It's posts like these that make it a pleasure to log onto this site everyday.. .. Thanks for the info choz, it's much appreciated... long live the jungle!!.. .. peace!

**edit no need for the pic

Omari Lawrence.

Anyways, I could go on and on bout this kid. All Ill say is that Im gonna miss him not bein in the city this school year. It a shame and all. He woulda been on Mike Quick all the time.
-Choz4Life

He might still be On Mike Quick.  If Mike can Make it to Trinity Catholic all the time; South Kent is not too far away. It is Tri-state coverage.  All due apologies, but there was nothing to cover in Conn before.

Omari "verbals" to SJU.. .. according to the Daily News :

August 20, 2008

Top recruit eyes Storm

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/weiss/2008/08/top-recruit-eyes-storm.html

Omari Lawrence, one of the city’s top basketball recruits, told The News he will verbally commit to St. John’s today “if everything goes well” at a meeting with Red Storm coach Norm Roberts this morning. Lawrence is entering his senior year at South Kent High School (Conn.).

- Ian Begley



p.s. - i'll believe it when it's "official"... knowing our luck something completely INSANE will happen on campus today to change his mind... ala' Landesberg's family & the lone gunman..  .. hopefully this will be CONFIRMED later today or tomorrow..  .. peace!

This is HUGE if we get an early verbal...let's hope he gets the ball rolling and others will follow.

Excellent news thanks for the heads up oldred!

Excellent news thanks for the heads up oldred!

No problem kjd.. .. peace!

I believe they are in the meeting now.... I was text messaged at 7am telling me to stay by my computer to await another text later today. Keep your fingers crossed.

He isn't on campus yet but is on his way.....

we will keep you updated as things unfold and I will be speaking to Omari later tonight.

Yo real time news right here. The place to be.

nothin yet?

nothin yet?

Patience Baldi....when I hear anything I'll post it immediately.

I believe they are in the meeting now.... I was text messaged at 7am telling me to stay by my computer to await another text later today. Keep your fingers crossed.

Nice work Dave keep us posted.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2008/08/20/2008-08-20_top_recruit_omari_lawrence_to_join_st_jo.html

Top recruit Omari Lawrence to join St. John's basketball program
By ROGER RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, August 20th 2008, 2:13 PM

St. John's received a verbal commitment from Omari Lawrence, a 6-4 combo guard attending South Kent (Conn.) High, the Daily News has learned.

South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said Lawrence, who attended St. Raymond's High in the Bronx last season, was on campus for a visit Wednesday when he accepted coach Norm Roberts' scholarship offer.

"Three things stood out to him," Jefferson said. "It was close to home, the campus is surprisingly beautiful and he really enjoys the coaching staff. Norm Roberts and the group really did a nice job recruiting him."

Lawrence averaged 18.2 points for St. Raymond's last season and was named to the Daily News' All-City first team.

Omari Lawrence to St. John’s

Found this on Zags


Posted on Aug 20, 2008 2:11 pm
Omari Lawrence is headed to St. John’s.

The 6-foot-4 senior shooting guard out of New York committed during a visit on Wednesday. He cannot sign until the NCAA early signing period in November.

“Yes, I’m leaving the campus right now,” Lawrence, a Bronx native, said Wednesday by phone. ”I like the school. It’s close to home. It’s a good Big East school for me to develop and get to the next level.”

With the decision behind him, Lawrence can now focus on his senior season at South Kent (Conn.), to which he transferred after leaving St. Raymond’s in the Bronx.

“I’m really excited that I got this over with and I can finish up my senior year strong,” he said.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Lawrence, ranked No. 32 among shooting guards in the Class of 2009 by Rivals, also considered UConn, Florida, South Florida, Providence and Marquette.

“I had that same list since beginning of junior year, but I really like this school,” he said of St. John’s.

Lawrence projects to be the backup behind current sophomore DJ Kennedy when Kennedy is a junior.

Lawrence said St. John’s recent hiring of Kimani Young and Oswald “Oz” Cross had nothing to do with his decision. Cross coached Lawrence and teammate Kevin Parrom with the New York Panthers AAU club.

“Before Oz and Kimani even decided on taking this position, I already had interest in St. John’s,” he said.

Lawrence is still rehabbing a separated shoulder but should be ready by the start of the season.

“He’s rehabbing right now,” South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said. “He’s mobile. He’s doing a lot of rehab . I still think we’re looking at mid- to end of October before he’s really able to get on the court and go up and down with us.”

With Lawrence now committed to St. John’s, will  Parrom follow?

“Kevin is day to day,” Jefferson said. “St John’s is on his list and he likes them a lot. But he likes Xavier and South Carolina and I’m not sure what his timetable is right now. I told him to take his time and make a good decison.”

Added Lawrence: “I’m just worried about myself right now. If Kevin wants to to come to the school, I’d be happy to have him. That’s his decision.

“I’m not really a recruiter. I’m a basketball player.”

p.s. - welcome aboard Omari.. .. thanks for the confirmation mkras!

Welcome aboard!  This is BIG news...we need a few others to follow his lead and we're on our way.