Swish 'N Dish: Johnson has the juice

MEQUON, Wisc. -- The 2016 grassroots basketball season is off and running and Rivals.com is getting things started off at the NY2LA Sports Swish 'N Dish at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisc. Four-star junior point guard Markell Johnson left his imprint on the event Saturday.

One of the most explosive playmakers in the class of 2017, King James point guard Markell Johnson of Cleveland (Ohio) East Tech put his best foot forward on Saturday.

An exciting 6-foot-1 junior who is a true high flyer, Johnson brought some extra juice into the building at Homestead. He kept defenders on their heels with his ability to get into the paint and score or make plays while making just enough deep jumpers to keep them honest.

Point guards are supposed to put pressure on defenses and that's exactly what Johnson does.

Currently ranked No. 99 in the class of 2017, Johnson played above that level and there's some intrigue with his recruitment. There have been recent suggestions that he could actually make his way to college as a 2016 prospect -- and Ohio State gets brought up a lot when discussing that -- however Johnson and his coaches said that the current plan is 2017.

In addition to the Buckeyes, Johnson listed offers from Cleveland State, Arizona State, Florida, N.C. State, Cincinnati, Louisville, Virginia Tech, DePaul and others.

"I had narrowed it down to a top five," Johnson told Rivals.com. "But some stuff started happening at some of the schools and I opened it back up."

Slotted at No. 123 overall in the class of 2017, 6-foot-6 small forward Justin Smith from Lincolnshire (Ill.) Stevenson got off to a nice start for the Mac Irvin Fire. A bouncy athlete, Smith went high to finish alley-oops, looked confident with his jumper (even with mixed results) and looked to have improved his ball handling. In the past he had looked like more of a combo forward, but he looks to be a full-time wing. Smith listed offers from Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Rice, Purdue, DePaul, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.

When the rankings for 2018 were expanded, 6-foot-4 shooting guard Tyler Herro from the class of 2018 didn't make the cut. Not because he wasn't worthy, but an in-person evaluation was needed. After watching the smooth shooter from Milwaukee (Wisc.) Whitnall do work for the Wisconsin Playground Warriors, he's one that should merit consideration for four-star status. He has to work hard at times to create, but his handle is strong and his jumper, combined with good size, is a very real weapon. Herro listed offers from Wisconsin, Marquette, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Creighton, DePaul and Sam Houston State while mentioning Arizona and Kansas as the latest to show interest.

"I averaged like 25 points and six assists and played well this season, but I have a lot I can improve on," said Herro. "I'm getting stronger and working on my quickness off the dribble."

Year in and year out, the Iowa Barnstormers are one of the top summer programs in the Midwest. This year, it looks like six-foot tall point guard A.J. Green of their 16U team is poised for a big summer. He's quite skinny but he showed that he can shoot the cover off the ball from deep and that he's got savvy beyond his years. The son of Northern Iowa assistant coach Kyle Green, Green just picked up an offer from UNI and he should have more on the way in the near future.

During the high school season, 6-foot-4 shooting guard Torrence Watson of St. Louis (Ill.) Whitfield looked like a nice prospect. However, the game where I was able to evaluate the three-star sophomore wasn't the best because he and his team overmatched their opponents badly. On Saturday, Watson looked like a potential high major prospect while making shots, showing athleticism on drives to the rim and making plays on both ends. Watson listed offers from Missouri, Kansas State and Jacksonville State to go along with one from the recently departed Saint Louis University staff. Creighton, Virginia, Purdue, Texas and Xavier have all reached out.

Rivals doesn't begin the scouting process until prospects reach high school. But every now and then we run across an 8th grader playing up in age and that's what happened with 6-foot-2 point guard Jalen Suggs. Playing up three full age groups with Grassroots Elite, the 14 year old played with remarkable poise and skill for such a young player. He hit deep jumpers, made good use of the high ball screen and had remarkable maturity. He'll begin his high school career as one to watch.

It looks like four-star guard Nojel Eastern is completely recovered from injury. After a nasty ankle injury in the spring of 2015, the No. 55 ranked player in 2017 looks to be back in form. Eastern is every bit of 6-foot-5 (if not a little bigger) and has strength to match. It will be interesting to see what the spring has in store for him.

Right on the border of three and four-star status, 6-foot-5 wing Terrence Lewis of Milwaukee (Wisc.) Riverside certainly passes the look test. Saturday, the Playground Elite standout's game passed the test as well. He attacked the rim and stroked some jumpers while also playing well defensively. Lewis listed offers from Xavier, Miami, Iowa State, Illinois, Purdue, Auburn and Minnesota to go with interest from local programs Marquette and Wisconsin.

Look for the profile of sophomore combo guard Ayo Dosunmu to grow as coaches and scouts get to see him this spring. A slick, 6-foot-3 driver of the basketball, the Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park product was quite impressive for the Mac Irvin Fire's 16U team. He got to the rim at will where he scored or set up teammates and he's got a long armed frame with plenty of room to grow into.

He isn't the biggest point guard, but 5-foot-10 sophomore Foster Loyer from Clarkston (Mich.) High of All Ohio Red Sylvester was quite impressive in the 16U Division. The three-star prospect is a big-time shooter from deep, plays hard and has his head on a swivel. He doesn't lack anything for savvy or competitiveness and listed offers from Michigan State, DePaul and Oakland to go with interest from Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan.