New Big man?

[Deleted]

www.wkusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5400&ATCLID=204766564


WKU Basketball Dismisses Laury From Team
Release: 07/29/2009
by Western Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Western Kentucky University head coach Ken McDonald has dismissed incoming freshman David Laury from the Hilltoppers basketball team. Laury, a 6-8, 225-pound forward from Newark, N.J., signed with WKU on April 15, the first day of the late signing period. He played his high school basketball in East Orange, N.J. prior to joining the Alif Muhammad Nia Prep School this past season.

"We have granted David his release," said McDonald. "It is disappointing that he is not interested in living up to the championship standards of our basketball program, and more importantly our University. We wish him all the best with his future."

WKU finished the 2008-09 season ranked 41st in the RPI ratings as well as receiving votes in the final ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll after going 25-9 and winning the Sun Belt Conference East Division championship. The Toppers won the SBC Tournament and earned the program's 21st NCAA Tournament appearance, knocking off fifth-seeded Illinois 76-72 in the first round before falling at the buzzer to 10th-ranked Gonzaga 83-81, just missing the program's second-straight trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

WKU returns four starters for the 2009-10 season including five of their top six scorers

[bjif]

Wow! Talk about the re-incarnation of Grease Thomas, this guy is it. My understanding is that he has a ton of baggage. I would doubt Schmidt will bite on this one.

[Chuck]

Toppers dismiss frosh Laury
Prep coach says forward homesick for family in N.J.
NICK BAUMGARDNER, The Daily News, [e-mail]/783-3239
Published: July 30, 2009
After nearly backing out of his commitment to Western Kentucky at the 11th hour in April, David Laury won’t appear in a WKU uniform after all.

Laury, a 6-foot-8 forward from Newark, N.J., was “dismissed” and released from his scholarship by WKU on Wednesday.

Hilltopper basketball coach Ken McDonald expressed disappointment in a statement issued by WKU’s sports information department.

“We have granted David his release,” McDonald said in the statement. “It is disappointing that he is not interested in living up to the championship standards of our basketball program, and more importantly our university. We wish him all the best with his future.”

The Daily News attempted to reach McDonald for further comment, but was told the coach had nothing more to say on the matter.

Laury, meanwhile, answered an initial call from the Daily News on Wednesday and asked to be called back shortly. Laury could not be reached again by press time.

But Laury’s former high school coach, Vincent Robinson, who coached the forward at the Alif Muhammad Nia School in Newark, told the Daily News that Laury felt a strong desire to be closer to his family in the New Jersey area.

“The kid basically was homesick,” Robinson said. “It was his decision to ask to be released, coach (McDonald) and (assistant) coach (Ray) Harper were gracious enough to allow the kid to leave because he just wanted to come back to the East Coast.

“He’s not a bad kid, but his family situation back home isn’t the greatest and he wanted to be closer to his brothers and sisters.”

In April, confusion arose when Laury reportedly had second thoughts about his verbal commitment to WKU as national signing day approached.

At one point, Robinson told the Daily News that Laury was backing out of his commitment and instead signing with Morehead State. But things apparently were worked out, and Laury signed his letter on April 15.

At the time, both Laury and McDonald expressed relief that the situation had been resolved and that Laury appeared to be headed toward life as a Hilltopper.

“I kind of felt like that’s where I should have been from the beginning,” Laury said in an April 16 article in the Daily News. “I really felt like that’s where I was supposed to be on my visit. I signed the papers and I’m just going to stick with it.”

Robinson said Laury was obviously disappointed that the situation with WKU didn’t work out the way he had hoped.

“I spoke to him earlier (on Wednesday) and he’s sad that it didn’t work out,” he said. “But he’s happy to be back home and be with his family.”

Robinson said Laury probably will take the junior college route before attempting to catch back on at a Division I program. He said a likely destination for Laury is Monroe Community College in nearby Rochester, N.Y. From there, Robinson said Laury will possibly transfer to Iona – a Division I program about 30 minutes from his home.

Robinson said the split between Laury and WKU had nothing to do with the coaching staff, and that Laury has nothing but respect for coach McDonald and his staff.

