From Frontline to Playmaker: Lorenzo McCorvey Heads to West Georgia

Lorenzo McCorvey committed to West Georgia earlier this week. The 6-foot-6 guard spent the spring and summer with Team Person on the OTR Circuit and entered July as one of the OTR Circuit’s 17U MVP candidates. His evolution was a major part of that discussion. Previous evaluations had noted him as a swing forward who worked the baseline and picked his spots to attack the rim. This past spring he took over ball-handling responsibilities and often acted as the primary facilitator and play creator for Coach Chuck Person’s group.

That shift is the part of his game he expects to carry forward. “Yes, the scouts were right,” McCorvey said. “I’ve expanded my game from just being a big or forward. I’ve grown new tools such as my jump shot and ball-handling abilities, which has taken my game to a whole new level where I can play the 1-4 and also guard those spots.” The move from frontline player to playmaker required more than a change in role. It took the new tools he built and the people who helped him put them to use. That combination of size and playmaking was what made McCorvey an MVP candidate. It is also the skill set he believes will translate once he arrives on campus.

The decision to choose West Georgia came down to the coaching staff. Head coach Dave Moore and assistant Willie Evans built the relationship before McCorvey ever visited. “It was the coaches,” he said. “Before I even stepped foot on the campus I had built a strong connection with the coaches through the recruitment process. They let me know the plans they had for me for the future and always stayed in heavy contact with me. Once I finally stepped on campus and was able to meet the team and the coaching staff it was already as if I was a part of the family.” Evans, a former West Georgia player who later worked with On the Radar Hoops, was part of that contact. The fit felt settled once he was in the building.

Two people have shaped the path that got him there. McCorvey pointed to Coach Jamal McClure and his father, Lawrence McCorvey. Both made sacrifices that put him in position to develop—moving schools at the start of high school, coaching and training him, and introducing him to people who could help. Those are the lessons he plans to carry once he gets to campus: the willingness to adjust and the work that comes with it.

McCorvey will finish the year at Next Level Academy before joining the Wolves. The ball-handling growth that showed up on the OTR Circuit is the piece to watch between now and then.

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Jonathan Hemingway has been a National Evaluator for On the Radar Hoops since 2013. He has been involved in the basketball community since 1995 as a coach, camp director, and evaluator. You can reach him at CoachHemi@gmail.com and follow him on X @CoachHemi and Instagram @Coach_Hemi.