NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 2020 guard Keon Johnson’s options
NCAA Basketball prospect Keon Johnson is nearing decision day and will choose between Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio State.
Four-star NCAA Basketball class of 2020 prospect Keon Johnson wrapped up his final official visit last weekend (June 28-30) to Ohio State and is slated to announce his college decision on Aug. 6. Johnson is down to Virginia and Tennessee as well as Ohio State.
Johnson is a strong, physical and explosive 6-5, 180-pound guard. He is a well-rounded, versatile player whose strength is on the defensive end and in transition. The Bell Buckle (TN) native likes to get to the rim where he can finish and find open teammates. Johnson is also a capable shooter and good rebounder while possessing a high-motor and excellent athleticism. However, he does need to improve his ball-handling.
A consensus top-50 recruit, Johnson is ranked 31st in the country by 247Sports Composite and No. 27 by 247Sports. Rivals have him at No. 34 in the class. Meanwhile, he is ranked 41st in ESPN’s rankings.
The rising senior had an excellent 2018-19 campaign for The Webb School where he helped the team to a 27-7 record and a state final four berth. Johnson produced 24.6 points along with 8.6 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.4 blocks for the year. He shot 58% from the floor and 38% from beyond the arc. Johnson also produced 13 double-doubles.
Tennessee is considered the favorite to win Johnson’s services. But Ohio State is relatively new to party thanks to assistant Jake Diebler, who developed a close relationship with Johnson when he was with Vanderbilt. So do the Buckeyes have a chance to steal him from the Volunteers?
I believe that the decision is ultimately between the Vols and Buckeyes. I think it will come down to where Johnson feels the most comfortable. Johnson told Stephen Helwagen of Bucknuts that he enjoyed his visit to Columbus.
"“I liked the family aspect of the program. My family and Coach Holtmann got a lot closer as well. They talked about how Coach Holtmann wants to get out and run more. They said if I come there I could be a transition starter.”"
Both Ohio State and Tennessee could add depth at shooting guard in 2020, although the Volunteers are a little more desperate. Each of the schools currently has two scholarships available for next year. Tennessee does have a commitment from four-star 6-7 combo forward Corey Walker (Jacksonville, FL) already.
On the other hand, Virginia has one scholarship available for next season following commitments from four-star point guard Reece Beekman (Baton Rouge, LA) and three-star combo guard Carson McCorkle.