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Prep Blog: Gophers, Pitino Land Big Recruit In Jarvis Johnson

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – When Richard Pitino was hired as University of Minnesota men's basketball coach in April 2013, there was a new sense of energy around the program.

Tubby Smith was fired after just one NCAA Tournament victory in six seasons with the Gophers. Pitino came in with youth, being in his early 30s, enthusiasm and a big name in the college basketball coaching ranks. His father, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, has won national championships and was in the process of being inducted to the National Coaches Hall of Fame when his son informed him he was offered and would be taking the Gophers job.

Other than developing a winning program, Pitino's primary responsibility as the Gophers coach is in recruiting. His job is to bring in high school kids that fit his style of play the best, develop them in his system and if they happen to be local, that's even better.

Pitino had three of the top players in the country in his back yard last year in Tyus Jones, Reid Travis and Rashad Vaughn. He simply didn't have the time to develop relationships with the three to convince them to stay home. The closest he got was Travis, who was down to Minnesota and Stanford before singing with the Cardinal last November.

Gophers fans were bitter. The thought when Travis signed with Stanford was how long would it take for Pitino to land his first big local recruit? Would somebody take the leap early, or would he have to prove he can win consistently first? An NIT title in his first season as coach certainly didn't hurt, but Pitino and Gophers fans got their first big local recruit last Friday.

Barring injury or something unexpected, DeLaSalle guard Jarvis Johnson will win Mr. Basketball this year, which goes every year to the top senior in Minnesota. Johnson announced Friday in front of family, friends and the DeLaSalle community that he will attend Minnesota next fall and play on scholarship for the Gophers. At this point it's just a verbal commitment, which will become official when he signs a national letter of intent during the early signing period in November. Johnson enters his senior with the Islanders having been a starting guard on three state championships teams.

Landing Johnson, who can play point guard and shooting guard, was critical for Pitino and the Gophers program to take the next step forward in recruiting local talent. Johnson said Friday it was just as important for him to stay home and be able to play in front of friends and family at Williams Arena.

Johnson is lightning quick, looks to push the ball in transition and thrives will attacking the basket. He said he's looking for his greatest improvement on defense and shooting from the perimeter. He seems to be a perfect fit for Pitino's high-octane style of play that he wants to implement with the Gophers.

When asked why he decided Minnesota was the place for him, he said, "These four right here to be honest." He was pointing to his family, which now has the opportunity to watch him play for his home state for the next four years.

Johnson's story is amazing. Four years ago, he collapsed on the basketball court and his heart stopped. He was dead for about 10 minutes, but somehow came back to life. He was told he'd probably never play basketball again but a few months later, was medically cleared.

Pitino made Johnson a priority immediately when he got to Minnesota, and his commitment could be the foundation the Gophers program needs to keep the state's top players home. Every year, there seems to be at least one player from Minnesota ranked highly in the nation. Johnson was a top-100 player before playing AAU this summer. He'll be the star and leader of an Islanders squad looking to win its fourth straight state championship this year. He said while it's important for him to stay home and play for the Gophers, it's also important to not put too much pressure on himself to be a hometown star for the University of Minnesota.

He joins a talented class of other Minnesota commitments in Kevin Dorsey, Dupree McBrayer and Johnathan Nwanko that will be freshmen in 2015. That class, right now, ranks in the top 25 nationally and is the best Gophers class since the early 2000s. Johnson is the biggest local recruit to stay home since Kris Humphries. Royce White was a big one for Smith, but never actually played for the Gophers after legal issues.

Though it's not necessarily his responsibility, Johnson said he'll try to help keep some future top Minnesota players in-state. The next class for basketball players that are now juniors in Minnesota is highlighted by Hopkins standout Amir Coffey and Rochester John Marshall's Michael Hurt. Coffey is the son of former Gophers star Richard Coffey. Both are currently top 100 players, and Coffey already has several offers from major Division I programs.

If the Gophers continue to make strides as a program by getting to and advancing in NCAA Tournaments, it should become easier to keep that top local talent home. If that happens while Pitino is leading the program, you can point to the day Johnson put on a Gophers hat as a key turning point.

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