Prospect Spotlight: Andre Lawrence (2022 Grant)

<p>Look up the word Swiss Army Knife in the hoops dictionary and you’ll likely see a picture of [player_tooltip player_id="964542" first="Andre" last="Lawrence"]. The versatile 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard has done a little bit of everything for Grant the past few years and his contributions have been critical to the Generals success this season. Not many guys who don’t score a single point can make a huge impact, but that’s exactly what Lawrence did in Grant’s first round playoff victory over Gresham on Tuesday night.</p> <p>"I could be playing better but I’ve been playing pretty well, getting my teammates involved, crashing the boards and playing defense," Lawrence said. "Sometimes my scoring isn’t there but I’m doing everything else. My shooting has really improved from past years as has my rebounding. Defensively, I’m way more active getting steals."</p> <p>On the night, Lawrence may not have scored but he grabbed six rebounds, dished out seven assists, and it was on defense where Lawrence really made a difference. A lot of the game his assignment was star Gresham guard [player_tooltip player_id="861087" first="Esyah" last="Pippa-White"] and while Pippa-White did eventually end up scoring over 20 points, nothing was easy for him thanks to Lawrence and the Generals defense.</p> <p>"You’ve just got to be aggressive and not let them get open looks," Lawrence said. "They’re going to make shots so you can’t let that get you down."</p> <p>The son of a coach - his father Andre coaches the girls team at Jefferson - Lawrence would love the opportunity to play at the next level. It doesn’t matter what level or where, he just wants to continue his education and be on the court. "I want a team where I can just play," Lawrence said. "I just want to play."</p> <p>For now, his attention stays on the season and Grant now goes on the road to Beaverton. The two teams matched up in the final game of the red bracket in culmination week of the 2021 season, where the Beavers got off to a big start and held on for the win. The memories of that loss are still fresh for Lawrence.</p> <p>"Last year when they beat us, they kind of rubbed it in our face running on the court and celebrating," Lawrence said. "So we want to go and get our revenge."</p> <p>Lawrence currently ranks as the #73 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2022 rankings.</p>