Gophers hoops commitment a dream come true for DeLaSalle's Jarvis Johnson
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jarvis Johnson's final decision to commit to the University of Minnesota wasn't exactly a conscious one.
Sure, the Gophers' burgeoning facilities and likable coaches enticed him. So did the idea of staying close to home, his parents and siblings for college.
But the three-star DeLaSalle guard's mind was made up, he said, during a dream he had recently. In it, he saw himself emerging from the Williams Arena tunnel as "No. 12, Johnson" flashed on the video board above his ultra-athletic, 6-foot-1, 176-pound frame.
"I woke up," Johnson said, "and that's when I knew."
Sounds like Richard Pitino and Co. made quite the impression when Johnson, the state's No. 2 recruit according to ESPN and 247Sports, visited campus last weekend.
Johnson called Pitino and assistant Ben Johnson on Monday to notify them of his choice. Friday after school, he announced it to the world, donning a maroon, flat-billed, snapback Gophers cap and verbally ratifying his commitment.
He can't make it official until Nov. 12 when the NCAA's early signing period begins. But Johnson has no doubt about where he's supposed to be -- so much so that he canceled scheduled visits to Wisconsin, Wichita State, UNLV and Baylor.
Minnesota also beat out fellow Big Ten members Maryland, Michigan State and Penn State for Johnson's services.
"I kind of knew that I didn't want to go" on the other visits, said Johnson, who's won a state championship for each of his three years in high school while starring for the AAU Howard Pulley Panthers during the interscholastic offseason. "I knew that I wanted to be home with everybody."
Aside from his oracle-like dream, Pitino's personality clicked with that of Johnson. He also has longstanding relationships with Ben Johnson, who also played high school hoops at DeLaSalle, and Columbia Heights product Zach Lofton, who transferred to Minnesota from Illinois State.
"Ben Johnson's a legendary player and in fact -- he didn't want me to do this -- but it's sort of 'Johnson and Johnson,'" said DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson, who introduced Jarvis Johnson to a conference room packed with reporters, students and family members. "We believe in that legacy and tradition. That's something that we talk about all the time."
Said Jarvis Johnson: "I knew Zach since I was younger, so we kind of built a relationship till now. I actually didn't know he was coming back to the University of Minnesota, but I found out, it kind of gave me a little more reason to go there."
The first in-state freshman recruit to Pitino's name, Johnson claims the last available scholarship for the coach's second recruiting class since taking the reins. He joins Florida big man Jonathan Nwankwo (Rivals and 247 three-star, ESPN four-star, 152nd in 247's composite rankings) and guards Kevin Dorsey (ESPN and Rivals four-star, ranked 85th nationally by Rivals and 96th in 247 composite) and Dupree McBrayer (Rivals three-star and 134th nationally, 247 three-star and 216th in composite) in a class already ranked 21st nationally by Rivals and 25th by 247.
If that holds up -- depending how other schools' 2015 hauls shake out -- Minnesota would have its best class in the 13 years Rivals has been ranking teams' recruiting crops.
Johnson himself is a four-star according to ESPN and a three-star per Rivals and 247 (four-star if you look at 247's composite numbers). At one point, Rivals had him ranked in its top 100 and slapped four stars next to his name.
He likely won't be the last senior from hoops powerhouse DeLaSalle to sign with a major college. Guard Sacar Anim is also a three-star with offers from Drake, Northern Iowa, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Lehigh, and small forward Josh Collins has begun gleaning some Division I attention, too, Thorson said.
It's a major step up for Pitino after he arrived in the Twin Cities too late to net any of the top three 2014 in-state prospects -- Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Duke), Rashad Vaughn (Cooper, UNLV) and Reid Travis (DeLaSalle, Stanford). Johnson and Thorson said they hope this opens the door for more Minnesota kids to consider remaining in the Land of 10,000 Lakes with a program coming off an NIT championship in Pitino's first season at the helm.
One of the last blue-chip gets to spurn the Gophers said his former teammate made the right choice.
"Jarvis reached out to me about a month ago and kind of asked how I handled the whole situation," said Travis, back in town before commencing classes at Stanford next week. "I just told him to have fun with it and narrow it down to really what he was looking for at the end of the day. I think he used my advice well.
"I'm happy for him, and I think it's a great decision."
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