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LAWRENCE & PARROM LEAD NY PANTHERS

Teammates lead Panthers to Rumble final, talk recruiting

Omari Lawrence and Kevin Parrom seem to be linked together often in recruiting circles. That is no surprise as the pair have played together as teammates in high school and on the AAU circuit the entire time they have been followed by college coaches.

This past weekend, Lawrence and Parrom once again were paired together on the court helping the NY Panthers reach the finals of the Rumble in the Bronx. Alex Schwartz spent some time with each of them getting caught up to date on the recruitment and how their games are coming along as they were matched up against the powerful LA Dream Team.

Since Kevin Parrom was involved in an altercation with Oliver Antigua, the head coach of St. Raymond’s and decided to leave the Bronx high school, it looked like the days of being a teammate of Omari Lawrence could be coming to an end once this AAU season comes to a close. While Parrom has since decided on South Kent Prep in Connecticut, Lawrence has been somewhat silent on his plans. However, rumors are beginning to swirl that Lawrence may not be long for the St. Ray’s program either and teamming up with Parrom this fall could be a very good possibility afterall. For now, they will continue to hit the floor together with the NY Panthers AAU squad.

While his future home on the high school court is somewhat in question, Lawrence is starting to work out the recruiting process as the spring turns into summer. A couple Big East visits are on tap in the near future to help him along in his future decision.

“I’m taking an unofficial [visit] next month to Marquette, and to UConn,” Lawrence told Schwartz.

“Right now, I’m considering Marquette, UConn, West Virginia, Memphis, [and] Arizona. Schools like that,” said Lawrence. “…nobody stands out to me right now. I’m just wide open still.”

“I don’t have [any] dream school right now,” Lawrence continued on the subject of a school leader. “I’m just waiting for the perfect fit for me.”

Lawrence indicated to Schwartz that “extending my range” is the area he needs to work on the most to improve his game. With his ability to take the ball to the hole in transition and even in the half court setting, adding a reliable jumper will make him even more dangerous.

Here is the scouting report on Lawrence by Alex Schwartz in the Panthers contest against the LA Dream Team:

Omari Lawrence is a fantastic talent, certainly one of Big East caliber. The 6’4 junior guard is a bit lanky, quite skinny, and appears somewhat awkward on the court, as he has an odd shooting motion, which is evident on his free throws. As well, he even seems to dribble somewhat awkwardly, but it’s definitely working for him. Lawrence has solid athleticism: nice ups, quickness, aggressive, and some muscularity. As for his actual game, Omari has a solid crossover and attacks the basket extremely well, which is helped by his stellar head fake. At times, the St. Raymond’s (NY) stud appeared to be a bit too fancy. On a court of superstars (Kevin Parrom, Sterling Gibbs, Renardo Sidney, Jordan Hamilton), Lawrence may well have been the best player of them all. This NY Panther is destined for success.

The spring has not been the best of time for Kevin Parrom in the wake of the altercation with coach Antigua and the decision to leave St. Ray’s for South Kent. However, Parrom is still a player receiving a lot of interest from college coaches and has cemented his place among the top 2009 recruits in the nation. His match-up with the LA Dream Team might not have been his best performance, but the college coaches have seen what he can do and are making their pitch to land him as a valuable and versatile player.

“My versatility, to be able to go in and out,” Parrom said when asked by Schwartz to describe his biggest strength on the court. The 6’6 forward is equally capable at hitting the boards and banging inside or taking to the perimeter and scoring in a variety of ways, and that is what the college coaches like.

“Xavier, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Marquette, [and] South Carolina,” Parom named as schools he is currently considering. “There are more, I just don’t feel like naming them right now.”

“I don’t have [any] leaders at this time,” Parrom said. He has been to Xavier recently for a visit and plans to check out Marquette with Lawrence before the month ends.

“I plan on chopping my list down during the summer,” Parrom indicated to Schwartz when asked if he had a plan on narrowing the list down and to how many. “I don’t know, I’m going to just decide on that during the summer, probably during August.”

For now, Parrom will concentrate on getting better with his time on the court in camps and on the AAU circuit with the NY Panthers. His goal is to “Become a better player every game, everyday I play, just get better over the summer.”

It seems to be working, early reports from the NBA Top 100 camp on the University of Virginia campus have indicated Parrom is showing off extended range on a three-point jump shot few knew he really had. Those are the strides that will continue to have the college coaches on his trail come July.

Here is the scouting report on Parrom by Alex Schwartz from the match-up with the LA Dream Team:

Flat-out, Kevin Parrom didn’t show the crowd all that much against the game I saw him play. He didn’t stand out at all. The 6’4 junior was almost non-existent in first half, when he scored just three points and was only 1/3 at the free throw line. In the second 16 minutes of play, Parrom was a bit better. He drove to the hoop and was aggressive. Overall, though, this was a poor performance for Kevin, and not a great game to judge him on.

*photos courtest of CAAInsider.com

*For more from Alex Schwartz, check out his blog: Northstar Basketball

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