Syracuse Basketball: Dior Johnson one of top 12 in high-school hoops
By Neil Adler
A Rivals.com national analyst says Syracuse basketball commit Dior Johnson is one of the best prospects in all of high-school hoops.
Syracuse basketball commit Dior Johnson is one of the top-12 prospects throughout all of high-school hoops, regardless of class designation, according to a national analyst.
Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi published a listing of his premier dozen high-school players, no matter what recruiting cycle they are in, and Orange recruit Johnson made the cut.
The 6-foot-3 Johnson, a five-star point guard in the 2022 class, committed to the ‘Cuse back in February, which has amounted to a massive pick-up for Syracuse. Johnson has said that he plans to bring other stellar prospects with him to the Hill.
"In his article, Bossi had this to say about Johnson. “You can’t watch Johnson with the ball and not have an appreciation for how crafty and clever he is. The way he sets up defenders in the pick and roll, his ability to find ways to finish with either hand around the rim and his vision as a passer are all sublime. You aren’t as good as a guy like Johnson without hard work, but he also has natural instincts and feel with which very few are born.”"
Syracuse basketball commit Dior Johnson is one of the best high-school players across the country, regardless of class.
Within the 2022 class, 247Sports and Rivals.com place Johnson at No. 4 overall, followed by No. 5 at the 247Sports Composite and No. 12 at ESPN.com. He is universally regarded as the No. 1 or No. 2 point guard within the 2022 class by the primary recruiting services.
The other 11 players in Bossi’s story are Patrick Baldwin Jr., Paolo Banchero, Jaden Hardy, Chet Holmgren, Jonathan Kuminga and Jabari Smith from the 2021 class, Emoni Bates, Jalen Duren and Chris Livingston in the 2022 class, and DaJuan Wagner Jr. and Mikey Williams from the 2023 class.
Johnson has transferred from Mayfair High School in Lakewood, Calif., to powerhouse prep school Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. As such, Johnson recently got named one of the top high-school transfers in the 2020-21 campaign, according to Jordan Divens, a national basketball editor for MaxPreps.com.
Johnson understandably will keep his options open about possibly going straight from high school to the pro ranks, but all of us Orange fanatics out there are hopeful that he will head to the Hill for at least one season.