Chris Johnson after picking Kansas Jayhawks: ‘I wanted to be at a blueblood school’
Houston-area blue chip basketball combo guard Chris Johnson knew his recruitment was about to end Monday, July 25, when he began an official visit to Kansas.
“The first day I got on campus I knew I was coming. Even though people aren’t there (during summer compared to school year) it was just a feeling. I knew I was a Jayhawk,” the 6-foot-5, 180-pound Montverde (Florida) Academy senior said Tuesday night in a phone interview. He was speaking to The Star shortly after announcing for KU during a ceremony at the T.J. Ford Academy in Johnson’s hometown of Missouri City, Texas..
One of the reasons ESPN’s No. 24-ranked player in the high school recruiting Class of 2023 felt so convinced KU needed to be his future college home is his lifelong desire to play for one of the country’s national hoops powerhouses.
“I mean I’m not going to lie. I never really watched University of Houston and Texas and all those schools,” said Johnson. The former Fort Bend (Texas) Elkins High standout now headed to Montverde chose KU over Arkansas, Texas A&M, Houston, Alabama, Texas, UConn, Auburn, TCU, Tennessee, UCLA, Creighton, Georgia and others.
“I knew Texas A&M because my mom went to A&M. I watched Kansas, Duke and Kentucky. I wanted to be at a blueblood school. That’s where I always pictured myself going. To see all the love Kansas showed me …there’s no other place I’d rather be. It’s Kansas. I grew up watching Kansas. It was a dream school,” he noted. “Plus like everybody always says, ‘Go somewhere that wants you.’ Kansas has been there since Day One.”
Johnson made just two official visits, to KU and LSU last winter. Since that visit, LSU has changed coaches.
Through the recruiting process, he’s felt comfortable with his lead recruiter, KU assistant Jeremy Case, as well as 20th-year KU head coach Bill Self.
“I’ve really got a strong relationship with coach Case. He does with my family too,” Johnson said. “He’s been riding with me ever since the beginning of my junior year. We built a bond. We talk on the daily.
“They are just really good guys. Coach Self on my visit talked to me pretty much the whole time I was there. He sat me down, broke down my film, how I could fit in their offense, how he would want me to play, helping me try to get where I want to go (NBA).”
Johnson — he’s also ranked No. 32 by 247sports.com and No. 58 by Rivals.com — said he planned on playing point guard during the 2022-23 season, then possibly many positions at KU.
“He (Self) was talking to me about my game being rare,” Johnson said. “I was blown away how much he really believes in me and how I could be a game-changer for his program.
“He wanted me to be a combo guard,” Johnson added. “With their offense, they let anybody bring the ball up. He likes I can guard 1 through 4. He loves my versatility. I can pretty much do everything from the 1 through 4. I’m not saying I’m going to play the 4, but combo guard … I can play wing and I can bring it up too.”
Johnson is the first player to commit to KU in the recruiting class of 2023. KU has at least two scholarships to give in losing seniors Cam Martin and Kevin McCullar. It’s possible some non-seniors also could turn pro after the 2022-23 campaign.
“They’ve got a young team right now,” Johnson said. “I know a lot of their guys now. He (Self) wants to bring in one other person, one other ’23 kid I think they said. I’m going to do my best to help recruit.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
