Syracuse Basketball: Dior Johnson recruiting impact impossible to quantify
By Neil Adler
Dior Johnson is the highest-rated recruit for Syracuse basketball since Carmelo Anthony, and Johnson’s positive influence on Orange recruiting is enormous.
It’s no guarantee that Syracuse basketball commit Dior Johnson will ever set foot on the ‘Cuse campus, but if he does, his effect on Orange recruiting efforts is absolutely colossal.
When the 2022 five-star point guard committed to Syracuse basketball earlier this year, he said at the time that he plans to bring other elite prospects with him to the Hill. I wholeheartedly believe him.
The 6-foot-3 point guard, who has transferred to powerhouse prep-school program the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., says he doesn’t want to join a blue-blood squad, such as Duke, Kansas, Kentucky or North Carolina.
Rather, Johnson has adamantly and confidently declared that he and other top-flight talents that will arrive at the ‘Cuse with him are going to beat those types of teams. Again, I believe him.
Now, Johnson could ultimately decide to forgo college in favor of the professional ranks. That would, naturally, break the hearts of every Orange fanatic out there.
However, Johnson is also seriously weighing a reclassification to the 2021 recruiting cycle, and that could definitely provide Syracuse basketball will a better chance to see him don a ‘Cuse uniform for one, or maybe two, campaigns.
In any event, let’s assume for the sake of this column that Johnson is coming to Central New York. Putting aside which class he may reside in, whether it’s 2022 or 2021, Johnson’s talent and off-the-court demeanor will translate into one of the most-important recruits for Syracuse basketball in recent program history.
Take a look at what high-priority Orange target Roddy Gayle Jr., a 2022 four-star shooting guard, had to say about Johnson in a recent article by CuseNation.com’s Mike McAllister.
"“I’ve talked to Dior on occasion at times,” Gayle said. “We keep a good friendship. He wanted me to come to Syracuse with him and he says he wants to play with the best. I appreciate him contacting me and putting his faith in me. I will eventually take a visit to Syracuse when he goes just to build that relationship. It kind of felt good for someone on Dior’s level texting me to try to team up in college.”"
Micawber Etienne, a 2021 four-star center whom Syracuse basketball coaches are highly interested in, did a Q&A with Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi in mid-April.
"As far as the Orange is concerned, Etienne said in part to Bossi, “Playing in that type of conference [the Atlantic Coast Conference], you play the best competition every night. That’s something I’m potentially looking forward to. Dior Johnson is always in my ear about it, Chance Westry is always in my ear about it too.”"
There are many other examples of this kind of connection that Johnson, a top-five player overall in 2022 according to multiple recruiting services, possesses with other outstanding high-school players in that class, as well as the 2021 cycle.
Ryan Murray, the publisher of CuseConfidential.com, recently held a roundtable with Rivals.com analysts Bossi and Corey Evans to discuss what Johnson means to the Orange’s recruiting initiatives.
"Evans said in part that “Johnson is one of the more marketable, outgoing kids in the entire sport. He is someone that loves the bright lights and the attention and is going to do all he can to recruit many others to come and join him in the coming years.”Bossi added in part that Johnson is a “tremendous pickup and he is very popular among others in his class, he’s the type that can hopefully get in some guy’s ear. He’s crafty, has a special skill level and is a lot of fun to watch.”"
These and other recruiting analysts do caution that Johnson could end up heading straight for a professional path, and they’re right. Yet if Johnson could find his way into a Syracuse basketball uniform for even one season, then the Orange’s 2022 or 2021 class could amount to one of the best-ever for the ‘Cuse.
And, hopefully, that in turn could help enable head coach Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse squad to capture a second national championship before JB decides to call it quits after more than four decades at the helm.