Tag: Dior Johnson

Dior Johnson commits to Pitt, signs with WME for NIL representation

Dior Johnson’s recruitment has come to an end with his announcement he will play for Pitt men’s basketball.

After a winding road through high school and recruitment, guard Dior Johnson has settled on his college destination. The four-star guard will be attending Pitt.

Johnson committed to the Panthers on Monday, telling ESPN that head coach Jeff Capel’s track record helped convince him to attend the school. “I honestly feel like he’s going to pour into me as a person and player,” Johnson said to ESPN reporter Jonathan Givony.

Johnson re-signed with WME Sports, which posted to its Instagram account that over the past year, Dior had signed the most brand endorsement deals of any male high school basketball player. Johnson played at Southern California Academy (Castaic, Calif.) as a senior in a state where NIL is legal for high schoolers.

 

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Johnson, who was ranked as a five-star guard for most of his high school career, is ranked the No. 37 player in the class of 2022. He was the highest-ranked player remaining in the class after decommitting from Oregon and being released from his letter of intent last week.

Prior to Oregon, Johnson had been committed to Syracuse.

Johnson released his final three schools of Pitt, Washington State and Mississippi State on Sunday, the day before he committed.

Johnson now joins a Pitt team that saw several players leave in the transfer portal, including starting guards Femi Odukale and Ithiel Horton. This provides an opening for Johnson, who decommitted from Oregon shortly after two guards transferred into the Ducks’ program and starting guard Will Richardson announced he will return to Oregon instead of entering the 2022 NBA draft.

Pitt has gone 21-33 over the last two seasons and hasn’t had a winning season since 2015-16. Johnson, the highest-rated commit to the school since Capel joined, will try to change their fortunes.

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‘Pitt is where I needed to be;’ 4-star PG Dior Johnson explains decision to de-commit from Oregon

“Having an elite leader like [Coach Jeff Capel], after us talking I knew Pitt is where I needed to be.”

The last week or so has brought a lot of news on the Oregon Ducks basketball front, particular when it comes to one — former, now — player.

That player is Dior Johnson, who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 7 PG in the 2022 class, and No. 37 player overall in the nation. After committing to join the Ducks last summer and signing his national letter of intent in the fall, Johnson asked out of that NLI recently and was granted his release.

RELATED: Ducks drop in recruiting rankings after Dior Johnson leaves

Johnson de-committed from Oregon last week, and on Sunday, announced a new top-3 that included the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Pittsburgh Panthers, and Washington State Cougars.

On Monday, he announced his commitment to Pittsburgh.

A lot of Duck fans can connect a few dots to see the reasons behind Johnson’s decision to leave. As one of the top players in the 2022 class, Johnson projects to be a starting player, and major contributor wherever he goes. However, the Ducks brought back veteran PG Will Richardson this offseason, as well as incoming transfer guards Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jermaine Couisnard. It’s safe to say that Johnson was going to be fighting hard for minutes on the floor.

After his commitment to Pittsburgh, though, the phenom high schooler explained to ESPN the reasoning that went into his decision ultimately.

“I was looking for a coach to challenge me and hold me in high account,” Johnson said to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I still have some things to work on and another level to tap into, in all phases of the game. Coach [Jeff] Capel has a great track record and was a great player himself. I honestly feel like he’s going to pour into me as a person and player. Having an elite leader like himself, after us talking I knew Pitt is where I needed to be.”

This is not the first time that Johnson picked a school and then changed his mind. He committed to play at Syracuse in February 2020 but elected to change gears after nine months and reopened his recruitment, eventually settling on Oregon in June 2021. A year later, he again elected to reopen his recruitment, quickly deciding to commit to Capel and the Panthers.

“Deep down I’m a young man that loves this game of basketball and it’s allowed me to do so much, early in my career,” Johnson said. “I also understand that to put myself in the best position possible, you need to be led by truth-worthy, high-character men and Jeff Capel is that.”

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Former Duck commit Dior Johnson headed to Pittsburgh

Former Duck commit and four-star recruit Dior Johnson is headed to Pittsburgh after decommiting from Oregon.

When Will Richardson decided to come back to Oregon for his fifth year of eligibility, five-star recruit Dior Johnson had to switch gears a bit.

Johnson is one of the top point guards in the country and with a stacked Duck roster, he decided to de-commit and instead take his talents to Pittsburgh.

With the Ducks, Johnson would have surely seen plenty of time on the floor as Richardson’s back-up, but it’s understandable that he wants to start from the get-go as the No. 7 rated point guard in the country.

Unfortunately with Johnson’s departure, the Ducks’ most recent recruiting rating took a hit. The Class of 2022 was once heralded as the No. 16 best in the country to No. 35.

Oregon will still bring in five-star center Ke’lel Ware as well as transfers Keeshawn Barthelemy (Colorado) and Jermaine Couisnard (South Carolina) to round out the roster.

