Report: Jayhawks expected to land Memphis transfers

By Matt Tait     Apr 10, 2017
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Memphis’ Dedric Lawson in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports reported Monday, through information obtained from their father, that [former Memphis standouts Dedric and K.J. Lawson plan to transfer to Kansas.][1]

The two brothers, who are natives of Memphis, where they attended Hamilton High, will sit out the 2017-18 season per NCAA transfer rules and be eligible in time for the 2018-19 season,

Last season, they combined to average more than 30 points, 18 rebounds and 6 assists per game for Tubby Smith’s Tigers, who finished the season 19-13.

Dedric Lawson, a 6-foot-9, 236-pound sophomore and former McDonald’s All-American, averaged a double-double — 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game — while his brother, K.J Lawson, a 6-7, 210-pound, red-shirt freshman, averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Both players committed to former Memphis coach Josh Pastner, who has since moved on to Georgia Tech. Their father, Keelon Lawson, held a position on Pastner’s staff but was demoted after Smith arrived in town.

Just after noon on Monday, K.J. confirmed the news with a Tweet that read, “ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK”

According to Parish’s report, the latest recruiting haul by Kansas might pay dividends beyond the next two seasons, as Dedric and K.J. have two younger brothers — Chandler and Johnathan — who are top prospects in the 2019 and 2021 classes. Beyond that, a cousin, D.J. Jeffries, also is a Top 10 player in the 2019 class.

Though ineligible next season, the Lawson brothers will be able to practice with the team all year, providing some tough competition for KU’s rotation players to battle on a daily basis throughout the year.

Dedric Lawson will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the upcoming season and K.J. Lawson, if he applies for and is granted a sixth year of eligibility because of injury issues earlier in his career, would have three years of eligibility remaining.

Stay tuned to KUsports.com for more…

[1]: http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/former-memphis-standouts-dedric-and-k-j-lawson-are-transferring-to-kansas/

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.