Soon after it has been reported that Shadow Mountain High School's 6-foot-5, 220-pound athletic beast Carlos Johnson joined the storied Oakland Soldiers AAU/club basketball program, the talented 2016 prospect has reeled in an offer from a nearby, Northern California PAC-12 basketball program - his first official high-major division-I scholarship consideration.
Last weekend and early this week, Johnson took an unofficial recruiting visit to the Cal Campus, while in Northern California - practicing with his new club program in preparation for the summer. While on the visit and meeting with new head coach Cuonzo Martin and his basketball staff, Johnson would receive an offer from the coaching staff.
Johnson is also now receiving serious interest from numerous other programs as well, as Arizona, New Mexico, George Washington, San Jose State, and Cal State Bakersfield have all been in contact.
Johnson will compete with the heavily Nike-sponsored Soldiers this summer in such events as the Nike Peach Jam in Augusta, Georgia. Johnson will play for the Soldiers' talented 16U team this summer.
Johnson is a dominant force in Arizona basketball. In fact, Johnson is the state's most imposing force on the basketball court, as a result of his extreme toughness, athleticism and physical strength. As a result, Johnson is already off to an amazing start during his high school career, pouring in two impressive high school seasons for himself already and coming off an impressive sophomore season where he helped lead his Shadow Mountain high school program to this year's Division-II state championship.
In his sophomore season, Johnson helped lead the Matadors to a 29-3 overall record on the season, while scoring 20.5 points and grabbing 8.1 rebounds per/game, while leading his program to a state title.
Since the end to the high school season, Johnson has continued his terrific play while playing on the club circuit - first with his local club program, Team Bibby, a local club program filled with many of the state's top boys and girls prospects and sponsored by NBA star guard Mike Bibby. Johnson led his 16U team to several tournament championships, including this year's Double Pump Spring Hoop Fest in California.
Johnson is a glaring talent among Arizona's loaded 2016 class of prospects, and, while his college recruitment has yet to fully take off, look for this young man to quickly become one of the state's most sought after recruiting targets in the very near future.
It is still questionable as to which position Johnson will play in college, but he has shown a nice ability to play as a small forward for the future - possessing a good shooting stroke with range and a strong handle of the basketball. While he has the body of a power forward, Johnson has quick feet and explosiveness that allows him to play much bigger than his size suggests. He is a high-major division-I talent, and his college recruitment should begin to reflect that after a strong summer showing, especially after competing with a dominant Oakland Soldiers' roster for July.
I will continue to follow Johnson's recruitment very closely, and bring you any updates as they continue to develop.
