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PG 6'1 Koren Johnson (Garfield HS/Wasatch Academy 2022) Commits To The UW
ChillyDawg
Member Posts: 1,469
Had previously committed to San Diego State https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/story/2021-11-08/san-diego-state-sdsu-aztecs-basketball-koren-johnson-recruit-decommit-wasatch-academy-washington .
Will Conroy most likely got in his ear for him to decommit from San Diego State in order to come to the UW and join Mike Hopkins dumpster fire program.
Koren Johnson https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/koren-johnson joins F 6'7 Tyler Linhardt (King’s HS) https://verbalcommits.com/players/tyler-linhardt and Michigan PG 6'2 Keyon Menifield Jr (PHHoenix Prep HS) https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/keyon-menifield-jr in the UW's 2022 recruiting class.
Will Conroy most likely got in his ear for him to decommit from San Diego State in order to come to the UW and join Mike Hopkins dumpster fire program.
Koren Johnson https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/koren-johnson joins F 6'7 Tyler Linhardt (King’s HS) https://verbalcommits.com/players/tyler-linhardt and Michigan PG 6'2 Keyon Menifield Jr (PHHoenix Prep HS) https://www.verbalcommits.com/players/keyon-menifield-jr in the UW's 2022 recruiting class.
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Koren Johnson, 2022 four-star, commits to Washington
Koren Johnson, a 6-foot-1 combo guard out of Seattle (Wash.) Wasatch Academy has committed to Washington basketball for the class of 2022, he tells On3.
Johnson is the Huskies’ third commitment of the class. He joins Tyler Linhardt and Keyon Menifield.
Koren Johnson is the No. 105 prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is ranked as the No. 18 point guard and the No. 1 player in Washington.
San Diego State was Johnson’s original pick, before reopening his recruitment after being committed to the Aztecs less than a month. The Seattle native will now play for the hometown Washington Huskies.
Why Washington?
I felt like Washington is the best fit for me because Coach (Will) Conroy and (Mike) Hopkins believe in me to come in as a freshman and play a big role in the Pac-12. I know Coach Conroy is going to push me to my limits and to work hard every day! Also, Washington is home to me, so I wanted my family and friends to just drive down the street and come watch me play every night.”
How does Johnson describe his game?
“I’m a hard, gritty point guard that wants to win,” Johnson said. “I want to play defense, make plays, and score the basketball. I’m a true point guard, but I played combo guard most of AAU. But I can do both.”
Garfield vs Seattle Prep (May 2021): Koren Johnson Drops 40pts In Double Overtime Thriller
Also, word on the street courts is that UW Husky legend Isaiah Thomas is largely behind Koren Johnson decommitting from San Diego State and committing to the UW basketball program.
Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/uw-mens-basketball-team-gets-commitment-from-former-garfield-star-koren-johnson/
Mike Hopkins? Brandon Roy? Mark Pope? Travis DeCuire? Will Conroy? Other?
The Washington Huskies received some desperately needed good news yesterday when Class of 2022 guard Koren Johnson announced that he has verbally committed to be a Dawg.
For those somewhat confused about how this came to be, Johnson had originally committed to San Diego State last month after naming a final 3 of UW, Arizona, and SDSU. However, Johnson stepped back from that commitment just before the start of the early signing period and re-opened his recruitment. It didn’t take too long for him to reverse course and end up back home.
The 6’2 combo guard started his high school career at Garfield in Seattle but transferred this summer out of state to basketball prep school Wasatch Academy in Utah. That hasn’t been an encouraging sign in the past for UW to wind up with those players but it appears to have worked out in Johnson’s case. Another example, PJ Fuller, wound up in purple and green eventually as well boa the transfer portal.
Koren is rated by the 247 Sports Composite as the #119 player in the country and a 4-star recruit. In 247’s own ratings though he’s even higher at 84th overall. He was the top rated player in the state of Washington before the high school move which put him under Utah.