Dior Johnson decommits from Oregon, will ‘explore other college options’

Dior Johnson decommitted from Oregon about a week after point guard Will Richardson announced he will return to the Ducks.

Dior Johnson is back on the college market. The star point guard from Castaic (Calif.) Southern California Academy has decommitted from Oregon, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

This is the second time Johnson has decommitted from a university. He was a long-time commit to Syracuse before deciding against the Orange and choosing Oregon.

Givony wrote in his tweet that Johnson will “explore other college options.” Oregon Live reported that he has been released from his letter of intent, which was signed in November.

Johnson’s decommitment comes about a week after Will Richardson, who has averaged almost 30 minutes per game over 155 games in four seasons on the team, announced his return to Oregon. The Ducks’ backcourt has depth with Richardson and incoming transfer guards Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jermaine Couisnard, to which Givony alluded in his tweet.

Johnson, who was considered a five-star prospect for the majority of his high school career but is now listed as a four-star point guard and No. 37 overall in the class of 2022, can be described in many ways. Electric. Dynamic. A skilled player and scorer. A star. But one word that cannot be used is decisive. Johnson made 10 different high school stops over his four years, in part due to the unexpected shutdown of Findlay Prep’s basketball program. He bounced coast-to-coast, though the majority of his play was in California.

Now, once again, he is back on the market. Complicating the situation is that most teams are set. The class of 2022 has graduated. Only two other top-150 players have not committed to a program.

But Johnson is among the best point guards in the class and shouldn’t find too much trouble fielding interest from teams. He had 18 offers during his recruitment, according to 247Sports, and is now one of the final pieces of the class to left searching for a home.

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Breaking: 2022 5-star guard Dior Johnson to decommit from Oregon

5-star guard Dior Johnson decommitted from the Oregon Ducks and will look for a new school to begin his college career.

When Oregon Ducks guard Will Richardson withdrew from the 2022 NBA draft and returned to Eugene, there were immediately questions about how Dana Altman would find playing time for the bevy of talented playmakers.

That question got a little bit easier to answer on Thursday after a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony indicated that Dior Johnson, a five-star prospect and the No. 4 ranked point guard in the class of 2022, plans to decommit from the Ducks and explore other college options.

Johnson saw a once wide open backcourt situation in Eugene gradually fill up with transfers and returners, clouding up his path to immediate playing time for the Ducks.

When the season ended, Johnson looked in line to potentially start as a true freshman for Oregon in 2022. Jacob Young was out the door, Will Richardson was exploring the NBA draft, and Eric Williams and De’Vion Harmon both entered the transfer portal and found new homes at San Diego and Texas Tech, respectively.

However, Altman and his staff struck quickly via the portal, adding Jermaine Couisnard out of South Carolina and Keeshawn Barthelemy from Colorado.

Those two additions, along with the two junior college guards – Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby – would have been enough to make any young guard reconsider his decision.

The return of Rivaldo Soares didn’t help matters, and the final nail in the coffin was almost certainly the return of Richardson, who immediately steps into the role of primary ball-handler for Altman’s squad.

Johnson will have no shortage of interest among the premier college basketball programs in the country, although finding a situation with a clear path to playing time – on a Power-5 team – may be a challenge at this late stage of the offseason.

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LOOK: 5-star Oregon commit Kel’el Ware goes through offseason workout with Paul George

It looks like 5-star Oregon commit Kel’el Ware spent some time working out with NBA star Paul George this offseason.

Some of the incoming recruits for the Oregon Ducks have shown that they have some clout before coming to Eugene.

Not long ago, we found out that 2023 5-star commit Mookie Cook was starring as a ‘young LeBron James’ in an upcoming film, and the highly-rated prospect also got a shoutout from the NBA mega-star after committing to Oregon as well.

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This weekend, we also see that 5-star center Kel’el Ware, who committed to Oregon last year, went through an offseason workout with NBA star Paul George leading up to the season.

Ware stands at 7-feet, 210 pounds, and is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 3 center in the 2022 class, and No. 6 player in the nation.

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Ware has been on the big stage a lot during his senior season, playing in the McDonald’s High School All-American game, as well as the Nike Hoops Summit up in Portland, Oregon. He also will be trying out for the USA U18 Men’s Basketball National Team along with fellow Oregon commit Dior Johnson.

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Incoming freshmen Kel’el Ware and Dior Johnson try out for Team USA U18 squad

Incoming freshmen Ke’lel Ware and Dior Johnson try out for Team USA U18 squad in Houston next month.

Fans of the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is going to get a sneak preview of what’s to come in the 2022-23 season with a pair of incoming freshmen trying out for the Team USA U18 squad.

Guard Dior Johnson and center Kel’el Ware will attempt to make the prestigious roster as they practice for the men’s U-18 FIBA Americas Championship. The tryouts will be held in Houston from May 26-June 2.

