University of Memphis freshman forward Dedric Lawson has re-entered his name in the 2016 NBA Draft after announcing last Tuesday he was withdrawing from the draft process and returning to Memphis for his sophomore season.
Lawson previously announced back in mid-March that he would test the NBA Draft waters using a rule that the NCAA approved in January allowing athletes to work out for NBA teams and even participate in the combine before making their decision on whether to stay in school or keep their name in the draft.
As was the case with the first time he declared, Lawson will not hire an agent, leaving the door open for another possible return to Memphis.
Last week, when Lawson announced he would be back for his sophomore season, he spoke with The Commercial Appeal about his decision, citing the fact that he wanted the opportunity to play with his older brother, K.J., who missed the majority of last season while dealing with a shoulder injury and received a medical redshirt. Dedric also mentioned returning to school would better prepare him for his future plans and place him back in the correct draft class after he graduated high school a year early.
Since Lawson announced he would return to Memphis, the Tigers have hired Tubby Smith to replace Josh Pastner as men’s basketball coach.
Lawson’s father, Keelon, served as an assistant last season on Pastner’s staff, and his future with the program is still unknown.
Smith, who threw out the first pitch at the Memphis Redbirds’ game on Tuesday, met with the media briefly and said that his staff was close to being completed.
Alvin “Pooh” Williamson, who was Smith’s first recruit when he was head coach at Tulsa, will be following him to Memphis. Also, Joe Esposito, who served as the director of basketball operations at Minnesota and was an assistant at Texas Tech, was with Smith at the Redbirds’ game, suggesting that he will likely join his staff at Memphis in some capacity.
Smith’s son, Saul, who played for his father at Kentucky, worked as director of video production at Texas Tech and was an assistant under his father at Minnesota. He will also likely follow his father to Memphis.
That means Smith is likely bringing three of his former assistants with him to Memphis, and although their official roles are still unknown at this point, Smith might have a difficult time finding a spot for Keelon Lawson.
Some have speculated that Dedric’s return to Memphis could be directly linked to whether or not Keelon is an assistant next season.
One option that Smith and Memphis could potentially look at using would be to give Keelon a lesser, supplementary role within the athletic department. But stricter NCAA rules that govern the hiring of a prospect’s family member or AAU coach may prevent that from happening.
Dedric has until May 25, or 10 days after the NBA Draft combine, to make his decision on whether to keep his name in the draft or return to Memphis.
University of Memphis forward Dedric Lawson goes up for the shot against IUPUI last season. Lawson announced he was going to test the NBA Draft waters Wednesday.
