Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Christmas as usual for Blue Raider freshmen
12/23/2019 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — There's plenty to be thankful for this holiday season for Middle Tennessee freshmen Tyson Jackson and Eli Lawrence.
The duo has seen quality minutes from the start of their Blue Raider careers, Jackson starting 10 games so far and averaging more than 25 minutes per outing and Lawrence serving as MT's sixth man and putting in almost 20 minutes per night. They've also been productive, Jackson scoring nine points per game while leading the team in rebounding, Lawrence averaging seven points and 4.5 boards.
Just being on the same roster might be their biggest cause for thanks, though, and that dream wouldn't have come true without one of the wildest recruiting stories in college basketball.
Two kids from Fairburn
Jackson and Lawrence grew up about five minutes from each other in a southwestern suburb of Atlanta. When they were in the third grade, their parents, Erick and Denise Lawrence and Robert and Regina Jackson, became friends through work.
The families quickly became close — so close, in fact, they started spending the holidays together.
"From that time in third grade to now, we've spent Christmas together," Jackson said. "We haven't missed one."
Sports were an immediate connection for Jackson and Lawrence, though their respective interests were a little different.
Lawrence had a love for basketball from a young age and the tall, lanky body to match — he now stands about 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Jackson, meanwhile, has always sported a big, bruising frame, and he aspired early on to be a football player.
"I didn't start taking basketball seriously until like eighth grade," Jackson said. "I always did my own thing during football season."
Once Jackson committed fully to basketball, he and Lawrence started to see their potential on the hardwood take off and dreamt of one day playing at a Division I college together.
They played on the same high school team one season before Lawrence left Creekside High School for Tri-Cities, where he averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds in his career and was named second team all-state. Jackson stayed at Creekside, putting up an eye-popping 29 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks per game in four years and being named a Georgia Coca-Cola Player of the Year.
Disconnect and reconnect
After finishing their high school careers in 2018, they both decided to attend prep school, meaning they'd have to move to different states for a year. Jackson chose Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, while Lawrence attended Washington Academy in North Carolina.
As their respective basketball seasons got underway, the recruiting trail started to heat up, especially for Jackson. Teams were enamored with his big, 6-foot-9 frame, and he quickly received offers from Alabama, Georgia and others — but, one scholarship stood out in the crowd.
Lawrence's recruitment wasn't as heated, but he did draw interest from one team in particular: Middle Tennessee. Perfect, considering the Blue Raiders had also sent an offer to Jackson, who was ready to commit if Lawrence was.
"As soon as I got the offer from Middle, I called him," Lawrence said. "I jumped on the opportunity fast, and he said if I committed, he'd commit. There was nothing more to it than that."
It almost seemed to be the perfect recruiting pitch: Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt almost had to know Jackson and Lawrence were close friends and just had to use it to his advantage. That was far from the case, however.
McDevitt and his staff had started recruiting Jackson and Lawrence while they lived in separate states and had no idea they'd known each other for more than a decade. They didn't find out just how close Jackson and Lawrence were until both had already committed.
"It really was wild," MT second-year head coach Nick McDevitt said. "We had no idea they even had met, let alone how close they are.
"They both come from great families, and it really shouldn't be a surprise that they're close."
New home
Once committing to the Blue Raiders, Lawrence decided to fast track moving to Murfreesboro.
He played the first half of the season at Washington Academy before leaving in January and enrolling at MT. He got to spend the whole spring semester practicing with the team and getting to know the university.
When Jackson arrived in the summer, it was like he had his own personal tour guide.
"I just told him it's a nice city and a college town," Lawrence said. "It gets a little quiet around here, like during holidays and stuff. That's how it was when I got here."
Once they were both on campus, not only did they have each other to lean on, but their parents also had an extra layer of support built in. They decided to start splitting rides to and from campus as well as groceries.
"That's made things easier on everyone, especially our moms," Jackson said.
Now almost through their first nonconference season, they both have found a bit of a home away from home in Murfreesboro.
Playing on the same college team is a dream that goes back years for Jackson and Lawrence. Having it come true in the fashion that it did is something of a Blue Raider Christmas miracle.
