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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: DURAND JOHNSON SETS PITT VISIT; LAWHORN MOVES TO ’11; POWELL COMMITS

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It is a busy weekend around college basketball. Now that the fun festivities of Midnight Madness from Friday is behind everyone, there are a lot of sore and tired college basketball players this evening after coaches have put them through some intense opening workouts.

While focus on the season ahead is becoming more and more of a priority, the news on the recruiting front continues to pour in. Earlier this evening IMG Academy big man Dwight Powell made his college pick as the highly regarded 2010 prospect chose Stanford. The commitment was confirmed to NBE’s Ray Mernagh by Dan Barto of IMG Academy.
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Johnson has favorites, visit to Pitt on the horizon

Lake Clifton (MD) High School in the Baltimore area is a name to know in college basketball recruiting circles. First, the head coach is a former Syracuse Orange forward, Herman Harried, and the defending state champions feature mega-recruit Josh Selby on their roster this season.

One player that has done a pretty good job of attracting his own impressive following of college coaches is small forward Durand Johnson. The 6-foot-7 Johnson told NBE on Friday that Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Florida State. Virginia Tech, USC, Xavier, UNLV, UMass, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Maryland, Boston College and Marquette are schools recruiting him and “every school in the A-10 has offered and are recruiting me.”

An impressive showing late in the AAU season with Cecil Kirk opened the eyes of many college coaches and his recent transfer to Lake Clifton and decision to reclass in the 2011 class has really pushed his recruitment forward and has separated several schools from the pack.

“My top five would be Pitt, UConn, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Xavier,” said Johnson.

Johnson is looking for a situation where he can come in and play early and make an impact right away. He feels he has that chance at each of those schools and is beginning to take a closer look at the situation at each school. He visited Virginia Tech in the last month and now has a Big East visit on the horizon.

“I do have a visit on the 23rd (of October) to Pitt,” said Johnson.

While recruiting is on his mind, Johnson is also looking to help Lake Clifton repeat as state champions. He, along with Selby, are newcomers to the program that must replace brothers Will and Antonio Barton as well as Cleveland Melvin. It is a task Johnson is comfortable undertaking.

“We do have some shoes to fill, but I think if we put in hard work we will be ok,” Johnson said. “Our team is looking good and we are ready for the season to begin.”

Johnson knows that it will take a lot of hard work to stay on top with Lake Clifton this season. He also understands to play at the level in college that his favorite schools are at will take continuous work at improving his game. From the sounds of it, Johnson understands what is needed and will put in the work to accomplish his goals.

“Even though I’m a good player I choose not to get cocky,: Johnson said. “Everyday I go in the gym and try to get better then what I already am.”
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Lawhorn reclasses to 2011; interest continues to build

It has been a fall of change for Danny Lawhorn as first the 5-foot-10 point guard transferred out of Hartford Public High School and into South Kent (CT) School. Then, Lawhorn decided to re-open his recruitment and is no longer verbally committed to Boston College. And, finally, Lawhorn has also decided to move into the class of 2011. So far, he can’t be happier with his decisions.

“The season is coming up fast and South Kent is great,” said Lawhorn. “I love it. We have a great team now since I’m 2011, I get a better chance to get better everyday in practice.”

Lawhorn is also the latest 2011 point guard prospect to check out Providence and he was planning an unofficial visit for the Friars Midnight Madness festivities. Overall, Lawhorn’s list continues to get longer and longer since his de-commitment and now that he is in the 2011 class, it has grown some more.

“Washington, North Dakota St, Baylor, Mississippi St, Texas A&M, Auburn, Arkansas, Rutgers, South Florida, UAB, St. Bonaventure, Maryland, Fresno St, St. John’s, St Peters, Fairfield, Louisville [and] Texas,” were the schools Lawhorn mentioned as those recruiting him, in addition to Providence.

Lawhorn also shared with NBE sme of the things he will look to find out about a school when on his visits as they will be factors in his decision-making process.

“See how they treat their players and where the school is located at, the graduation percent, and what career their players have after college,” Lawhorn said.
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