Coaching vacancy endangers recruiting

When former Missouri men’s basketball coach Quin Snyder resigned Friday afternoon, a groundswell of speculation arose concerning the status of Snyder’s three commitments for the class of 2006.

Snyder inked a pair of forwards from Redlands Community College, Ty Morrison and Vaidatos Volkus, as well as Keon Lawrence, a 6-foot-2 guard from Weequahic High School in Newark, N.J.

Lawrence found out about the coaching change after his coach Derrick Butler informed him after practice on Friday.

“We were in the middle of practice, my phone rang, but I didn’t tell him ’til afterwards,” Butler said. “His reaction was like, you know, he likes Snyder, he does, he likes Snyder a whole lot. But he has a stronger relationship with Melvin Watkins.”

That relationship with Watkins could play a pivotal role in Lawrence sticking with the national letter of intent he signed last November.

“Right now coach Melvin Watkins is still part of Mizzou and Keon hasn’t really sat down to discuss anything,” Butler said. “Right now we’re still rooting for Mizzou ... hopefully coach Watkins will get that job.”

Even if Watkins doesn’t land Missouri’s coaching vacancy, remaining as associate head coach could still solidify Lawrence’s commitment to the program according to Butler.

“Oh definitely, he still will attend,” Butler said. “If Melvin Watkins is the associate head coach, Keon Lawrence will attend, he will attend.”

Butler didn’t rule out the possibility of Lawrence coming to Missouri, even if Watkins wasn’t on the staff next season.

“I can’t say that (that Lawrence would go elsewhere if Watkins wasn’t at MU), Watkins might say ‘I’m not going to be there but Keon this is a great opportunity for you should attend’,” said Butler adding that Lawrence would strongly consider Watkins’ opinion.

Lawrence is averaging 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game for a Weequahic team that is 21-2.

Lawrence scored 23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Weequahic’s victory Tuesday.

Redlands Community College coach Steve Eck said that Snyder was the main reason Morrison and Volkus committed to Missouri and mentioned that he hasn’t talked to his players about the coaching vacancy at Missouri.

“Not really, not yet we haven’t,” Eck said. “They’re

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just waiting right now...they’re just gonna wait and see what happens.”

Morrison, a 6-foot-7 small forward, was rated as the No. 1 junior college player in the nation by Van Coleman’s Hoopmasters.com and No. 3 by JucoJunction.com.

Volkus, a 6-foot-8 forward, started for the Lithuanian Under-20 team, was rated as the No. 33 junior college prospect in the country according to JucoJunction.com.

Rescinding on a letter of intent incurs a penalty of one-year loss of eligibility according to the NCAA, but the university can choose to release an athlete from that obligation if there are extrenuating circumstances, such as a head-coaching change, and most universities have done so.