Dana Altman is trying to ensure Oregon basketball doesn’t see any drop-off at the point guard position in the foreseeable future as he offered five-star point guard Dior Johnson this week.
The five-star point guard from New York is now playing prep ball in the Los Angeles area, so the fact that he moved out to the West Coast could actually help the Ducks here. Getting him away from the East Coast could open up his recruitment a bit more, especially after he decommitted from Syracuse.
Whenever a recruit is ranked in that top 5-10 range, there’s a decent chance they could end up choosing the G-League or overseas routes. The prospect of making money instead of playing for free (for now) in college seems overwhelmingly enticing.
Oregon might be able to seel him on the image and likeness compensation in Eugene by the time he gets to college and the Ducks will have plenty of opportunities to make their top athletes money.
Johnson will be a tough prospect to land, however, as he’s atop almost everyone’s list.
Oregon basketball’s top competition
Johnson is listed as the No. 1 point guard and fifth-best overall prospect in the 2022 class by the 247Sports Composite and Jerry Meyer even compared him to De’Aaron Fox.
Colleges have to like his length and athleticism along with the fact that he can score from just about anywhere. This is what also makes him a top pro prospect already and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him in early 2023 mocks as a lottery pick.
The top competition right now has to be the G-League or overseas ball, but other top programs to have offered are Alabama, LSU, and Memphis. Oregon would have to look like one of the top 3-4 options already and the Ducks just offered this week.
Expect Altman to make a serious effort here with Richardson graduating after the 2021-22 season and Harmon potentially following along to the NBA.