St. Louis, Mo. - University of Missouri basketball fans anxious to get their first looks at incoming freshmen Keon Lawrence (Newark, NJ / Weequahic HS) and J.T. Tiller (Marietta, Ga. / Wheeler HS) will have the opportunity on Saturday (June 24) as both Tiger newcomers participate in the 10th Annual Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation National High School All-Star Basketball Game in St. Louis.
The event, which is scheduled for 7 p.m., will be played on the campus of Maryville University, with the gym being located at 13550 Conway Road in St. Louis. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10.
Lawrence and Tiller will both compete as members of the National Team, which is comprised of some of the nation's elite high school seniors from across the country. The National Team will face the St. Louis Metro All-Stars, a team made up of local standouts.
Ranked among the nation's top 101 high school recruits by Rivals.com, Lawrence is an ultra-athletic guard from Newark, N.J., that led the state of New Jersey in scoring as a senior at 31.2 points per game. A product of Weequahic High School (pronounced Wee-Quick), Lawrence earned first team All-State honors from the Newark Star-Ledger in addition to first team All-Area, first team All-Senior and first team All-Essex County recognition from the publication. Nicknamed the "Human Pogostick", Lawrence scored an incredible 843 points as a senior to become just the third player in Essex County history to clear 2,000 points for a career. He also led his team with 6.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds per contest. An honorable mention All-American, Lawrence competed in the prestigious Michael Jordan All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City and helped his AAU program win the five-game Albert C. Donofrio Classic in Philadelphia, averaging 34.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals. For his efforts, Lawrence earned MVP accolades after hitting back-to-back, game-winning three-pointers in the semifinals and finals. In that championship game Lawrence scored 35 points despite playing against McDonald's All-Americans Wayne Ellington (North Carolina signee) and Gerald Henderson (Duke signee). He also earned MVP honors at the New Jersey State Intercollegiate Athletics Association All-Star, scoring 30 points to lead his North Team to victory.
Lawrence's athleticism not withstanding, Tiller may be the most athletic newcomer to enter the Mizzou program this season. A nationally-ranked triple jumper at Marietta's (Ga.) Wheeler High School, Tiller finished second at the Georgia State Track and Field Championships in the triple jump and produced a season-best leap of 47-02.25. Originally a signee of Mizzou Head Coach Mike Anderson's at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tiller earned second team All-State and Cobb County Player of the Year honors from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for his effort on the hardwood. Tabbed the nation's 37th best backcourt performer by Rivals.com and one of the top eight guards coming out of the state of Georgia, Tiller averaged 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.8 steals for head coach Doug Lipscomb's club, which finished the 2006 season with a 29-3 overall mark and a No. 23 national ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 high school poll.
As a junior, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Tiller averaged better than 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game helping Wheeler to a 31-1 overall record and the Georgia Class AAAAA State Championship. Also an outstanding student, Tiller enjoyed a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average during his high school tenure and received a number of college looks as a triple jumper.
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