Joe Lawson Memorial Invitational BY: JOSH HELMER SPORTS

Joe Lawson Memorial Invitational BY: JOSH HELMER SPORTS

Tournament basketball is returning to Norman as Norman High and Norman North host the inaugural Joe B. Lawson Memorial Invitational.

The tournament, presented by Agility Medical Group, on Dec. 5 – 7, features a competitive mix of talent on the boys and girls sides. In addition to the two Norman schools, the boys’ tournament bracket includes Lawton Christian, Lawton MacArthur, the OKC Storm, Putnam City North, Putnam City West and Tulsa Memorial.

The girls’ bracket will showcase Casady, Lawton MacArthur, the OKC Storm, Northside (Ark.), Putnam City North and Putnam City West.

“We’re really excited,” said T.D. O’Hara, athletic director for Norman Public Schools. “One of the things I envisioned when I stepped into this position was to have a tournament format that we host on a consistent basis.

“Ideally, what we were looking for was some way to involve both schools as co-hosts. The icing on the cake has been the opportunity to recognize Joe Lawson… and the impact he had at both of these schools.”

Joe Lawson died in 2017 at age 27. He was a member of Norman High’s basketball program as a player from 2004 to 2008 and served as a varsity assistant and head coach of the Norman North freshmen boys’ team from 2012 to 2016.

To honor his legacy, the Lawson family established the Joe B. Lawson Foundation in 2017, to provide scholarships and other benefits to the NPS athletic department and the Norman community.

The foundation has been instrumental in putting this event together. TJ Lawson, one of Joe’s two older brothers, said the event means a great deal to the Lawson family.

“Joe truly cared about his players as a coach. He wanted them to succeed on the court, but just as much off the court,” TJ Lawson said. “We feel that this tournament really honors Joe’s legacy as a passionate, selfless and fun-loving player and coach. The annual tournament will make an impact on the Norman sports community and help Norman athletics.”

Putting a tournament like this together was important to Kellen McCoy, Norman North head boys’ basketball coach.

When he found out that Norman High girls basketball coach, Michael Neal, was also looking to bring tournament basketball back to Norman, the two went to work to recruit an impressive field of teams.

“It’s super, super awesome to be able to do this and for it all to come together,” McCoy said. “So many people love Joe and a lot of those people are wanting to be involved in some way, whether it’s donations or volunteering their time. It’s just a testament to how amazing of a guy he was and how many people’s lives he touched in the time that he was here.

“I just encourage everybody to come out and watch. Come support the tournament. It’s going to be a great basketball tournament with great teams, great talent. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Norman High Schools to Host Inaugural Basketball Tournament Photo by: Mark Doescher

The cost of putting on a tournament includes paying officials, game personnel and trainers. There is also a cost for security as well as making trophies and feeding the players and coaches. The Joe B. Lawson Memorial Invitational wouldn’t be possible without the support of the title sponsor Agility Medical Group and fellow sponsor Embassy Suites.

“It’s very important to have their support,” O’Hara said. “There are a lot of different pieces that have to go in place to put on a high-level product. Having these types of sponsors who are willing to do that, I want to say thank you and appreciate everything that they have done to enable us to put a product together that they will be able to be proud of as well as the entire community.”

Joe B. Lawson Memorial Invitational committee member Bryan Vinyard echoes those same sentiments and hopes the tournament can continue to grow.

“To have a lasting tournament that’s going to stand the test of time and continue to grow and be something that Norman is proud of, you’ve got to have that community support and buyin to be successful,” Vinyard said. “Having that community support makes it a real positive experience for the teams and their players so those teams want to come back.”

“Our goal is to start here on ground zero and build every year going forward to make it a bigger, better and more special tournament.”

Donations to the Joe B. Lawson Memorial Foundation can be made through the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma at cfok.org.– BSM

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