Lawrence Opts For School Close to Home

The Big 12 continues to reel in players before the busy July evaluation period rolls around. Matt Lawrence, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo., made a verbal commitment on Tuesday to a program close to home.

Lawrence told the University of Missouri coaching staff that he will be a Tiger next season, according to his Gateway Basketball Club AAU coach Stephen Mouser. In fact, Mouser spoke to Lawrence as the rising senior was heading home from Columbia, where he recently participated in a team camp.

Lawrence has been busy on the unofficial visit trail, stopping at Stanford and Illinois in recent weeks but decided to stay close to home and play for Quin Snyder. The Tigers landed a solid in-state player, too. Lawrence was the Suburban West Conference player of the year last season after averaging 16.4 points and five rebounds a game. He was named first-team all-state as a junior.

“He plays the three and four spot for us but I can see him at the three in college,” Mouser said. “Smooth - that’s the best word to describe him.”

Lafayette head coach Dave Porter agrees.

“Offensively, he's the whole package,” Porter told Rivals.com last week. “He can get his shot off the dribble, he can post up, he has a good mid-range game.”

Lawrence will play at the adidas Superstar camp in July and hook back up with his Gateway team for stops at the Hoosier Shootout, adidas 64 in Las Vegas and the Best of Summer in Los Angeles.

We will have more from Lawrence as it becomes available.