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Signing
Putnam Science Academy's Shaun Lawton, center, signs with University of Maine in Orono. Left: PSA Headmaster Emrullah Durmaz. Right: College Counselor Celal Aydar. Courtesy photo.
By Ron P. Coderre
PUTNAM — Putnam Science Academy is sending another of its basketball players to the collegiate ranks with the announcement by coach Tom Espinosa that 6-foot, 5-inch Shaun Lawton signed a National Letter of Intent April 30 to attend the Division I University of Maine in Orono. The versatile Lawton helped lead the PSA Mustangs to a 20-9 record this past season.
The Maine Black Bears, who play in the America East Conference, posted a 12-17 record last season. The fact that Lawton is capable of playing guard or small forward bodes well for coach Ted Woodward and Maine, which is graduating five seniors this year.
Lawton brings some good credentials to the Black Bears’ program. He averaged 15.2 points per game for the Mustangs, while also posting 4.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.3 steals per contest, a strong demonstration of the many tools he brings to the court.
“Signing Shaun to join our program is a great day for our team,” said Woodward. “Shaun brings so many things to our program as a person and a player. He’s a versatile combo guard with great size, outstanding understanding of the game, tremendous vision with the ball in his hands, and is a tough defender. He can play multiple positions, and is a “winner” on the court. He is a tremendous student and person with extremely high character, and we look forward to having him join us in the fall.”
Coach Espinosa substantiates coach Woodward’s assessment, noting that Lawton, in addition to his outstanding play on the court, was an honor student in the classroom.
“Shaun was a hard worker all season. He never let up from the first whistle to the final buzzer of every game. He carried his basketball leadership into the classroom where he was a very good student. Maine appears to be a great place for him to move to the next level,” said Espinosa.
In addition to the University of Maine, Lawton was heavily recruited by mid-major Norfolk University and a number of Division II schools. Prior to coming to Putnam Science Academy, he played for Long Island Lutheran High School in New York where he led the team to the 2011 Class A State Championship. He scored a team-high 24 points in the semi-final game for Lutheran, a 75-71 win over Jamesville-DeWitt.
Lawton is the second PSA Mustang to commit to a Division I program in the brief history of basketball under Espinosa. The other Division I player is 7-foot Rundell Mauge who is currently at University of Pacific. Lawton’s 2012 teammate, Oscar Aussie, is the other Mustang to move on to college basketball this season. He signed to play for Division II American International College.