Prospect watch: Houston Johnson (2017)
WILLARD — Few players are looking forward to the start of the 2016-17 season more than Willard 2017 Houston Johnson. After battling injuries each of the past two years, Johnson is gearing up for his senior year under head coach…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWILLARD — Few players are looking forward to the start of the 2016-17 season more than Willard 2017 Houston Johnson.
After battling injuries each of the past two years, Johnson is gearing up for his senior year under head coach Lamont Frazier.
An athletic 6-foot-5 forward, Johnson put together a strong summer running with MoKan Select, a talented squad that also featured Eysan Wiley (Rock Bridge), Curtis Lewis (Pembroke Hill) and others. He says he spent much of the offseason focused on getting back to full strength and polishing his perimeter skills.
“This summer I was really focused on two things — my health and my jump shot,” Johnson said. “Fighting back from ankle surgery required an extreme amount of care. Not only did I have to push myself through pain to make it stronger, but I also had to hold myself back at times to prevent injuring myself again. Also, i believe my focus on my perimeter shot and shot off the dribble has improved my confidence and ability drastically from what it used to be.”
Johnson says the Willard Tigers are poised for a breakout year with a healthy line-up, several talented returners and a couple of new faces.
“With multiple returning seniors and some very valuable juniors and underclassmen, I think our journey would be cut short if a Final Four appearance isn’t made,” he said. “We have 10 guys who could potentially start. That does two things for us. Creates depth, and competition. with that many guys we have to always earn our spots and that will continually make us better and better prepared for our opponents.”
Johnson has impressed throughout the fall at various camps and should be a priority recruit from NCAA Division II coaches according to many of the camp directors that have evaluated him.