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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 16, 1993                   TAG: 9304160019
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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STANDOUT RECRUIT MAKES 'EM WAIT

Prize basketball recruit Jason Lawson, scheduled to reveal his college choice Thursday morning at a news conference, decided to delay his announcement.

Many felt Lawson was headed to Villanova in his hometown of Philadelphia before the news conference, set for 10 a.m., was called off at approximately 8:30.

Jim Evans, Lawson's coach at Olney High, told the Philadelphia Daily News that the news conference will not be rescheduled and that Lawson will announce his decision "in a couple of days" by calling newspapers.

Virginia's staff was trying to persuade Lawson to take an unpaid visit to Charlottesville this weekend with older brother David Lyons and Evans. Lyons has served as an adviser to Lawson throughout the recruiting process but did not join him on an official recruiting visit to UVa in November.

Lawson, a 6-foot-10, 240-pounder, is considered the nation's top uncommitted center prospect. He favored Georgia Tech for much of the year, but reportedly cooled on the Yellow Jackets when coach Bobby Cremins accepted and then rejected the head-coaching position at South Carolina.

Philadelphia sources indicated Georgia Tech is now out of the picture, but the Yellow Jacket staff has not been told that. Questions remain whether Lawson told anybody Wednesday night that his choice was Villanova.

Virginia is involved with at least one other center, 7-foot Mark Bogosh from Bacone Junior College in Muskogee, Okla. He visited UVa last weekend.

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