Ole Miss adds JUCO guard Rod Lawrence to signing class
Hugh Kellenberger
Rebels now have five commitments for 2014
OXFORD -- Ole Miss has added another player to its 2014 recruiting class.
Roderick Lawrence, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from South Plains Junior College, announced on Twitter that he has verbally committed to the Rebels. He can sign as soon as Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period.
Lawrence averaged 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds a game for South Plains this season. He started 34 of 35 games, averaging 31.2 minutes a night, and was a 39.7 percent shooter from the field (and 32.8 percent from 3-point range, where he took 201 of his 380 field goal attempts).
He's originally from Orlando, and will have three years to play two at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy is being aggressive this spring to overhaul a roster that won 19 games and failed to advance beyond the SEC tournament quarterfinals. Lawrence and Tennessee State transfer MJ Rhett both were in Oxford on unofficial visits last weekend. Rhett, a senior forward who will be immediately eligible to play his final season, has not announced his final choice but told Scout.com he'll visit Miami soon.
Lawrence is the fifth commitment in the class, which is headlined by another JUCO shooting guard. But Stefan Moody is 5-foot-9 and more of a combo guard, while Lawrence could play the two and potentially the three because of his ability to rebound the basketball.
Ole Miss lost one senior off last season's team, Marshall Henderson (who also played at South Plains). Sophomore guard Derrick Millinghaus announced last week his plans to transfer.
Ole Miss also returns Martavious Newby at the two-guard position. Newby, a rising junior, is not a strong option offensively (3.2 points a game in 2013-14), but is the team's best perimeter defender, a good rebounder and a source of energy either starting or off the bench.