Why wait

Roderick Lawrence left his official visit at Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon in a contemplative mood.

By Monday morning, the 6-foot-4 guard from South Plains (Texas) College had decided there was no reason to think anymore.

Lawrence, who played his high school basketball at Dr. Phillips in Orlando, Fla., committed to Ole Miss, choosing the Rebels over Rhode Island and Creighton.

"I felt like it couldn't get better," said Lawrence, who averaged 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds at South Plains as a sophomore. "I want to become a pro, and I felt like they gave me the best opportunity to become a pro at a faster and more competitive rate. I figured, why wait?

"I really enjoyed the coaching staff. I felt like they were being completely honest with me the whole time I was there. I also liked how they treated my mom. They treated her with respect and made sure she was well the whole team. I just liked the team. I felt like I was a perfect match. They said I can come in and play a lot of minutes. They want me to play a big role, score, be a rebounder, play a key role on the floor. "

Lawrence will get a chance to replace another South Plains alumnus at Ole Miss. Marshall Henderson was dynamic in his two seasons in Oxford, leading the Rebels to the 2013 NCAA tournament. Lawrence's game is different from Henderson's. While Lawrence (39.6 percent from the floor, 32.5 percent from the 3-point line and 68.5 percent from the free throw line) isn't as much of a high-volume shooter as Henderson, he likely boasts a better all-around game.

"They know I can be a leader on and off the floor," Lawrence said. "They want me to play a lot, score a lot and lead the team. We both shoot the ball well. He takes crazy shots and makes them, but we both shoot the 3. We both are pretty smart and we know the game of basketball. We've both got big motors. We're different in that I feel like I play defense way harder and I think can guard positions 1-4. I can switch to the 5 if I had to. I'm vocal on the court like he is. I love to rebound, too. I like to get after it."

During his time in Oxford, Lawrence got a chance to hang out with Tennessee State forward MJ Rhett, who is considering the Rebels, Miami and Southern California for his fifth year of college basketball.

"It was pretty good," Lawrence said. "He's played four years, so I got some advice from him about what I should be looking for on the visits. It sort of led me to Ole Miss.

"He told me he might take another couple of visits and he might not. He didn't really know."