On Friday, three-star point guard Jarvis Johnson committed to Minnesota, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise as the Gophers had been considered the heavy favorites for the state’s top prospect in the Class of 2015.
Johnson had four other finalists -- Baylor, UNLV, Wichita State and Wisconsin -- and even scheduled official visits, according to Ameila Rayno of the Star-Tribune. He used his first official visit this past weekend at Minnesota.
Johnson joins a versatile back court set to join the program next season. Richard Pitino has previously secured commitments from four-star point guard Kevin Dorsey and three-star combo guard Dupree McBrayer. It’ll be an important group, too, as Gophers graduate Andre Hollins and Dre Mathieu -- the team’s top two returning scorers -- after this season. Each guard brings scoring prowess to the Big Ten program. Dorsey led his Team Takeover in scoring at 12.5 points per game in the Nike EYBL. The 6-foot-4 McBrayer also scored in double figures while shooting 36 percent from three for New Heights in the Under Armour Association.
The 6-foot-1 Johnson posted 6.2 points and 2.0 assists per game for Howard Pulley Panthers, though, his shooting percentages were low.
Last Friday, power forward Jonathan Nwankwo chose the Gophers.