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Freshman Kimani Lawrence will reportedly return to the court for the Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday night in Tucson, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.
Arizona State will get heralded freshman Kimani Lawrence back tonight for the HUGE matchup against Arizona. Hasn’t played this season due to foot injury.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) December 30, 2017
The 6 foot 7 small forward endured a stress fracture in his left foot during a practice in the preseason and was forced to sit out six weeks after having surgery to repair it.
Originally from Rhode Island, Lawrence checked in as the No. 57 overall recruit in the country according to ESPN and the No. 13 small forward. He played well in the preseason, but showed up in a boot to the season opener and had his injury disclosed shortly thereafter.
Now, Lawrence returns just in time for ASU’s massive Pac-12 opener against the No. 17 Arizona Wildcats. After starting out the season 3-3, U of A has rattled off seven straight wins to launch itself back into the top-25.
Arizona State, on the other hand, hasn’t lost this season. The Sun Devils were perfect in non-conference play, averaging 90 points per game and managing impressive wins over Xavier, Kansas State, St. Johns and Kansas.
Lawrence’s size, athleticism and shooting ability will surely provide a boost for ASU, as it looks for its first win in the McKale Center since 2010.