Lawson brothers leaving Memphis' basketball program

By AP
Published

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) K.J. Lawson and Dedric Lawson are leaving Memphis' program, which leaves the Tigers without two of their top three scorers and their top two rebounders from this season.

Memphis coach Tubby Smith said in a university statement that he learned Wednesday the Lawson brothers were planning to ask for their release. Smith says he is ''surprised and disappointed in the decision, as they had a strong year for us and were a big part of our success during the season.''

Dedric Lawson, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward, led the American Athletic Conference in rebounds (9.9) and ranked second in the conference in scoring (19.2) while helping Memphis go 19-13. K.J. Lawson, a 6-7 guard/forward, was third in the American in rebounds (8.1) and averaged 12.3 points.

The two siblings are from Memphis.

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