Lawrence impressive in first week

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Excited to see how this young man does after not playing for a year...
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Lawrence impressive in first week
10/07/13 at 2:06pm by Bill Koch

The first thing you’ll notice about Jermaine Lawrence is his quickness.

The 6-foot-9 Lawrence is considered a power forward, but he is not the same type of player that former UC power forward Yancy Gates was, not even close. By the time he was a senior, the 6-foot-9 Gates was a solid 260 to 270 pounds and a low-post presence.

[Image: cindc5-69qsj3zp2r6n0kqs8jv_layout11-300x216.jpg]
Jermaine Lawrence

Lawrence is listed in the UC media guide at 205 and in drills plays with the ball-handling and athleticism of a guard.

“Jermaine’s effort has been great,” said UC coach Mick Cronin. “The physicality is a little different. Jermaine is playing against Justin (Jackson), Titus (Rubles) and Dave (Nyarsuk). He’s playing up in age class and in weight class, but his hustle is tremendous, his attitude is great and he’s easy to coach.”

Lawrence, from Springfield Gardens, N.Y., is the marquee name in a five-man UC freshman class that was ranked No. 24 nationally by ESPN.com.

So far in practice, Cronin said, Lawrence has lived up to his advance billing. But the UC coach also cautioned fans not to expect too much too soon from his top recruit.

“He’s got to get stronger,” Cronin said. “I don’t want to mislead people. He’s not Lance Stephenson coming in here at 220 pounds at 6-4. Jermaine Lawrence didn’t play basketball last year (due to an injury). He played three games and he was hurt in the three games. He played with a padded cast on his wrist. He’s got to get comfortable and he’s got to get stronger.”

Still, Cronin has seen enough from Lawrence to convince him that he’s the real deal.

“It’s going to be a process, but he obviously is going to help us a lot,” Cronin said. “His play is tremendous as far as quickness and his passing for a guy his size. Obviously, we need his finishing around the rim. My goal is to get him to where he’s deadly from 15 feet and in. Right now what you’re looking at with guys is when adversity hits them how do they react? He keeps playing. He keeps fighting. He never gives up and doesn’t hang his head. That’s all I care about right now. The rest will come.”

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/uc/2013/10/07/lawrence-impressive-in-first-week/
 
thanks for posting...i am getting pumped for the season to start and cannot wait to see these kids play...i really hope that Mick utilizes the athleticism and quickness of this team this year...i like Cronin tempering fans' expectations of Lawrence, and i cannot wait to see him on the floor...

Go Bearcats!
 
thanks for posting...i am getting pumped for the season to start and cannot wait to see these kids play...i really hope that Mick utilizes the athleticism and quickness of this team this year...i like Cronin tempering fans' expectations of Lawrence, and i cannot wait to see him on the floor...

Go Bearcats!

Yeah I am ready for college basketball to be on again. It is an exciting year with 5 new faces coming in, reports of JJ and Guyn improving in the offseason, JDIII being healthy and big Dave putting on some weight. I'm hoping for improvement from Rubles and Shaq, but haven't heard anything. And who knows about Sanders...
 
Mick telling me how good lawrence is... is well... typical.

Mick says alot of GREAT things about his players.

Sounds to me like he is tempering the expectations on Lawrence. He will definitely have to get stronger to contribute significantly at this level.

Look at Deandre Daniels from UConn he is 6'9 195 lbs and was ranked #10 by Rivals and in his freshman year he averaged just 3 points a game in 12 minutes, but last year he upped it to 12 points and 6 rebounds a game. Strength will be a HUGE adjustment for Jermaine.
 
what are every ones thoughts about his playing time, there are 2 other players on the team that have a similar game with rubles and shaq Thomas, I gotta believe shaq is going to start at SF this year but I think Lawrence and the back up PG will be the first 2 people off of the bench. I can see him playing some pf at times as well, but if they are going to be pressing a lot I can see him playing a lot of minutes just because How athletic and fast he is. Even with weight and strength being a problem I can still see him getting around 20 mpg his freshman year. And next year I can see ether him or shaq being our best player on the team.
 
what are every ones thoughts about his playing time, there are 2 other players on the team that have a similar game with rubles and shaq Thomas, I gotta believe shaq is going to start at SF this year but I think Lawrence and the back up PG will be the first 2 people off of the bench. I can see him playing some pf at times as well, but if they are going to be pressing a lot I can see him playing a lot of minutes just because How athletic and fast he is. Even with weight and strength being a problem I can still see him getting around 20 mpg his freshman year. And next year I can see ether him or shaq being our best player on the team.

I see Lawrence playing around 12-15 minutes a game this year. He will be behind both Jackson and Rubles at the 4, and Thomas (possibly Sanders) at the 3. There very well could be games were he gets major minutes, but around 12-15 seems about right. His sophomore year will be his breakout year, IMO.
 
I see Lawrence playing around 12-15 minutes a game this year. He will be behind both Jackson and Rubles at the 4, and Thomas (possibly Sanders) at the 3. There very well could be games were he gets major minutes, but around 12-15 seems about right. His sophomore year will be his breakout year, IMO.

Behind Sanders? No chance in hell, IMO.

I expect him to be the first front-court player off the bench and to average around 20 minutes per game. 8-10 ppg and about 5 rebounds are reasonable expectations.

Rotations are going to be very fluid this season. Lots of versatility at the 2, 3, and 4 spots. He can go 3 guards like we did last year, and he can also go big. I think the only players you won't see on the floor together are Nyarsuk and Strickland. Every other line-up is fair game.
 
One thing that really excites me is that, for small stretches, we could wreak havoc in the full-court press with Thomas, Rubles, Lawrence, and Jackson all on the floor together. I don't know if Cronin will actually try it since we don't have much depth at the 4 and 5, but the possibility is intriguing.
 
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