Four-star Johnny Juzang blowing up
RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Settling in for the very first time at the US Olympic Training facility this week, Johnny Juzang has showed plenty of present day production and down-the-road potential that makes him one of the top prospects in the 2020 class.
He gave his initial thoughts in competing for a final spot on the USA Basketball under-17 roster, his first phone call on June 15 and touched on the number of respected programs in strong pursuit.
“It has been a great opportunity with all of these great players and such great coaches, everybody has talent here and everybody is athletic, so to separate yourself, you have to do the small things and bring the intangibles to the floor,” he said. “It has been a great opportunity to learn, grow and get better. It has been a great environment to do that.”
On June 15, members of the 2020 class were allowed direct contact with college coaches for the first time as Juzang’s phone was a target by many coaches.
“It was blowing up, I am not going to lie, all day,” he said. “The first call I think it had to be California at midnight, but I was asleep. There were a few midnight calls.”
Kansas, Virginia, Georgetown, San Diego State, USC, UCLA, California, Stanford, Oregon State and most of the Pac-12, along with a few East Coast schools, are among those in the hunt for Juzang early on, he told Rivals.com.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
California: “They are a newer staff and I haven’t been up there since they were hired, but it is in a great spot and a great academic school, which separates them, and they also have great sports programs.”
UCLA: “They have such a strong history and with a lot of great players that come out of there. It is a pretty great program and they are always at the top that plays a lot of good competition with a very good schedule, which separates themselves from a lot of west coast schools.”
USC: “They have been recruiting me since the 8th grade so I have always had a great relationship with them. It is nice know people that are going there that I have known for a while but I wouldn’t say that is a deciding factor for me.”
Kansas: “Another great program. They have a lot of great history and a lot of great players have come out of there. Not only do they have a great culture but they have a crazy environment. It is just different there.”
Virginia: “It is not considered one of the blue bloods but they have a phenomenal culture, a winning culture, which is really big with them. They recruit a certain type of player out there with guys that want to make the extra pass and stuff like that. It is a little different but they have that culture there that really separates themselves.”
Georgetown: “I think they are really strong and are on the comeback. I can’t predict the future but we will see what happens in the coming years but I think they are on the right track.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
Vying for a spot on the USA Basketball under-17 roster that will compete in Argentina next month at the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Championship, Juzang has continued to cement his standing as a top-of-the-line wing prospect in the 2020 class.
He will complete his junior travel season in July with the Compton Magic 17-under squad.
RIVALS' REACTION
There are no glaring holes within Juzang’s game as he can knock down shots from each level on the floor, distribute off of the bounce, rebound in traffic and guard multiple positions.
Thanks to his abilities in the classroom, Juzang has already drawn the eyes of some of the best academic schools nationally as Virginia, Georgetown, Cal and Stanford are just a few that have shown strong attention towards him. However, UCLA, USC, Kansas and a handful of others will remain in pursuit as he enters his upperclassman years.