Who is Keon Lawrence?

By Jeremiah Sullivan

After the 2007-2008 season came to an end at the hands of a loss to Marquette in the first round of the Big East Tournament at MSG, the Pirates turned their sights away from 2007-2008, and began looking towards 2008-2009. So what has changed since?

Gone are two players who recorded 1,000 points in their SHU careers in Laing and Nutter. Also departed is big man Augustine Okuson, lost to transfer opportunities. Say adios to Larry Davis, another former Pirate who’s transferred too.

Who’s still around? Three-point machine Jeremy Hazell, the mix of raw-talent and foul –friendliness that is Mike Davis, as well as Eugene Harvey, who has to become a leader and break out of his sophomore slump this year. John Garcia will be manning the boards, though always trying to regain the form lost due to previous injuries. Don’t forget turnover forcing machine Paul Gause either; he'll be there. Wonder if we'll see him more on defense or offense this season...

New faces: Jamel Jackson, Melvyn Oliver, Robert Mitchell, and the highly touted Jordan Theodore. Oh and don’t worry, you will actually see Brandon Walters get some minutes this year.

But Keon Lawrence? Sure there is no doubt Coach Gonzalez prioritized his team's needs going into the recruiting process this offseason, but did even he, the man with a master rep for snagging kids in the metropolitan area, know that Lawrence was itching for a Mizzou divorce?

On Monday July 7th, Lawrence made his decision to leave Mizzou for a return to his East Coast roots official. According to The Star Ledger, the former Weequahic High hoops star decided his run with the Tigers ended "a while ago," but finished out the 2007-2008 campaign mainly because he didn't want to desert his teammates halfway through the season.

According to the same publication, Lawrence said after he got his release from Missouri, schools like Villanova, Louisville, Memphis, Georgetown, UCLA, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Rutgers all tried to bring him to their campuses. However, for Keon it always remained true that he wanted to play in either the Big East or the ACC. For him, it seems, Seton Hall was a natural fit because of the up-tempo style of play Coach Gonzalez promotes.

Perhaps last year's birth of a brand-new arena in his hometown might have helped a bit too?

So why did the standout player leave after only his sophomore season? Some reports have claimed that Lawrence felt snubbed after loosing his starting role mid-way through last season, only to regain it later on in the year after a former teammate was knocked from the Tiger starting five upon his dismissal from the University.

“The well-being of our student-athletes is always a chief concern for us, and with that, I have always wanted my players to be happy,” Mizzou Head Coach Anderson said in a statement released regarding Lawrence's departure.

“I feel by granting Keon his release it’s in the best interest of both him and our program. We appreciate Keon’s efforts at Missouri and wish him nothing but the best.”

However, for Lawrence, his version of the ordeal was slightly different.

“It’s not my teammates, and it’s not the fans,” Lawrence told The Columbia Daily Tribune in a story published Friday afternoon. “That should tell you something

Despite the current itch Lawrence has to return home to his roots, it appears that wasn’t always the case. The 6 foot 2, 175 pound guard from the Brick City said about his initial choice to play at Mizzou, “"I was trying to get away from home at that time," Lawrence said. "I felt I needed to grow up. Now it's time to come back."

So what are the Pirates getting out of the junior guard? Last season he averaged 11.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, and led the Tigers with 29.2 minutes per game. His two year averages for the Tigers were 10.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 2.1apg. Oh yeah, by the way he shot 43.3 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point range.

And get this Pirate fans: there is a chance that Lawrence doesn’t sit out this season like most other transfers are obligated to. Why? Well, according to published reports, Alif Muhammad, a close adviosr to Lawrence, the transfer student is currently seeking a hardship ruling from the NCAA. The request for the ruling comes as several members of Lawrence’s family are battling serious illness, and, it is rumored that Lawrence will address the NCAA with these concerns to help illustrate the need for his move back to N.J. from Mizzou.

If the ruling goes in his favor, he’ll be able to suit up for the blue and white this season. According to The Columbia Daily Tribune, Lawrence was expected to sign his scholarship agreement on Aug. 13th, having formally been admitted into the University three days prior. Muhammad said Lawrence planned to apply for his hardship with the NCAA by Aug. 16th.

So if Lawrence does suit up for the Pirates this season, he won’t have to wait long to show off his new ‘digs to his former Tiger temmates. Both teams are scheduled to partake in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November, although they start on different sides of the brackets.

Stay tuned you SHU-diehards.



The opinions mentioned here are solely those of the author of this piece and are not shared by other posters on this site or the site creator