antonio lawrence signs with san jose state

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Antonio Lawrence Signs With WAC Team...
But It's Not Fresno State--(June 18, 2002)

Antonio Lawrence (6'-4" Sr. SG) from San Joaquin Memorial had been expected to be a Fresno State signee by now. And if not there, his name had been mentioned with Florida, UCLA, and several other high major programs. But after a year spent at San Joaquin Memorial tearing up Division IV in the Central Valley alongside his talented freshman EBO teammate Dwaine Williams (5'-11" Fr. PG), Antonio now finds himself a Spartan, not a Bulldog. How did this happen? Hey, we surely don't know the answers, but it seems Marek Warszawski of the Fresno Bee has some to offer, and since he's spoken with Antonio and his family, as well as new-old Spartans' head coach Phil Johnson, we'll leave the details to him. We will say this: Antonio hung in there and avoided the temptation of listening to several people who were whispering in his ear that he ought to enter the NBA draft straight out of high school, and instead has opted to play in college, which for him is the best choice, no doubt about it.

A lot of people claimed that Antonio was overrated or had academic problems, and perhaps questions about his movement throughout high school (it was rumored that he attended as many as 14 different schools during his high school career), caused some programs to shy away from the talented and athletic wing guard. Our view is that San Jose State just got a steal, and Antonio is a guy who will bring some big time athleticism to that program, and with other SoCal products in the backcourt like Brandon Hawkins, Bim Okunrimboye, and Moises Alvarez, the Spartans will have one of the best guard rotations in the conference. At least that's just our humble opinion.

Here's the story from the Fresno Bee (click the link to read it at the Bee's own site, where you'll find other articles pertaining to Lawrence and Fresno State Bulldogs' basketball).

Memorial's Lawrence finds way to San Jose
The long, strange recruiting saga of Antonio Lawrence ends with him as a Spartan.
By Marek Warszawski
The Fresno Bee
(Published Monday, June, 17, 2002 3:36PM)

Instead of cheering for Antonio Lawrence this fall, most Fresno State basketball fans probably will be rooting against him.

That's because Lawrence, The Bee's high school player of the year during the 2001-02 season, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Western Athletic Conference rival San Jose State.

"I'm ready to get the show going," Lawrence said Friday.

A 6-foot-4 wing, Lawrence put on quite a show during his one season at Memorial High, averaging 24.6 points and leading the Panthers to a berth in the Division 4 Southern Regional playoffs.

The No. 53-rated prospect by HoopScoop.com and a 2001 preseason All-American by Street & Smith's, Lawrence was considered the top unsigned player in the country.

Lawrence is the first recruit signed by San Jose State coach Phil Johnson, who returned to the Spartans in April after three seasons as a Chicago Bulls assistant.

"Antonio was the first player that we made contact with and started recruiting him immediately -- he was the first phone call I made," Johnson said. "He's a good talent, and we're really excited to have him."

Lawrence, whose move from Florida to Fresno before his senior year sparked a firestorm of controversy in local basketball circles and charges of recruiting, drew attention from Fresno State, Mississippi State, Georgia and Pittsburgh.

None, however, offered a scholarship.

Lawrence's mother, Vonceil Brazle, reportedly told Fresno State coach Ray Lopes on May 14 that her son wanted to be a Bulldog, only to be informed the following day in a family meeting there were no scholarships available.

Fresno State signed five players during the spring signing period, but two of them -- Terry Pettis and Reggie Butler -- might not qualify academically.

Rather than waiting to find out if a Fresno State scholarship came open, Lawrence signed with the Spartans.

Because he signed after the official spring signing period, Lawrence's letter-of-intent is considered nonbinding.

"I had a couple of other places that were possibilities, but San Jose was the best choice," Lawrence said. "It's close to my mom, and the coaches were great. I wanted to stay close to home."

Brazle is keeping her job as an attendance assistant at Memorial.

Lawrence joins a Spartans team that finished 10-22 last season and lost three starters to graduation. Johnson, who replaced Steve Barnes, said he envisions Lawrence as a shooting guard.

"Like any prospect, he needs to come in and prove that he deserves to play right away -- nothing will be handed to him," Johnson said.

"There are parts of his game that he needs to work on, and he has been very receptive to our suggestions. The ability is there, and the desire is there. Those are two pretty good things to have."

Johnson, who coached San Jose State to a 12-16 record in 1998-99, said he did not target Lawrence because he attended high school in Fresno or was being recruited by Fresno State.

"That really doesn't have anything to do with it," Johnson said. "It might to the fans, but it doesn't to me."

The reporter can be reached at marekw@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6218.

Antonio evidently actually signed on June 14, last week, at least according to the official press release from San Jose State's athletic department. Here's what the school officially had to say about Antonio's signing:

Men’s basketball lands Antonio Lawrence, Top-100 national basketball prospect

Antonio Lawrence, widely regarded as one of the top 100 boys high school basketball players nationally during the 2001-02 school year, has accepted a scholarship offer from San Jose State University and plans to enroll at the school for the 2002 fall semester. The announcement was made by Phil Johnson, the Spartans’ men’s basketball head coach.

Lawrence is graduating from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, Calif. A 6-foot-4 forward on the basketball team coached by Wil Hooker, he averaged 24.6 points a game last season. The Fresno Bee named him the area’s 2002 "Player of the Year."

He was a 2001 Street & Smith’s high honorable mention preseason All-American and was rated among the top boys basketball players by studentsports.com (#64), HoopScooponline.com (#53), and powerbasketball.com (#26).

A former resident of Jacksonville, Fla., he also attended Wolfson and Jackson High Schools before moving to California. While at Jackson, The Sporting News ranked him as the #8 junior nationally. Between his junior and senior years, he participated in the ABCD All-Star Game in Teaneck, N.J., and was named the game’s "Most Valuable Player."

"Two things I like about Antonio are his ability and his strong desire to become a good player," says the San Jose State coach.

Lawrence is the first player to accept a scholarship offer and sign a National Letter-of-Intent since Johnson returned to San Jose State as the school’s men’s basketball coach.