Memphis offers ‘20 TN Gatorade Player of the Year Johnathan Lawson

The Memphis Tigers have offered Rivals ‘21 4* 110th ranked prospect Johnathan Lawson out of local Wooddale High School, where he played for his father Keelon Lawson the last two seasons. This was first reported by local recruiting director Chuck Lawson.

The versatile 6’7” 175lb. G/F was selected as the 2020 TN Gatorade Player of the year with averages of 25.4pts 11.7rebs 6asts 2stls 2blks. Along with his brother Chandler, who is now at Oregon, he helped lead Wooddale to a (30-4) overall record and a TN Class AA State championship in ‘19. They finished (26-6) this past season, but weren’t able to complete a potential back to back championship run due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The athletic forward fits in perfectly with the vision that Penny and staff have for their basketball team. Long lean athletic players that can run the floor will excel in their wide open system. Not only can Johnathan man the SF position if needed, he can play on the ball as a big guard. He’s a playmaker who can bring the ball up and set up his teammates, or create for himself. He’s disruptive on the defensive end due to his length and athleticism and is a good rebounder for his size.

Memphis will have a lot of competition for his services as he continues to rise in the recruiting rankings. The Oregon Ducks where his brother Chandler plays currently, extended an early offer. Arkansas, Iowa St., LSU, Nebraska, Indiana among others are also involved. Penny and staff have done a fantastic job of landing area players when prioritized. They definitely have some ground to make up in this one but you can never count Hardaway and the Memphis staff out, even when getting in on a kid while others have a head start. Landing Lawson would be quite the coup for this Memphis program. Will he stay home and don the Tiger blue? We shall see!