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.
Prediction: Tennessee in a close victory.
Jalen Green could skip college and play overseas
Consensus 2020 five-star Jalen Green could join an ever-growing number of players skipping college basketball opting to go abroad instead. While several programs, such as Memphis and Kentucky, are in hot pursuit of the 6-5 guard, he told Evan Daniels of 247Sports that he has not ruled out the possibility of playing overseas next year.
"“It all depends, really. I think I want to go to college to be honest with you. They’re starting their own little trend going overseas, and if it’s the right move ill make it, but right now I’m focused on going to college.”"
Green just finished up competing with the USA U19 team at the FIBA World Cup in Greece. The 17-year-old shooting guard struggled in USA’s 93-79 gold medal victory over Mali on Sunday as he missed all four of his shots, including both of his 3-point attempts, to finish with one point (1-4 FT) along with one steal and one assist in 17 minutes of action. Still, Green had a solid tournament overall — averaging 10.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 39.6% from the field and 20.6% from long distance.
If Green does skip college to play overseas, he would be the fourth high school player to do so over the last two years with R.J. Hampton and LaMelo Ball doing so this year.
Bryce Thompson to try out for USA Basketball Junior National Team
According to his Twitter account, consensus five-star 2020 recruit Bryce Thompson has been invited to USA Basketball Junior National Team (July 26-28).
Thompson is ranked among the top 25 players by all four primary recruiting services. He is ranked 25th in the country by ESPN, 20th by 247Sports Composite and 19th by 247Sports. Meanwhile, Rivals has the 6-5 combo guard slated at No. 18.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, who was recently at Kansas for an unofficial visit, holds 22 offers. Kansas, UNC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Houston, Iowa, Marquette, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado, and Texas A&M are the among the schools that have made overtures. He’s taken official visits to Arkansas, Colorado, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Michigan State.
Thompson is expected to cut his list down to five after USA Basketball. Oklahoma, Kansas and Oklahoma State are believed to be the favorites for his services.
Other recruiting tidbits:
- Northwestern and Purdue have extended offers to four-star center Ryan Kalkbrenner on July 6. The 7-0 now holds 17 offers with Illinois, Kansas State and Xavier showing the most interest.
- Boston College grad transfer 6-10 big man JohnCarlos Reyes has landed at Nevada. Reyes averaged 1.9 points and 1.0 rebounds in 29 appearances this past season for the Eagles.
- Three-star 2020 shooting guard Caleb Murphy (Norcross, GA) received an offer from Georgia on July 7. It is the 14th offer that he has received which includes overtures from Clemson and Georgia Tech.
- 2020 forward Traymond Willis-Shaw (Fayetteville, NC) received an offer from UNC Greensboro on July 7. He also holds offers from South Carolina State and Radford.
- Franz Wagner committed to Michigan on July 6. Wagner is the younger brother of former Wolverine Moritz Wagner.