South Mountain Junior College is really trying to put together something special for next season. After landing PAC-12 transfer, 6-foot-9 post Connor MacDougall from Arizona State this spring, this team is bringing back several top-rated prospects, and has also added numerous other prospects to round out a very nice class of top performers for the 2015-2016 season.
This week, the SMCC coaching staff got another boost when they landed Tucson's Cienega High School 2015 graduate, 6-foot-3, 190-pound wing Terrence Johnson, after Johnson signed a national letter of intent with the junior college basketball program.
Johnson is one of the state's elite football prospects, and had numerous high-major division-I scholarship offers on the table for himself as a wide receiver - including the University of Arizona. While it had been believed that Johnson would head to play big-time college football next fall, Johnson surprised everyone - choosing to play basketball in college.
I believed that the right play for Johnson would have been to pursue football, since he has future NFL potential as a wide receiver. In fact, it would be almost automatic for this young man to play professionally since he is a sure-fire, big-time athletic talent. Players Johnson's size and athleticism are almost a dime a dozen in basketball, but, in the sport of football, these types of individuals get paid a lot of money.
As a basketball talent, Johnson is a tremendous prospect though for SMCC. Johnson is a freak of an athlete, but really developed his overall feel for the game and shooting touch throughout his high school career. Johnson is a nice shooting guard prospect with a sharp shooting stroke and a quick release on his shot with range. He really improved the range on his shot in his final two seasons of high school, and is currently able to score the basketball from deep three-point range or off the dribble from mid-range and around the basket.
Johnson is also a good ball handler and passer, and is capable of handling the basketball in the open floor and helping run a team. He is an active rebounder and a strong finisher around the paint, where he utilizes his athleticism and quick lift off the floor to make and finish plays. He is also an aggressive shotblocker for his size with good timing.
Throughout his high school recruitment, Johnson received strong interest from such college programs as Weber State, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado - with each school offering him a scholarship at one time. He will look to regain that level of interest again while playing in the ACCAC next season.
Last season as a senior for Cienega, Johnson led the team to a strong 25-4 overall record on the season, while averaging 16.5 points and 5 rebounds per/game.
Johnson will have the option of playing both football and basketball sports in college, if desired. It will be very interesting to see how his athletic future plays out.
This is a big get for SMCC head coach Daven Vo and his staff for next season, as the Cougars look to take back the ACCAC conference title next season.
