Washington guard Koren Johnson cuts transfer list to 5

Huskies guard Koren Johnson announced his top five choices out of the transfer portal, leaving the door open for a return to Montlake.

Washington Huskies guard Koren Johnson has come one step closer to choosing a transfer destination.

After winning Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year in another lost season for Washington, Johnson hit the portal, likely to look for a program that would let him start games. Former coach Mike Hopkins utilized Johnson as a scoring threat off the bench, with guards Sahvir Wheeler and Paul Mulcahy starting the bulk of the games.

On Thursday, Johnson announced a top five of Florida, Indiana, Oregon, UCLA, and Washington, making it a strong likelihood that he will be playing Big Ten basketball in 2024. The Huskies still being in the mix for a potential return is notable, as Washington hired new coach Danny Sprinkle from Utah State earlier this week.

Johnson averaged 11.1 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in about 24 minutes a game in 2023. He would, at least as of Thursday, likely be in line for a starting role for the Huskies if he chose a return to Montlake.

A Seattle native, Johnson was the top basketball recruit in the state of Washington in 2022. He signed with the Huskies as a four-star recruit out of Garfield High School over offers from San Diego State and Arizona, among others.