J.T. Lawrence and Javeon Smith saw their recruiting stock rise after winning an MAIS Class 1A title at Delta Streets Academy in February, but the Lions’ standout duo kept hearing the same criticism from college coaches this summer.
“They liked how we play, they just wanted to see what we do against better competition,” said Lawrence, who led the whole state with 31.5 points per game last season.
Less than a year after transferring from Greenwood High to DSA in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic last fall, Lawrence and Smith are among at least six players headed back to local public schools next season.
“It’s a good feeling to be going back home,” said Lawrence, who’s returning to the same Bulldogs squad who he won his first Class 4A state title with back in 2019. “We’re going to try to beat all odds and show what we are made of. We’re going for our third ring and I feel like (Smith) and I have a great connection.”
Joining Lawrence and Smith are fellow GHS transfers Labrodrick Gooch, a rising senior who has been at DSA since his freshman year, and Kizear Little, a rising junior. Dekari “Turbo” Johnson and D.J. Jones are transferring back to Leflore County.
Not only does the mass exodus mean the Lions will be without four of their five projected basketball starters, but it also robs them of their most talented playmaker on the football field in Johnson. A shifty running back and return man, Johnson put up video-game numbers last year and figured to be a key part of the team as it transitions to 11-man competition next season.
- Contact Riley Overend at 581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
