Looking at the Lawsons
Three things to know about Chandler and Johnathan Lawson
Out at Oregon, what's next for the basketball-star brothers?
Two members of Memphis' first family of basketball – Chandler and Johnathan Lawson – are back on the market.
Last week, the Chandler put himself on the transfer block after two seasons at Oregon and was contacted by Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, as well as several other major programs. A few days later, Johnathan was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent from Oregon and subsequently reopened his recruitment.
Keelon Chandler told The Commercial Appeal his son's decision to leave Oregon came down to the departure of Ducks assistant Tony
Stubblefield.
“The coach that recruited them, he left and got a head job at Depaul,” said Keelon. “That kind of opened that up. He was looking after them out there. So, when he left, there just wasn't that sense of familiarity.”
Here are three things to know about Chandler and Johnathan Lawson.
Chandler, a 6-foot-8 forward, was the first to pick up a scholarship offer from Hardaway and the Tigers.
Johnathan's came soon afterward.
The 6-6, four-star wing officially scored his Memphis offer Wednesday, according to ESPN 92.9-FM'S Jason Smith.
The two brothers are also being pursued by Arkansas, TCU, Alabama and Florida, among others. While Keelon said earlier this week his sons are not beholden by the desire to be teammates again, Hardaway conducted a joint Zoom call with Chandler and Johnathan Thursday.
All they do is win
The Lawsons are no strangers to Hardaway. Nor winning. Chandler and Johnathan both spent time playing for Hardaway's former grassroots program, Team Penny, and later suited up for him at East High. Chandler won three state championships with the Mustangs under Hardaway before transferring to Wooddale for his senior season, where he played for Keelon and led the team to the program's first state title.
Johnathan was also part of the championship teams at East and Wooddale. After his junior season at Wooddale was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnathan finished his high school career at Houston, where he led the team to a state title.
The brothers grew accustomed to the taste of victory from an early age. Chandler and Johnathan each won separate AAU 8U national tournaments. Chandler's came first when he was part of a Memphis War Eagles team coached by Rodney Newsome. Two years later, Johnathan led the Memphis Wildcats, coached by his mother Dedra, to an 8U national tournament win.
Johnathan won backto-back state sectionals for American Way Middle as a 7th grader and Bellevue Middle, respectively.
Not just a basketball family
Dedra and Keelon's two other children, Dedric and K.J., began their college careers at Memphis after helping lead Hamilton to a state title in 2015.
Dedric is playing for the Goyang Orions in South Korea. K.J. recently returned to the United States after suffering an injury while playing for the Worcester Wolves in the United Kingdom.
As synonymous as the
Lawson name is with basketball in Memphis, it's not the only sport they've dedicated time to. Chandler, Johnathan, Dedric and K.J. each played youth football for the Whitehaven Raiders and also played some baseball. Chandler and K.J. played wide receiver, Dedric was an offensive lineman and Johnathan a quarterback.
The brothers have always been blessed with above average height. But there were times when it created some confusion.
“One time, Chandler and them were getting ready to play a game,” said Chuck Lawson, Keelon's brother. “Chandler lined up outside and the coach from the other team, he was like, ‘Hell, nah!' The refs blew the whistle and went over to Dedra and said, ‘You know the drill.' (Chandler) had to go get his birth certificate out of the stands because the other coaches didn't believe he was the right age. He was five or six inches taller than everyone else. It happened to all of them almost every game.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.