Recruiting Report: Abba Lawal (2019)
It’s been a while since Cincinnati high school basketball fans have been able to get their eyes on 6’11” center Abba Lawal (2019). Following a sophomore season where Lawal didn’t play at all for Walnut Hills, he’s relocated schools and found a new home at Cincinnati Withrow.
“It’s been great,” Lawal said. “Walnut is a great school, strong academics. And Withrow too is a good school, strong academics. It’s not that different. I just miss my friends at Walnut. Coach [Shaun] O’Connell is a good coach at Wihthrow.”
While Lawal, who is originally from Nigeria, has proved to be a game-changer on the defensive end of the floor, as his size presents a problem for opponents, the Withrow staff is hoping he becomes more assertive offensively.
“[Coach O’Connell] wants me to be aggressive, like really aggressive this year,” Lawal said.
Lawal comes into the winter months coming off of a transfer and an ankle sprain this summer. However, Lawal told Prep Hoops that he will be ready for the beginning of the season and won’t miss games due to injury nor transfer regulations.
That’s good news for Lawal, and college scouts who haven’t been able to watch him much over the last year. Regardless of the missed time, Lawal received four scholarship offers in the month of June.
“The offers I got right now, it’s like low-major, like Akron, Toledo, Stony Brook, Cleveland State. And then I got a lot of interest: Xavier, Ohio State, West Virginia, Arizona, Iowa, Purdue, Butler, and that’s all I can remember right now,” Lawal said.
Lawal, a 3.2 GPA student, hasn’t taken any campus visits yet. He hopes to study business in college.
From the sounds of it, Lawal’s college decision-making process won’t be complicated.
“I just want to go where I can play, that’s all that matter to me. I will go anywhere, it really don’t matter to me,” Lawal said.
In the meantime, Lawal is working on his mid-range jumper and ball skills.
There are few players in Ohio with as promising of tools as Lawal. But, going forward, being on the floor consistently with All Ohio Red EYBL and Withrow could be crucial, as he remains an unknown prospect going into his junior season.