Ultimately, Team USA will have 12 players and once the team is announced, they’ll travel to Tijuana, Mexico for the Americas Championship tournament June 6-12.

The 7-foot Ware is a potential one-and-done player for the Ducks as he is projected to be a high first-round NBA draft pick. As for Johnson, he is also a potential one-and-done talent, but it’s very possible he’s at Oregon for longer than his freshman season. At 6-3, Johnson is a point guard that is expected to be in the starting lineup immediately, assuming Will Richardson leaves for a professional career.

Colorado’s Tad Boyle will be the head coach for Team USA.

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Oregon Ducks fall out of the running for Memphis transfer Emoni Bates

5-star SF Emoni Bates considered coming to Eugene out of high school, but the Ducks are out of the running to land the Memphis transfer.

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About a year ago when 5-star forward Emoni Bates was making his college decision, fans of the Oregon Ducks were hoping that he would come to Eugene to team up with Dana Altman and Co.

As the No. 5 overall player in the 2021 class, Bates was down to a final list of Memphis, Oregon, Michigan State, and entering the G-League. He ended up choosing the Tigers, but Duck fans’ ears perked up this past month when Bates announced that he would be entering the transfer portal and looking for a new school in 2022.

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He considered Oregon once, might he consider them again?

Apparently, the answer is no. Bates cut his list of transfer destinations down to 6 this past week, with the Ducks out of the mix.

Of course, if you were attuned to Oregon Twitter at all, you would have gotten a sense that the Ducks may not be in the running for Bates, according to incoming 5-star recruit Dior Johnson.

Johnson seemed to be onto something. In the end, Altman will continue to scour the transfer portal and try to add some talent to what already looks like a pretty impressive roster in Eugene. After a frustrating end to the 2021-22 season, things are looking up for the Ducks as they eye a trip to the NCAA Tournament next March.

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Watch: Oregon signee Kel’el Ware ups NBA draft stock, turns heads at McDonald’s All-American game

Kel’el Ware did what players are supposed to do at the McDonald’s All-American game: Turn heads and impress scouts.

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The McDonald’s All-American game is designed to showcase the best high school basketball players in the nation and give them a platform to display what they can do at the next level and increase their value to potential NBA scouts down the road.

For Oregon Ducks’ 2022 signee Kel’el Ware, a 5-star center who stands at 7-feet-0 inches, the week of festivities certainly acted as a jumping-off point.

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Ware, who is ranked by 247Sports as the 8th best player in the 2022 class, used his time at the all-star game to impress the many NBA scouts in town and show what he can bring to the Ducks next season. With an impressive showing in the game and solid workouts throughout the week, Ware seemed to solidify the idea that he will likely be a one-and-done player in Eugene, and could be looking at a place in the NBA draft lottery in 2023.

The rest of Oregon’s 2022 recruiting class should not be overlooked, with 5-star Dior Johnson coming to town with JUCO stars Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby. When Ware talked to media members on Monday, he discussed just what that group of players can achieve with the Ducks in the future. However, plays like this have many conversations coming back to just exactly what Ware can do at Oregon.

Despite his recruiting ranking, many analysts seem to be thinking of Ware as one of the best players in his class, and the impact that he will have in Eugene next season is going to be fascinating to watch. Dana Altman has a real player coming to the Ducks.

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‘We’re gonna do great things;’ 5-star Oregon signee Kel’el Ware preview time with Ducks

Kel’el Ware seems confident that lining him up next to Dior Johnson, Tyrone Williams, and Brennan Rigsby is going to be successful in Eugene.

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On Tuesday night, the McDonald’s All-American game tips off, giving some of the best men’s and women’s basketball players in the nation a chance to showcase their talents and give a preview for what is to come when they hit the floor at the next level.

For fans of the Oregon Ducks, 2022 signee Kel’el Ware was named to the team, as were both Change Gray and Grace VanSlooten. Ware was asked on Tuesday to preview his time at Oregon and quickly discuss what he and the other members of the class — Dior Johnson, Tyrone Williams, and Brennan Rigsby — are going to bring to the table for the Ducks next season.

“We’re going to to great things,” Ware said. “Just with me, Dior, you’ve got T-Will coming in, and then you’ve got Brennan — I feel like with him being able to shoot, and then T-Will being able to slash, and he’s got a shot on him too as well. Dior being a floor general, and then me at the big, it’s just, I feel like we’re going to be able to do great things.”

Johnson is a fellow 5-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 4 point guard in the nation, and No. 23 player overall. Williams is ranked as the No. 2 JUCO transfer this season, and Rigsby is coming off of a JUCO national championship where he led his team in scoring with 24 points in the final game.

The current roster at Oregon is in a bit of a flux with some unknowns about whether players are staying or leaving, but it’s clear through all of it that the incoming talent is going to be special in Eugene.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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