Dior Johnson

Last updated
Dior Johnson
UCF Knights
Position Point guard
League Big 12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-01-28) January 28, 2004 (age 20)
Kingston, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school
College
Career highlights and awards

Dior Johnson (born January 28, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the UCF Knights of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Clarendon College Bulldogs. He was one of the highest-rated point guards in the country in high school, and he had been one of the top players in the 2022 class. [1]

Contents

Early life and high school career

Johnson was born in Kingston, New York. Dior was raised by his single mother and his grandparents.

Throughout his high school career, Johnson played for 9 high schools in 5 different states. [2] Johnson started his high school career competing for his hometown Saugerties High School as a 7th and 8th grader. He broke the New York boys basketball state record for the youngest player to reach 1,000 points. After briefly attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida during his freshman year, Johnson returned home to play for Saugerties after sustaining an injury. Later on during his freshman season, he would again transfer to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. However, Findlay Prep's basketball program closed, leaving Johnson to transfer to Hillcrest Prep High School in Arizona. He eventually left Hillcrest before his sophomore season began, and was expected to play his sophomore season at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, but ended up enrolling at Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California. For his junior season, Johnson transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, but left the school after sustaining a leg injury. He then returned to California where he attended Centennial High School in Corona, but did not play basketball. As a senior, Johnson initially attended Prolific Prep in Napa, California before transferring midway through the season to SoCal Academy.

Recruiting

Johnson was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class. On February 7, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for Syracuse before decommitting nine months later. On June 22, 2021, he committed to Oregon before decommitting a year later. On June 13, 2022, he committed to Pittsburgh.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Dior Johnson
PG 		Saugerties, NY Southern California Academy (CA)6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg)Jun 13, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A    Rivals: 4 stars.svg     247Sports: 4 stars.svg     ESPN: 4 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 38   247Sports: 47   ESPN: 35
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Pittsburgh 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  • "2022 Pittsburgh Panthers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 13, 2022.

College career

Johnson took a redshirt in the 2022–23 season. [3] [4] [5] After being arrested and sentenced to probation, the University of Pittsburgh announced in August 2023 that Johnson was no longer enrolled. [6] Shortly after, Johnson matriculated at Clarendon College, a community college in Texas. [7] In one season with Clarendon, Johnson averaged 29.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. [8]

On July 1, 2024, Johnson, the top-rated JUCO transfer, announced his decision to transfer to the University of Central Florida to play for the UCF Knights. [9] [10]

Arrest

Johnson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in December 2022 for simple assault and strangulation, stemming from a September 5th incident in the same year where he struck a woman multiple times, causing bruising, and forcing her head into a bed, making it difficult for her to breathe. Johnson was suspended from Pittsburgh during this period but was reinstated after pleading guilty. Johnson was sentenced to a year of probation and required to complete batterer's intervention.

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References

  1. ↑ "Dior Johnson, Centennial , Point Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Dior Johnson Has Pro Talent, And He's Just Getting Started". FanBuzzlanguage=en-US. November 25, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ Borzello, Givony, Jeff, Jonathan. "Suspended Pitt freshman Dior Johnson pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 8 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Folts, Emma. "Pitt's handling of Dior Johnson domestic violence case sends mixed messages about sport and survivor support". publicsource.org. PublicSource. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Thompson, Stephen. "New Details Emerge About Pitt G Dior Johnson's Case". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  6. ↑ Michalowski, George. "Dior Johnson leaves Pitt men's basketball program". pittsburghsportsnow.com. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Stephen. "Dior Johnson transfers to junior college". si.com. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "UCF basketball snags commitment from JUCO transfer". Orlando Sentinel. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  9. ↑ Michalowski, George (2024-07-01). "Former Pitt Guard Dior Johnson Commits to New School". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  10. ↑ "Dior Johnson, the well-traveled, formerly highly touted recruit, commits to Johnny Dawkins' UCF Knights". CBSSports.com. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
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