"Nobody thought we'd be in this position, and at one time I honestly didn't even think [Jackson] would keep playing basketball," Lawrence said. "It's a blessing, and we're having fun with it."
The duo has seen quality minutes from the start of their Blue Raider careers, Jackson starting 10 games so far and averaging more than 25 minutes per outing and Lawrence serving as MT's sixth man and putting in almost 20 minutes per night. They've also been productive, Jackson scoring nine points per game while leading the team in rebounding, Lawrence averaging seven points and 4.5 boards.
Just being on the same roster might be their biggest cause for thanks, though, and that dream wouldn't have come true without one of the wildest recruiting stories in college basketball.
Two kids from Fairburn
Jackson and Lawrence grew up about five minutes from each other in a southwestern suburb of Atlanta. When they were in the third grade, their parents, Erick and Denise Lawrence and Robert and Regina Jackson, became friends through work.
The families quickly became close — so close, in fact, they started spending the holidays together.
"From that time in third grade to now, we've spent Christmas together," Jackson said. "We haven't missed one."
Sports were an immediate connection for Jackson and Lawrence, though their respective interests were a little different.
Lawrence had a love for basketball from a young age and the tall, lanky body to match — he now stands about 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Jackson, meanwhile, has always sported a big, bruising frame, and he aspired early on to be a football player.
"I didn't start taking basketball seriously until like eighth grade," Jackson said. "I always did my own thing during football season."
Once Jackson committed fully to basketball, he and Lawrence started to see their potential on the hardwood take off and dreamt of one day playing at a Division I college together.
They played on the same high school team one season before Lawrence left Creekside High School for Tri-Cities, where he averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds in his career and was named second team all-state. Jackson stayed at Creekside, putting up an eye-popping 29 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks per game in four years and being named a Georgia Coca-Cola Player of the Year.
Disconnect and reconnect
After finishing their high school careers in 2018, they both decided to attend prep school, meaning they'd have to move to different states for a year. Jackson chose Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, while Lawrence attended Washington Academy in North Carolina.
As their respective basketball seasons got underway, the recruiting trail started to heat up, especially for Jackson. Teams were enamored with his big, 6-foot-9 frame, and he quickly received offers from Alabama, Georgia and others — but, one scholarship stood out in the crowd.
Lawrence's recruitment wasn't as heated, but he did draw interest from one team in particular: Middle Tennessee. Perfect, considering the Blue Raiders had also sent an offer to Jackson, who was ready to commit if Lawrence was.
"As soon as I got the offer from Middle, I called him," Lawrence said. "I jumped on the opportunity fast, and he said if I committed, he'd commit. There was nothing more to it than that."
It almost seemed to be the perfect recruiting pitch: Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt almost had to know Jackson and Lawrence were close friends and just had to use it to his advantage. That was far from the case, however.
McDevitt and his staff had started recruiting Jackson and Lawrence while they lived in separate states and had no idea they'd known each other for more than a decade. They didn't find out just how close Jackson and Lawrence were until both had already committed.
"It really was wild," MT second-year head coach Nick McDevitt said. "We had no idea they even had met, let alone how close they are.
"They both come from great families, and it really shouldn't be a surprise that they're close."
New home
Once committing to the Blue Raiders, Lawrence decided to fast track moving to Murfreesboro.
He played the first half of the season at Washington Academy before leaving in January and enrolling at MT. He got to spend the whole spring semester practicing with the team and getting to know the university.
When Jackson arrived in the summer, it was like he had his own personal tour guide.
"I just told him it's a nice city and a college town," Lawrence said. "It gets a little quiet around here, like during holidays and stuff. That's how it was when I got here."
Once they were both on campus, not only did they have each other to lean on, but their parents also had an extra layer of support built in. They decided to start splitting rides to and from campus as well as groceries.
"That's made things easier on everyone, especially our moms," Jackson said.
Now almost through their first nonconference season, they both have found a bit of a home away from home in Murfreesboro.
Playing on the same college team is a dream that goes back years for Jackson and Lawrence. Having it come true in the fashion that it did is something of a Blue Raider Christmas miracle.
"Nobody thought we'd be in this position, and at one time I honestly didn't even think [Jackson] would keep playing basketball," Lawrence said. "It's a blessing, and we're having fun with it."
Players Mentioned
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