Syracuse Basketball: Dior Johnson reclassifying to 2021 would prove huge

Want to see elite prospect Dior Johnson play for Syracuse basketball a year earlier than planned? You may get that chance.

Syracuse basketball commit Dior Johnson, one of the top high-school players regardless of class who is also a top-15 player in the 2022 recruiting cycle, is considering a reclassification to the 2021 class, according to several analysts.

Both Rivals.com national basketball analyst Corey Evans and Jake Weingarten, the founder of Stockrisers.com, tweeted on Wednesday night about the possibility of Johnson reclassifying.

The 6-foot-3 Johnson, a five-star point guard in the 2022 class who is also rated as the No. 1 or No. 2 point guard in that recruiting cycle, committed to the ‘Cuse back in February. He has said that he plans to bring more stellar players with him to the Hill.

Johnson also recently revealed that he would transfer from Mayfair High School in Lakewood, Calif., to powerhouse prep school Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

One of Johnson’s new teammates at Oak Hill Academy is Zion Cruz, a five-star shooting guard and top-20 prospect in the 2022 class. Cruz is a high-priority target for Syracuse in that recruiting cycle.

Should Johnson reclassify to the 2021 class, that doesn’t in any way indicate that he is interested in another squad besides the Orange. In fact, he told various media outlets when he pledged his services to the ‘Cuse earlier this year that he wants to build something special in Central New York and take on the blue bloods, including fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foes Duke and North Carolina.

Furthermore, one huge question mark surrounding Johnson is the potential of him jumping straight from high school to the professional ranks. If he reclassifies to the 2021 class, there’s less of a chance that the NBA does away with its one-and-done rule by the time that Johnson would set foot on the Syracuse University campus.

Benny Williams, a four-star small forward and top-50 guy who attends St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., is presently the Orange’s lone commit in its 2021 class.

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