Omari Lawrence, who made his commitment to Kansas State official by signing a national letter of intent this week, has an interesting back story.
The 6-foot-4, 209-pound sophomore guard is from New York and began his college career in the Big Apple playing for St. John’s. But after one season, in which he averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds, he decided to transfer.
Last summer he gave an oral commitment to the Wildcats, but ended up at Cloud County Community College. He spent the season on the bench with a redshirt while both his old and future teams regularly played on national TV and won enough games to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Missing out on those experiences wasn’t easy, but he is looking forward to what lies ahead now that he knows he will a scholarship athlete at K-State next season.
Can you sum up how good it felt to sign with Kansas State earlier this week?
Yes. What a sigh of relief. I’m glad the process is over. I can’t wait to get K-State and start working.
It’s been a long journey from St. John’s to Cloud County to K-State, hasn’t it?
Yeah, it’s been a little ways. But I’m just happy to finally have it all finished.
What made you choose K-State?
I just liked the whole coaching staff, and I have a close relationship with Curtis Kelly and Shane Southwell. And I also built a good relationship with Frank Martin when I reached out to him when I was changing schools.
So you reached out to him when you knew you were going to transfer from St. John’s?
No, he actually called me. The staff called me. Frank and Brad Underwood were the main guys who recruited me. They’re both good guys.
The team will undergo a lot of change next season, but what do you think it can achieve?
I think as long as we work hard and follow our coaches everything will work out. We can be real good.
You committed to K-State last summer, but ended up at Cloud County. Why did you choose that road?
I don’t think there were any scholarships available for me at K-State. That was the deal. I was just waiting until a scholarship opened up. There’s one open now, so I signed.
What was your redshirt year like at Cloud County? What was your daily routine?
I attended class and we had practice everyday. I did everything like I was on the team, but I just couldn’t play in games.
Anything specific you worked on in your game?
I’ve been working on my jump shot a lot, trying to improve my range.
How would you describe yourself as a player? What are you best at?
I’m a versatile wing and a vocal leader. I like to help out on the court. I attack the basket and play like a slasher.
How many K-State games did you make it to last season?
I’ve been to quite a few. Quite a handful. I was there for the Kansas game and that was really exciting. The crowd was crazy and it was a fun game.
Have you heard from many K-State fans in person or on twitter yet?
I’ve been getting a lot of feedback. People are excited. I’m just ready to come in and start working hard. I will be getting there sometime in the summer time, early June. Taking a year off was tough, but it was important to me that I stay focused on improving my game. That’s what I did.
Why did you decide to transfer from St. John’s?
My coach got fired.
I figured that was the main factor.
Yeah, that’s all it was. He, Norm Roberts, recruited me. Now he’s at Florida.
What was it like going from New York to Concordia, Kansas?
It was a huge adjustment. From where I’m from I see one million people every day. Out here it’s nice and quiet and everybody knows everybody by their first names. It’s a lot different.
Do you expect Manhattan being any different from Concordia?
No, not really. But I’m excited about the move. I’m just ready to start school and start working.