Former Memphis basketball standout K.J. Lawson was hired as boys basketball coach at Hamilton High School on Friday, his alma mater where he won the 2015 TSSAA Class AAA state title.
“I’m happy to take leadership of Hamilton’s prestigious program and enter into my father Keelon Lawson’s legacy and that of coach (Ted Anderson) and Todd Day,” Lawson said. “I’m excited to get to work and bring back that winning tradition.”
Lawson replaces Eric Robinson, a member of Hamilton’s first state title team in 1991 that was led by the late Anderson, also a Hamilton graduate. Lawson is next in a long line of Wildcats coaches who had great success as players with the team, including his father, who was on the 1991 team and coached Hamilton from 2003-14, winning a state title in 2006 to complete a 39-0 season.
“My pops is one of my biggest role models and my inspiration for getting into coaching,” Lawson said.
Lawson is the oldest of his four brothers who wore a Tigers uniform. He played at Memphis from 2015-17. After missing most of his freshman season due to a medical hardship, Lawson averaged 12.3 points in 2016-17, earning the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year award. He later transferred to Kansas and Tulane, spending one year at each school.
At Hamilton, Lawson was a two-time all-state performer. As a senior, he averaged 22.3 points and won the 2015 state title under Day — the former Arkansas star and NBA veteran — and alongside brother Dedric Lawson.
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Lawson had a brief professional career that included time with the Worcester Wolves in the British Basketball League and the 2021 Boston Celtics Summer League roster.
Lawson most recently was an assistant at Southwest Tennessee Community College after spending two seasons assisting his father, who coaches at Wooddale. Both Keelon Lawson and Bill Self, Lawson’s coach at Kansas in 2018-19, saw coaching in Lawson’s future.
“Coach Self once offered me a position on his staff as a (graduate assistant) because he saw it in me,” K.J. Lawson said. “I’ve always had leadership skills and have led by example, always holding people accountable.”
“He always said once he stopped playing and settled down that he wanted to come back (to Memphis) and give back,” Keelon Lawson said.
K.J. Lawson hopes to translate those skills and the old-school lessons of his father to a Hamilton team in a rebuild after finishing 10-17 last season.
“I’ll be there to help him along the way even though we’ll be coaching against each other,” Keelon Lawson said.
The father and son will face off on Dec. 3 and Dec. 17 in two non-region games.
“It’s going to be fun for people to come out and support two Hamilton alumni,” K.J. Lawson said. “It’ll be fun to see how we match up and play chess.”
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is the high school sports beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Wendell at wendell.shepherd@commercialappeal.com. Follow Wendell on X, formerly known as Twitter, @wendellsjr_.
