MANLIUS — The Bureau Valley School District knows Eric Lawson as a basketball coach. Folks back home in Sherrard know Eric Lawson the basketball player, and a very good basketball player at that.
At Sherrard, Lawson was a three-time, first-team all-stater, graduating in 1993. From there he played one year at Florida International and three years at LaMar University.
Now, 14 years removed from his playing career, Lawson will be inducted into the 2012 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. He will be among 20 players, eight coaches and five teams to be enshrined April 28 in Normal.
“It’s honestly, a great accomplishment knowing that all of the hard work and guidance from my parents, great coaches and great teammates have finally paid off. I’m thoroughly excited to be mentioned with the best basketball players in the state of Illinois,” Lawson said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
Lawson has coached varsity basketball for eight seasons, including stops at Ashton-Franklin Center (1999-00), Annawan (2001-04), Mendota (2005-07) and Bureau Valley (2010-12). But it was on the floor where he made his name first.
He ranks as the all-time leading scorer at Sherrard with 1,856 career points over a four-year varsity career with the Rams.
He was named first team all-state in his sophomore (‘91), junior (‘92) and senior (‘93) seasons and was a four-time Western Illinois, Olympic All-Conference selection. An All-American Honorable Mention pick, Lawson was named as the MVP of the State Farm Classic in 1991 and for the Class A North in the 1993 IBCA All-Star game.
Recruited by the University of Illinois, Lawson landed in Miami at Florida International, where he was named as the Newcomer of the Year in the Trans American Conference. The small town boy from Illinois had a culture shock in Miami and homesick. He transferred to LaMar University in Beaumont, Texas, to continue playing Division I basketball for Sheffeld native Grey Giovanine, now head coach at Augustana College.
Lawson, who will be stepping down as Storm coach to concentrate on his new duties as BVHS principal, remains active in the game, playing in the Bureau Country Metro Center 4-on-4 League and on Sundays in Walnut. He jokes he’s not as fleet as foot as he used to be, but “my mind is still sharp and I’m still very competitive.”
• Amboy’s Jared McCracken was also inducted as a player, one of 20 male players, most notable of which is future NBA star Tim Hardaway of Chicago Simeon.
Matt Winkler, who has been the only boys coach in the 20-year history of Fieldcrest and directed the Knights to their first sectional title this season, will be one of eight coaches inducted.
Dennis Johnson, formerly of Princeton, is one of 26 individuals selected as a “Friend of Basketball.”
There will also be nine officials, six media members and five teams, including boys state champions from Glenview Glenbrook North (2005) and Chicago Leo (2004) and Nokomis’ back-to-back girls state champions from 1998-99.