“It had nothing to do with coach Mac, coach Harper or coach (Lawrence Brenneman),” Robinson said. “He had nothing but respect for those guys, he just wanted to be closer to home.”

nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=129C87C1A44E8A58&p_docnum=1

[Chuck]

David Laury ’09, The Nia School (NJ): St. John's, Providence, Iona, Niagara, UNC-Greensboro, Virginia Commonwealth, Towson, and St. Bonaventure
Offers: St. John's, Iona, Niagara, UNC-Greensboro, Virginia Commonwealth, Towson, and St. Bonaventure

Favorites: Laury listed the schools in order, one through eight: 1. St. John's, 2. Iona, 3. Providence, 4. St. Bonaventure, 5. Niagara, 6. UNC-Greensboro, 7. Virginia Commonwealth, 8. Towson

Note- Laury said that Kentucky is "coming in to see [him] on the ninth . . . [and] thinks they will offer" him a scholarship.

blog.northstarbball.com/2008/09/07/school-lists.aspx

[portpasses]

Rochester is "near by" Newark?

[wgt]

And Iona (locally beloved as "Idiots on North Ave") is certainly not 30 mins away. 60 to 90 minutes assuming NO delay on the GW bridge (don't count on it).

[towniegrad]

That's sure a pot and kettle characterization!

[Bona84]

Aug 1, 2009 10:11:06 GMT -5 portpasses said:

Rochester is "near by" Newark?

Rochester is about 40 to 45 minutes from Newark, NY.

[adolphlottin]

My guess is that Laury is planning on attending Monroe College in the Bronx, the same two-year school that produced Lounceny Kaba. The writer probably was told Monroe was nearby, discovered Monroe CC was in Rochester and thought it was the same as Monroe College. Just a guess.

[portpasses]

More importantly...JAC, have you heard that this is a possibility or just posting an available - and apparently talented - opportunity?

[Deleted]

just post another available player. I have heard that there will be an addition to the roster though. A lot of rumors about an overseas player...for what it's worth.

[bonaman2013]

When will these additions to the roster come out?

[Copenhagen]

from: blog.northstarbball.com/


David Laury ’09, NIA Prep (NJ), Team Lucky NYC

It wasn’t expected that David Laury would be on the market right now, but he is. The 6’7 forward had inked with Western Kentucky during a post-grad year at NIA Prep. The versatile Garden State standout was even on campus at WKU. “When I got to Western Kentucky, I wasn’t really comfortable. . . . I withdrew and they gave me my release. . . I wasn’t interacting with the coaches and players enough. . . They asked me what was wrong and I told them I wasn’t comfortable.” He had no ill will towards the Hilltoppers though, and actually had nothing but positive things to say. “That’s a great school, the coaches, the fans, and the players, [but] . . . I didn’t want to be that far from home. . . . They want to do big things and that would have been selfish of me [to stay]. . . . It wasn’t for me, but like I said, it’s a great school.”
Laury, who stressed that he is still 19 and was granted a release from his NLI by Ken McDonald and Co., is unsure what his plans are for the upcoming year. “I haven’t really talked to any other prep schools yet [and I] might go back to NIA.” David told me that the junior college route is an option, but it is not something that he wants to do. “JuCo is a possibility, but I don’t want to go [to a] JuCo because I don’t want to lose any years of [NCAA eligibility].” Laury has another obstacle to get past before anything is finalized, and that is getting past the NCAA Clearinghouse. “I wasn’t cleared,” stated David. As of now, it looks as though he plans on doing another PG year, but that is not 100% certain. “I’m really leaning towards prep school, but if I get a [college for this year that] I like, I might just go, but I really have to like everything about it.” As of now, Southeastern Missouri State, Iona, and UMES are the schools showing interest in him. As for Iona, Laury stated, “I’ve always been close with [Assistant Coach] Shaheen [Holloway].” The skilled wing was “supposed to be visiting [UMES this] week,” but I have not had a chance to check with him and see if the visit did indeed take place.

I will do my best to keep you up to date on David Laury’s status.