Playing for Seattle Rotary on the EYBL this summer, Johnson averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 assists per game on 38.8% 3-pt shooting. At the prep level Johnson only played 7 games in the abbreviated 2020-21 season but averaged 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game playing under Brandon Roy at Garfield. The year before that he helped lead Garfield to a 3A state championship alongside now LSU Tiger Tari Eason.
Johnson becomes the 3rd commit in the class of 2022 for Washington alongside 3-stars PG Keyon Menifield Jr. and SF Tyler Linhardt (both of whom have signed their NLIs already). Menifield and Johnson are both highly accomplished scorers who can also distribute when they need to and ideally with their heights wouldn’t play at the same time for defensive reasons but could certainly co-exist on offense. Washington will be losing their starting guard duo of Daejon Davis and Terrell Brown Jr. after this season and so additional reinforcements at the guard spot were sorely needed.
The extra year of eligibility has left the roster situation fluid as both Jamal Bey and Emmitt Matthews Jr. could choose to return for a 5th year but will likely each have their degree done and could instead choose to attempt pro careers (though likely not in the NBA unless they have a tremendous leap in the next few months). Former walk-on Reagan Lundeen was placed on scholarship last week but as a senior I’m sure the expectation is that he will graduate and that spot will also open. That would give UW 3 commits for 3 spots and any further departures would be supplemented through the transfer portal.
Here are highlights of Johnson as a sophomore taking down Eastside Catholic with 23 points going up against now Gonzaga Bulldog Nolan Hickman.
And some highlights of Koren wearing #2 playing for Dream Vision in a tournament this past Spring.
GHS Boys Basketball Preseason Interview w/ Koren Johnson
Pro Insight: Tale of the 📼 | 2022 prospect Koren Johnson (10/2/21)
Pro Insight: Koren Johnson spent time talking with Pro Insight’s Tyler Glazier for the latest rendition of the Pro Insight Q&A series, at the 2021 #PT40🌹 showcase in Portland, Oregon.
GHS Bulldog Sports Journal: We ask Koren Johnson a few questions after their fantastic victory against Roosevelt.
GHS Bulldog Sports Journal: A compilation of highlights from both boys and girls basketball teams in their games against Roosevelt on 12/10/21
HoopSeen TV: One on one with 2022 guard Koren Johnson (Oct 18/2020). The talented class of 2022 point guard from the famed Garfield HS was outstanding at the HoopSeen West Preview camp powered by Pro Insight. We caught up with him to discuss the history of Seattle hoops, his place in the lineage and his recruitment.
GHS Bulldog Sports Journal: Boys Basketball Hardwood Invite Game #1 Postgame Interview with Koren Johnson. We ask Koren Johnson some questions after their nice win to move on in the Hardwood Invite.
NWBallers Basketball: Garfield vs Auburn At Hoop Source Hardwood Invite Championship (12/21/2021). Coming into the game the Auburn Trojans were ranked #1 in WA 3A and Garfield was ranked #2. UW commit Koren Johnson had something to say about that with 27 points and walked away as #TheHardwoodinvite tourney MVP, in a hotly contested game that was close through mid 4th QTR. The Bulldogs eventually came out with a 62-53 win. This title game capped the 4-day tourney played at Auburn High School and put on by #HoopSource.
Silky and smooth, it was another field goal for the 6-foot-3 Garfield guard.
And it elicited a spontaneous “Ohhh,” from teammates sitting on the bench at the other end of the floor.
Such are the moments Johnson evokes from players and spectators alike. Moments that when the 2021-22 school year began, the Garfield Bulldogs thought were done from their superstar guard. After three seasons, including the 2020 Class 3A state boys basketball title, Johnson had transferred to Wasatch Academy in Utah for his senior year.
Yet, as 2021 ends Johnson is back in the Garfield fold, trying to help lead the Bulldogs to a defense of their title next March. There was no 2021 state championship, with the COVID-19 pandemic erasing all state playoffs during the last school year.
“I kind of got homesick, and I just didn’t really think it was for me,” Johnson said of his return from Utah. “I wanted to be home around my family, and the people I really know.”
For Johnson, being close to home informed another decision. Originally committed to San Diego State for his college destination, in late November he changed over and will attend the University of Washington.
