In his 37 years of coaching high school basketball, it is fair to say that Isaiah Peterson has seen a number of big time players come out of the state of Mississippi. The legendary coach at Coahoma Co. High School in Clarksdale has a player on his roster, who he thinks has a chance to be one of the most special guys he's ever coached. Enter Raven Johnson.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7, 175-pound wing, is quietly creating a lot of buzz in the Magnolia State even as a sophomore. Averaging 19.3 points and 13.1 rebounds a game, Johnson is proving that he's one of the top shooters in the state and has the versatility to rebound inside and knocking down shots all over the court.

Peterson, who just won his 800th game two weeks ago, is eyeing 1,000 wins. With a player like Johnson on the team, it's a feat that could come sooner than most expect. You see, Coahoma Co. that lost 63 of 65 games prior to Peterson's arrival and Johnson was still in middle school. Last year the team won district for the first time in recent memory and this year, the squad is 14-4.

When Peterson took over the Coahoma Co. job, he decided to put Johnson in the starting lineup as a freshman.

"I figured what the heck," Peterson said. "From the first game he's played for me, he's improved leaps and bounds. He's 75 percent better than what he was last year. He didn't really want to work but this summer he really changed. When he had a chance to play with other kids, I think he saw that basketball could work for him. His attitude is good and he's working harder than ever before."

Peterson has sent over 45 players to college in his days as a high school coach. Where could Johnson fall in those ranks as a collegiate player?

"The number one thing with him, he's got to get stronger. Skills-wise, it's there. He's working hard and developing day to day," Peterson said. "As a sophomore, he's got to have the edge (over the top players Peterson has coached)."

Memphis, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are some of the high-major schools that have caught wind of Johnson. 67 miles south of Memphis, Johnson is hidden away in a school of 327 kids. Suffice it to say, word is still getting out on the lanky shooter.

A good student (Johnson maintains a B average), Peterson said recruiters don't need to worry about his star's academic standing. Personality wise, the sophomore is all business.

"He's a very quiet kid; the kind that only talks if you ask him direct questions. He's in his own world," Peterson said. "I try to open practice up with a joke and try to loosen him up but he's all business. I tell him if he's going to go big, he's gotta talk in front of the cameras and things like that. He's a hard working kid that's all business."

A sleeper? Sure, for now, but Johnson could be a guy that could earn a national reputation this summer.