Coach Mike Young has been active in the transfer portal this year, landing players like guard Jaden Schutt from Duke, and the wing Ben Burnham from Charleston. One of the most exciting transfers from this class although, was Tobi Lawal, the forward coming out of VCU.
Tobi Lawal brings a certain flash to the game that other players can’t. He’s been measured at 49.5-inch vertical by VCU Athletics, and was known for his marvelous work above the rim. That’s not his only strength either, Lawal has been more than impressive on defense. For the 2023-2024 season, his Per 40 numbers on defense come out at around 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks. Obviously, Lawal has garnered some attention on campus and must’ve caught some other coaches’ eyes too.
According to a press release from Virginia Tech Athletics yesterday, Tobi has been invited for summer training camp with the Great Britain senior men’s basketball team. This training camp is planned to get players ready for the “Subway Summer Slam”, an event planned by the British Basketball Federation.
This event will see Great Britain facing the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifier South Sudan on July 18th. The team will have other opportunities as well, facing Argentina and Portugal in exhibition games before the scheduled game against South Sudan.
Assuming all things stay the same, and if Lawal makes it on the final roster, he will face off against his former VCU teammate Kuany Kuany, who is currently on South Sudan’s 25-man roster. Despite only getting 16.8 minutes per game last season at VCU, his efficiency numbers were amazing. As a power forward, he shot 38.0% from three, and 88.2% from the charity stripe.
Some very fun matchups lie ahead, as Tobi Lawal is headed to training camp tomorrow. The camp will last from the 5th to the 12th of July, and exhibition games will start the day after. July 13th is when the exhibition game against Argentina is scheduled. Great Britain will face off against Portugal the day after and will get some rest heading into the “Subway Summer Slam”, which takes place on the 18th.
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/basketball/virginia-tech-hooper-tobi-lawal-set-to-represent-great-britain-s-national-team-01j1yz2gyb80
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Publish date : 2024-07-04 10:24:42
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