“I just really didn’t want to be away from home, and I already knew the coaching staff really well,” said Johnson, a four-star recruit and the top player in the state for the Class of 2022 according to 247Sports.com.
His return to his Seattle base further has created a bit of kismet for the Garfield basketball program this season. When these Bulldog seniors arrived four years ago as freshmen, Garfield coach Brandon Roy was on a leave of absence https://scorebooklive.com/washington/2021/12/06/brandon-roy-on-another-leave-of-absence-as-garfields-coach-the-door-is-open-for-his-return/ and Jay Von Nickens stepped in to coach that year’s team.
Now that the group that contains Johnson and others is again being tutored by Nickens while Roy is away on another leave of absence.
“This senior class, I had them,” Nickens said. “I guess it’s right for me to have them, because I had them when they were freshmen. Consistency across the board. When coach (Roy) is there, he gives us free reign to lead the charge. Coach is more of a laid-back guy. He’s on them as much as we are, but he lets us assistant coaches express ourselves and do our X’s and O’s. That’s how you do it as a head coach. So, this is nothing new for us.”
The transition may feel seamless for Nickens and Johnson, but there were steps to take. Until practice started, Nickens didn’t know for sure whether Johnson would actually be back.
“I had heard, but I didn’t really know,” Nickens said. “He’s gotta show up. Once he showed up and enrolled, then I can start smiling. Once he enrolled, they came to me and said, Koren’s back. I had a conversation. I told him my expectations, he told me some things about his expectations and here we are.”
There was some airing out done during that initial conversation, said Nickens, who chose not to go into details.
“It was a good conversation; let’s say that,” Nickens said with a chuckle. “He did what he was supposed to do as a leader, as an older guy. He talked to the team.”
Being that leader on and off the floor is one of those expectations, Nickens said. And Johnson has taken that to heart.
During the spring COVID-delayed Metro League season, Johnson was primarily a scorer. He averaged close to 30 points a game, but the Bulldogs weren’t nearly as successful as two seasons ago, not even getting to play for the only title available — the Metro championship.
Over the first few games this season, Johnson is doing it all. He’s still scoring at 17 points a game. But defensively he’s a steals machine and on offense he is dishing the ball at any opportunity.
Just days ago, in a blowout victory over Union in the quarterfinals of the Hardwood Invite (the same tournament where he made that pretty move that got his bench fired up a day earlier) Johnson nearly filled up a triple-double with 15 points, nine steals and eight assists.
“I just really like playing with him,” junior Jaylin Stewart said.
The athletic Stewart is a frequent recipient of those assists.
“I just find the open man and the pass that’s available,” Johnson said.
Where this group will ultimately end up, Nickens isn’t about to predict, though he does smile when asked about having Johnson back in the fold.
“I just look at it like he never left,” Nickens said. “Some people were kind of making it a big deal, but he’s a three-year starter at Garfield. So, he’s not a transfer. He went and tried some things. He and his family decided to go down to Utah, thought it would work. It didn’t. He came back home and we welcomed him home with open arms.”
“They know what it takes to win a championship. They were sophomores. They were led by Tari Eason and Kendall Munson, and other guys that were seniors. These guys know exactly what it takes. It’s organic and it’s been there since they were freshmen. It’s their turn as seniors to be leaders. Nothing is going to be given to us. We have to work extremely hard. It’s a marathon.”
The first leg of that marathon is coming to a close as the holidays — a time for family — end 2021 and portend 2022.
“It feels good to get back and be with my teammates,” Johnson said. “They welcomed me with open arms, so it just felt good to be treated like family, still.”
Al Ward: Garfield vs Auburn BATTLE for the CHAMPIONSHIP. Koren Johnson UW Commit WINS MVP in the highly anticipated game the entire State wanted to witness in a SOLD OUT Gym. Garfield 62 Auburn 53.
Al Ward: Koren Johnson 6'2 Highly Skilled Point Guard (2022)
Koren Johnson Explains How Garfield Won The State Basketball Championship (2020)