Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers go the good news they were hoping for on Tuesday night when top 35 wing Keon Johnson elected to stay home.
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Bell Buckle (Tenn.) Webb who ranks No. 34 in the class of 2020, Johnson had been expected to pick the Vols for some time. Still, it's always good to have a player make it official which Johnson did during Tuesday night ceremony at his church.
Just a few weeks ago at USA Basketball, Johnson was pretty high on the job that Barnes is doing in Knoxville.
"Coach (Rick) Barnes is very honest with his players and his player development is through the roof because he's coached many guys and developed them to go into the pros," said Johnson.
A candidate to make a move to five-star status during our next rankings update, Johnson has all the tools to be a big time player in the SEC.
Johnson has big time athleticism and quickness, is an instinctual player, creates off the dribble and has elite potential on the defensive end. Assuming Josiah James is around for a sophomore year, it's not outrageous to think that he and Johnson could be one of the better defensive tandems in the country.
The second high level player to pick Tennessee in the class of 2020, Johnson joins forward Corey Walker Jr. who currently ranks No. 24 nationally. At this stage, that's good for the No. 4 spot in the 2020 team recruiting rankings.
