UNLV lands guard from Bishop Gorman

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Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 11:02 a.m.

UNLV on Wednesday picked up a verbal commitment from one of the nation's top point guard prospects and didn't have to go very far to do it.

Marcus Lawrence, a 5-foot-11, 155-pounder who helped lead Bishop Gorman High School to its 11th state title last spring, picked the Rebels over Oregon State.

Lawrence averaged 15 points per game as a junior for the Gaels but was regarded by many college scouts as the best pure point guard prospect in the West in the class of 2006 after strong performances in various summer tournaments and camps.

ScoutHoops.com ranks the Lawrence the nation's 14th-best point guard prospect and second-best on the West Coast behind only Derrick Jasper of Paso Robles (Calif.) High School. He also comes in at No. 83 on the site's Top 100 prospect list.