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Story compliments of The Daily Record of Dunn by

A former ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø center is continuing his budding basketball career.

, Thursday, inked a deal to join the men’s hoops team at nearby Barton College in the fall.

The Western Harnett alum had a career year for ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø this past winter. He played in 29 games with 19 starts, hauling in just over five rebounds per contest. The 6-foot-8 center also shot close to 60% from the field and helped ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø advance to the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 10 Division II Tournament in March.

Lavengood, who was named , has increasingly transformed into a coveted collegiate prospect despite playing just two seasons of high school ball.

He elaborated on the recent decision during a phone interview with the Record this week.

Q. How did this new recruiting process begin?

A. I emailed a lot of (college) coaches, I’d say over 20. He (Coach Joel Zimmerman) got back to me pretty quickly.   

Q. What made you choose Barton?

A. It seemed like a good program. And I went for a visit, I was really impressed by the coach and what he wanted to do with the program. After doing some thinking and emailing some other coaches, I figured out this was the best spot for me. 

It seemed like a small town and so, I feel like it’s gonna be very people-oriented. … Everyone wants to chip in, wants to be there for games, wants to really support the program. That’s what I really love.

Q. How did ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø prepare you for this opportunity?

A. I learned a lot. I came in as a pretty raw prospect … It was definitely a learning experience, because my first year wasn’t really that good. I was like the youngest on the team and hadn’t had as much experience as all these other guys. But I think the second year, I really grew as a teammate, as a leader and definitely as a player.

Q. What more can you improve about your game?

A. I feel, offensively, I still got a lot to work on when it comes to low post, mid-range and 3-pointer. Defensively, I think having to play against guards is gonna be something that’s a little rough, but that’s something I’m excited (about) and look forward to. … I’ll also get to venture out with my game because I won’t be playing the 5 (center) anymore. I get to experiment and be a 4 (power forward).