Omari Lawrence, the 6-4 swingman hailing from South Kent Connecticut, has been an absolute media monster of late. Featured in the Daily News, Rivals.com, and College Hoops.Net, the touted prospect recently lent some of his time to JohnnyJungle.com, discussing a variety of topics, ranging from basketball to music. Without further adieu…
His Health?
Lawrence recently underwent shoulder surgery, a procedure that will curtail serious athletic activities for the duration of 2-4 months. He has however, been granted clearance to continue shooting, so long he avoids physical contact. Omari is also running daily, keeping his legs in peak condition so when he returns he can quickly get back to form.
Past playing Experience?
Omari has long been playing AAU basketball since he was 15 years old. He started off with the Long Island Lightning because he was allowed to play two years up at an advance level, Lawrence mentioned he was teammates with Justin Burrell and Villanova’s Corey Fisher. This past year was his first year with the NY Panthers AAU program where he and the team both had very successful seasons.
His message?
When it comes to player analysis, college coaches tend to favor differing attributes, some preferring fundamentals, others craving raw skill. John Calipari, just for instance, could give a damn about free throw shooting. Just ask the guy, though he might have changed his mind.
But what should coaches look for first when scouting Omari Lawrence? The man speaks for himself:
“I would want coaches to first notice my leadership and intensity.”
The fact he addresses intangibles before his actual skill is an excellent sign make-up wise, or so says the official coaching handbook within the chapter discussing “character guys”.
Scoop on Pursuit?
Omari is a prized commodity, and has no shortage of serious suitors. Louisville has already offered him a scholarship since recently jumping on the bandwagon. Jim Calhoun has suddenly pounced, displaying a risen level of interest, as Red Storm fans everywhere fear a Doug Wiggins flashback. Florida is interested in playing telephone tag with Omari but have had schedule conflicts preventing them from seeing him play in person(thats weak Billy should have went to the Magic when you had a chance).
How was the visit?
Upon visiting the campus, Omari was treated to a guided tour.
“First they gave me a campus tour, and there was a lot of things I didn’t know about St. John’s.”
He mentioned he was surprised at the “big facilities” St. John’s had to offer and he really enjoyed himself. He echoed earlier thoughts about his family feeling very comfortable at St. John’s. They really liked what St. John’s had to offer academically, the campus facilities, and with Coach Roberts. Omari said its very important to him what his family thinks.
How seriously is he considering coming to St. John’s?
“I’m trying to be a trend setter other guys(mentioned Durand Scott and Dan Jennings) have other mind sets, but I’m trying to convince them otherwise……..I have a lot of time.”
Omari Lawrence: Trailblazer. How bout that on a billboard?
New York?
When asked what does basketball mean to NYC Omari exclaimed, “Basketball is BIG”
Omari is keyed into the importance of basketball in New York City. He highlighted the Knicks as an example of the city’s passion, their record woeful but attendance figures high. Omari would enjoy bringing back the “spirit”, to justify the passion.
“New York is just waiting for another star to be born”
Music?
If Omari was stuck on an island and could only listen to just one song, for the rest of his life, it’d be “Never Change” by Jay-Z.
He also said most people wouldn’t know that he enjoys the listening to Cold Play, Blink 182, and Nickleback.
Dinner?
When faced with the difficult task of picking five people, dead or alive, to have dinner with, Omari went with Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, his dad, Kim Kardashian , and Alicia Keys in that order.
Man, one of those just doesn’t fit in with the rest.
Jennifer Lopez?
Favorite eatery?
Omari enjoys dining down at the Cheesesteak Factory, his dish of choice chicken teriyaki.
Favorite movie?
Overlooked Spike Lee Joint “He Got Game”. A solid pick, misunderstood by most critics.
Favorite interviewer?
Omari paused for a minute until I said, “besides me” and then he quickly tabbed Stacey Davis, a staff writer with Rivals.com and NYChoops.net.
Thus concludes another enlightening player profile. This is Johnnyjungle.com proclaiming: “Not out of fear but love/ love for the game/ Roc family first, we never change man.”
Wait, what–
Matt is entering his junior year at St. John’s where he is studying Journalism. He is a lifelong resident of Whitestone, NY and he has aspirations of making it big as a screenwriter in Hollywood. In the meantime his fallback plan is continuing writing for Johnny Jungle. You can contact him at mwaters@JohnnyJungle.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.