RECRUITING: Findlay Prep’s Johnson orally commits to UNLV
Findlay Prep senior Carlos Johnson hopes to play in the NBA someday, a typical goal for a highly touted prospect. But he’s unique in other ways.
Growing up in Chicago, he picked up the game late and was not even good enough to make a team.
“I left when I got cut from the sixth-grade basketball team,” he said. “I said, ‘I’ll make sure I never get cut again.’ “
A 6-foot-4-inch guard, Johnson orally committed to UNLV on Friday, saying his relationships with Rebels coach Dave Rice and assistant Todd Simon were big factors in his decision.
“Coach Rice is a great guy. He’s very soft-spoken,” Johnson said. “He says he can help get me to the next level, and I like that he sees that in me. I just like working hard. I want to get to the league. It’s the world to me.”
Johnson said his motivation is his family. He was raised by a single mother and has others counting on him.
“I’ve got four sisters to take care of, and I’m the man in my house,” he said.
Johnson averaged 15.9 points and 8.3 rebounds last season at El Cerrito High School near Berkeley, Calif. He said he also considered California, San Diego State, Saint Mary’s, UNR and Bradley. As a sophomore, he led Shadow Mountain High in Phoenix to an Arizona state championship.
“First of all, I need to get my education,” said Johnson, who announced plans to transfer to Findlay Prep on July 31. “For this to happen, it’s a blessing.”
Johnson joins former Findlay Prep forward Justin Jackson and Christian Vital, a 6-2 guard from Oakdale, Conn., in the Rebels’ 2016 recruiting class.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.