Memphis hires father of stud recruit
There have been rumors all spring and early summer that Memphis was on the verge of hiring an assistant coach with some serious ties to future talent. It came to fruition on Wednesday when the Tigers announced the hiring of Keelon Lawson, Sr.
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Formerly the high school coach at Memphis (Tenn.) Hamilton, Lawson is the father of current class of 2015 commit Keelon Lawson (K.J.) a 6-foot-6 small forward who ranks No. 57 in the Rivals150.
"I'm thrilled and grateful for this opportunity," Lawson said in the press release making his hire official. "I'm looking forward to working with Coach Pastner and his staff to help carry on the great tradition of Tigers basketball."
It isn't just K.J. Lawson who should be ending up in a Memphis uniform either. His younger brother Dedric Lawson is currently the No. 8 ranked player in the class of 2016 and is expected to be announcing his college plans in the near future.
You can never say never in the recruiting world, but any choice other than Memphis for the smooth scoring 6-foot-8 rising junior would be an absolute shock.
Keeping the theme going, the Lawsons have two more younger brothers. Both eighth-grader-to-be Chandler and sixth grader Jonathan are considered by observers of youth basketball at that level to be potential star players as well.
Hiring a player's father to secure a commitment is a practice that is pretty much as old as coaching, so there is nothing wrong with what Josh Pastner and Memphis have chosen to do. Plus, Lawson is a former coach in a city that is very passionate about the Tigers. Will Lawson be able to help get other local players? Time will tell. But, he's already likely secured a few major talents.
Eric Bossi is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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