Jarvis Johnson, a 2015 point guard from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, received a scholarship offer from Minnesota in April.
Jarvis Johnson, a 2015 point guard from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, received a scholarship offer from Minnesota in April. Johnson helped lead the Islanders to its second Class AAA state title as they finished 30-1 and were undefeated against in-state schools.
Gopher Hole caught up with Jarvis Johnson Saturday at the High Performance Academy to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You recently attended the Nike Elite 100 camp in St. Louis. What was that experience like?
Jarvis Johnson: It was fun. Getting to play against all the good people my age. It was really good.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your recruitment right now? How many offers are you up to right now?
Jarvis Johnson: I think it is about the same, but I recently talked to Michigan State and Kansas. I can’t remember them all off the top of my head, but there are some new schools.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now? Is it hard to keep track of them anymore?
Jarvis Johnson: It is. I think about nine or ten.
Gopher Hole: Who are the most recent ones?
Jarvis Johnson: Providence, Penn State, Minnesota, of course. That is all I can think of.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Jarvis Johnson: My shot, mainly and staying in shape. Playing in the EYBL, you are going against bigger guys and they are all good, so you have to stay in shape.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that playing in the EYBL has helped you improve as a player because like you said you are playing against great competition each game?
Jarvis Johnson: Oh, yes, because everyone in the EYBL is good, as good as you, so it is not like I am the only one out there that is good. You’ve got to be ready to play every game.
Gopher Hole: What has the experience been like playing with three of your high school teammates, Reid Travis, James Lawson and Sacar Anim on the Howard Pulley AAU team? Has that brought you even closer together?
Jarvis Johnson: Yes. We know how we played in the summer and we can bring it back to DeLaSalle, which is good chemistry for us. Try to win another state championship.
Gopher Hole: You have shown a little bit more of an outside shot than you got a chance to show at DeLaSalle. Have you talked to Coach Thorson and said “Hey, I can make these shots.”
Jarvis Johnson: I haven’t really talked to him about it, but I’m sure that he has seen a couple of games of me shooting like that.
Gopher Hole: Does that give you even more confidence that you can do it no matter where you play?
Jarvis Johnson: It does, for sure.
Gopher Hole: What are the plans for the rest of the summer? I know that you are playing in the Peach Jam in Augusta, South Carolina July 10-14 and the Super Showcase in Orlando July 24-28. Do you know if you have any other plans?
Jarvis Johnson: Not anything that I can think of. I’m working out, for sure though, during the week and like you said the Peach Jam and the Orlando tournament.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about trying to go to any colleges to visit some schools?
Jarvis Johnson: I haven’t really thought about it yet, but I’m pretty sure I will.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Jarvis Johnson: Me and Coach Pitino have stayed in contact, which is pretty cool and assistant Ben Johnson. We are pretty tight, I would say.
Gopher Hole: Ben is a former DeLaSalle player. Is that a big factor?
Jarvis Johnson: Yes. We have a good relationship, actually, so that is big time.
Gopher Hole: Did you know very well before that?
Jarvis Johnson: Yes. He used to come when he worked at Nebraska and came to a couple of practices and he was recruiting me there. Now that he is at Minnesota, it is even more good.