Johnson is SEC bound

After taking an unofficial visit to a Southeastern Conference school over the weekend, Marques Johnson decided to put an end to his recruitment before he begins a busy summer. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound point guard from Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Ind. committed to Tennessee on Monday night, according to his Blessed IJN AAU coach Eric Vaughn.

Johnson, the No. 125 ranked player in the class of 2006, is the first player to commit to new Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl in the class of 2006.

"He liked the staff a lot and got to know coach Pearl really well on his unofficial visit this past weekend," Vaughn said. "He liked the campus, he liked Knoxville, he liked the opportunity there. He has a chance to start and be a point guard in the SEC. That was why he picked Tennessee. They are going to put the ball in his hands."

Johnson is a big, physical guard that will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his versatility in the backcourt, Vaughn says.

"One of the things that people don't see in him is the fact that he started as a scorer but over the last three years he's been playing the point and is getting better and better and better," Vaughn said.

"He's a rare, old school guard that can make that pass first and shoot second. He's going to score against the smaller guards but he's also going to set up his teammates and let them do their thing."

Vaughn also said Johnson hopes to make an impact right away.

"His goal is to be the SEC Freshman of the Year and take Tennessee to the NCAA tournament," Vaughn said. "It's a great opportunity."

Johnson picked the Vols over interest from Arkansas, Georgetown and NC State. Johnson will be back in action next week for the prestigious NBA Players Association camp and the ABCD camp in July.