Syracuse Basketball: Dior Johnson new high-school coach is ‘old-school’

The new high-school coach of Dior Johnson should prove great for the Syracuse basketball 2022 commit.

There’s a contingent of Syracuse basketball fans who express concern over the fact that Orange 2022 commit Dior Johnson has moved around some throughout his high-school career.

As someone who covers the ‘Cuse but is also a Syracuse University alum and a huge fan of Syracuse basketball, I have a lot of passion for the Orange program.

The 6-foot-3 Johnson, a five-star point guard, could end up as the highest-rated recruit for the ‘Cuse dating back to former Orange legend Carmelo Anthony.

That’s if he comes to the Hill and suits up for Syracuse basketball for at least one stanza. Johnson could always forgo college for a professional path.

I do think it’s worth giving some context into the fact that Johnson has enrolled in multiple high schools over the past couple of years. At the same time, the reasoning behind his decisions, and whatever transpires in Johnson’s personal life, I do not believe are my business.

Let’s not forget that while Johnson is one of the premier prospects in all of high-school basketball, regardless of class designation, he’s also a teen-ager and deserves privacy.

That’s why when I read an interview which Johnson’s new high-school head coach, Josh Giles, had with Mike Curtis of Syracuse.com, I got really pumped about Johnson’s future at Corona Centennial High School in Corona, Calif.

Syracuse basketball 2022 commit Dior Johnson has found a terrific landing spot at his new high school.

Giles recently confirmed that Johnson has enrolled at Corona Centennial High School after leaving the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., roughly a month ago.

"The Los Angeles Times’ boys’ basketball coach of the year in the most recently concluded stanza, Giles said of Johnson to Syracuse.com, “He’s gotta get some stuff squared away class-wise. I don’t know any of his previous situations with other schools and, honestly, I told him, ‘I don’t care to know. It’s not my business. Your past is your past. I’m just looking forward to you coming in and playing really, really hard.’”"

Love that. Curtis writes in his story that the 42-year-old Giles, who has served as the head coach of the Huskies for 17 campaigns, is “an old-school coach with an old-school approach and philosophy with his players that demands hard work and discipline. Practices will be challenging, and everyone will be held accountable. He told Johnson if he’s willing to be a part of that, great. If not, then it won’t work out.”

Johnson has been working through a stress reaction in his right foot, per recent media reports. Giles says that his new player “still is in a boot and will hopefully be evaluated by Corona Centennial’s trainer later this week,” Curtis writes, noting that high-school basketball games in Southern California aren’t slated to commence until mid-March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.