Lawson Puts His Best Face Forward : Basketball: Center is all business as he patrols under the basket for No. 2-ranked Villanova.

It begins and ends with the scowl. Throughout the day and night, always the scowl.

You might fall asleep trying to catch Jason Lawson smiling. And don’t expect to see any signs while the intense, powerful, talented Villanova center is playing, talking or thinking about basketball.

His expression is imposing and unwavering by design. Life under Big East Conference baskets can break you, so Lawson’s tough disposition seems just right.

It has been effective so far, helping Lawson put opponents in their place as he takes his among the nation’s elite big men. Being pleasant is fine at dinner parties, but it’s not an asset when dodging elbows.

Besides, trying to change Lawson wouldn’t be a good idea.

“He’s an intense kid,” Wildcat Coach Steve Lappas said. “He’s very, very intense.”

The standout junior is Purdue’s problem Saturday. Second-ranked Villanova plays Purdue at 10 a.m. in the Wooden Classic at The Pond of Anaheim.

“It’s going to be pretty exciting to go out there,” Lawson said. “I like California. I can do with the change of weather.”

Don’t be fooled. Lawson isn’t coming here to relax.

“Really, he’s very serious and he takes his basketball very serious,” Lappas said. “He has tremendous intensity both offensively and defensively. His intensity is contagious to the rest of the team.”

Sometimes, though, it’s too much. Lawson was suspended for one game for his role in a fight during the Wildcats’ 70-63 victory over Bradley on Nov. 29. Under NCAA rules, Lawson will be suspended for the rest of the season if he’s involved in another fight.

Lawson is a classic back-to-the basket, get-that-shot-out-of-here Big East center. The line started with Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, and Lawson has helped sustain the impressive tradition.

“My post play, that’s what I do best,” Lawson said. “Being able to create things for my teammates by blocking shots.”

He does that often. Lawson is 6 feet 11 and 235 pounds, and has the defensive skills and instincts that make young men exceedingly wealthy--quickly.

Challenging Lawson doesn’t make much sense. Still, many try.

Lawson finished second in the Big East in blocked shots as a freshman with 89, breaking Tom Greis’ school record. His high game was eight blocks against Georgetown.

As a sophomore, Lawson led the Big East in blocked shots per game, averaging 2.61. No doubt about it, Lawson is the best defensive center in the conference, Lappas said.

“Clearly, Jason is one of the top centers in the country,” he said. “He’s improved tremendously since he got here.”

Lawson wasn’t raw offensively when he arrived on campus, but he was a bit rough. Turnaround jump shots and post moves don’t grow on trees, you know.

“He started to show signs [offensively] his freshman year,” Lappas said. “You would see it off and on and it would be like, ‘Wow, did we just see that?’

“Then, other times, it was like, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ But the main thing was you saw those flashes of brilliance.”

Lappas’ colleagues saw the same. Big East coaches selected Lawson to the all-freshman team after he averaged 10.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. He was selected second-team all-conference last season with averages of 12.9 points and 6.7 rebounds.

“I think I crept up on some people,” Lawson said. “I think some people weren’t sure about me.”

Lawson, born and reared in Philadelphia, was heavily recruited. However, several coaches thought he might take awhile to develop. Not Lappas.

“I never had any question about it,” Lappas said. “Some people did, but I didn’t.”

Kerry Kittles, Villanova’s All-American senior guard and a media favorite, is the Wildcats’ best player. Lawson, 21, doesn’t have his friend’s popularity, but he doesn’t have his pressure either.

“Kerry is pretty exciting and he does a lot for this team,” Lawson said. “I do a lot for the team too, just in a different way.”

The Wildcats won the NIT championship when Lawson was a freshman and took the Big East tournament title last season. Villanova is among the favorites to reach the Final Four in 1996.

Lawson has started slowly this season, averaging 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds, but he isn’t worried. His formula hasn’t failed yet.

“I don’t think about any of that stuff, I just work hard,” Lawson said. “That carries over from practice to the games.”

This single-minded focus helped Lawson improve his shooting. He shot 52.3% from the field as a freshman and 59.5% last season. His improvement at the line was even more dramatic: 58.3% to 73%.

“That was the single most improved skill on our team,” Lappas said. “It’s his work ethic.”

Winning drives Lawson, but it’s not that simple. He suffered from severe asthma as a child, spending more time in hospital beds than on basketball courts.

“At the hospital, they just used to say, ‘Jason, do you want your same room?’ ” said David Lyons, Lawson’s half-brother.

“If the wind blew the wrong way, his chest filled up. If you could see how sick he was, you wouldn’t believe he was the same guy on the court. He’s come so far.”

But his family doesn’t have to travel far to see him in action. More than 20 relatives attend Villanova’s home games, and a smaller group follows the team on Big East trips.

“It feels good to play in front of my family,” he said. “That’s what I was looking for when I signed.

“To see all of your family and friends, it makes you feel good about yourself and all of your hard work. It makes you feel you can do anything.”

And that scowl helps, too.

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Wooden Classic

A look at one of three teams joining UCLA in the basketball doubleheader Saturday at The Pond.

* School: Villanova

* Game time: 10 a.m. against Purdue

* Conference: Big East

* Coach: Steve Lappas

* Record: 6-0

* TV: ABC

* Radio: KMPC (710)