Photo - McDonald's All-American Game
After playing a season with Keldon Johnson at Oak Hill, Kansas signee David McCormack has learned to appreciate his teammate’s unique personality.
“Keldon Johnson is a fun teammate. He’s a goofy guy. But on and off the court, he is supportive in everything. He is very easy to get along with. He’s just overall a great teammate to have,” said McCormack.
Both Oak Hill players are here to play in Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American Game before playing for Oak Hill in the Geico High School Nationals Thursday in New York. The 6-5 Johnson is a Kentucky signee and came here with a simple mission — win.
“I came in here to dominate, kill,” Johnson, who participated in the slam dunk contest Monday, said. “And when I go back to Oak Hill I have the same mindset: dominate and kill. I don’t think it’ll be a big transition for me.”
McCormack said that attitude is what teammates learned to expect from Johnson.
“His mentality is definitely different when he gets on the court. There are some jokes here and there, but for the most part he is all about his business and making sure he gets his job done on his end,” McCormack said.
Rivals.com basketball writer Krysten Peek knows that on-court mentality is part of what makes Johnson one of the top 10 players in the 2018 recruiting class.
“I think Keldon is one of the most improved players from two years ago to now,” Peek said after the dunk contest. “He has grown and is taller than people think. Every time I see him, he gets better.”
Johnson averaged 22 points, 6.8 rebounds ad 3. 6 assists per game for Oak Hill after transferring from Huntington (W.Va.) Prep for his senior season.
“I think he can do a lot of things to help a team win,” Peek said. “He’s not needed a great jump shot so far because he is so strong and quick. Will he need a jump shot next year? Yes, but I think his shot is fine.
“He’s a good defender already. He’s not known for his steals or quickness, but he’s also not a guy that is going to be a step behind elite offensive players. He’s going to be a really good defender.”
Johnson watched UK’s loss to Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament last week. He had little to say about the game other than UK had chance to win and it “didn’t roll our way” at the right times.
“Of course, you think that you can help if you had been playing. Any player would think that,” Johnson said. “The team was pretty good this year. I would love to have played with the team this year, but I couldn’t.”
Kentucky’s roster for next year obviously remains in flux while players weight NBA or other professional options.
“I don’t have a clue who might be back,” Johnson said. “We will just see how it goes and go from there. But I can’t want to get there and be playing against big-time competition day in, day out. It’s going to be great.”
ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi will call the national high school championship and stopped by Atlanta to see Johnson and several other players who will be participating in the championship event.
“Keldon is such a powerful driver. He brings energy to everything he does. If you think about John Calipari and how he coaches and what is important to him and how passionate he is about the game, I think Cal has met someone who is just as passionate,” Biancardi said. “I think Keldon will bring it in practice a lot, if not every day, and Cal will love that.
“He has been pretty consistent bringing finishing ability, toughness and energy. He has to work on his outside shot but going to the basket, he is as good as we have in the class. His outside shot is better but where he is going it needs to get much better. But if you just saw him even practice here, it’s easy to see how good he’s going to be.”
