2023 F/C Ayinna Johnson commits to Gophers


Significant addition. Boom++.

A 6' 3" center is the #3 2023 prospect from Wisconsin.





To me center depth was alarmingly lacking for the team. And this team rotates post players because It's a physical position.

Boom++

Does center Sophie Hart have two years of eligibility left or did she get a waiver? Or am I off.
 

Articles on Johnson:


After meteoric rise, Jefferson's Johnson signs to play basketball at West Virginia​




Ayianna Johnson scores school-record 38 points​




Jefferson's Johnson voted first team all-conference, honorable mention all-state​

 




Videos:








Seems to be an all-around athlete including track and wrestling:



Has height and athleticism talents you can't teach or buy.
 

Coach Dawn Plitzuweit, who came to the Gophers from West Virginia, bolstered her 2023-24 roster twice on Wednesday.


"The Gophers women's basketball team added two more players to their 2023-24 roster Wednesday, one via the NCAA transfer portal, the other by luring another West Virginia recruit to Minnesota."

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Johnson, the defending WIAA Division 2 girls state champion in the discus, broke Jefferson’s school discus record with a throw of 150 feet, 2 inches at the Jefferson triangular on Tuesday.




Senior forward/center Ayianna Johnson scored 24 points and dished out a crucial assist late in regulation, helping send Jefferson’s girls basketball team past host Clinton 62-58 in overtime on Friday in Rock Valley play.

The Eagles (6-8, 5-5 in conference) trailed 51-49 with five seconds to go in regulation. Out of a timeout, Jefferson sophomore forward Ashlyn Enke passed it to Johnson at midcourt. After several dribbles, Johnson fed fellow post Allie Hesse, a junior, for the tying basket right at the buzzer.


 






To clarify are these both 2024 signees, or 2023 signees, that will be coming in this next season?
 






Coach P flips two top recruits from West Virginia to Minnesota.

Nice to finally have a head coach that can recruit players from outside Minnesota. The 'recruit at home' strategy was not working under Whalen, especially when all the top talent was not staying home and did not believe in her. Things are finally looking up under the new coach. Lots to learn for all players (new and existing), but excited to see what the future holds for this team.
 

Nice to finally have a head coach that can recruit players from outside Minnesota. The 'recruit at home' strategy was not working under Whalen, especially when all the top talent was not staying home and did not believe in her. Things are finally looking up under the new coach. Lots to learn for all players (new and existing), but excited to see what the future holds for this team.
I agree that it was time for a coaching change but, to be fair, Whalen did convince a lot of top talent from the high school class of 2022 to believe in her and stay home. That talent was enough to be deemed a top 10 class in the nation by some.
 







Did not make 1,2,3 or 4 team WI all-state. Not even HM.
GG was 1 team all-state for WI. That says something.
She was at a small school that lost a lot, which could be a factor. And she started late. Still, a promising project and it's not like the Gophers need her to start from Day One.
 

Did not make 1,2,3 or 4 team WI all-state. Not even HM.
GG was 1 team all-state for WI. That says something.
I thought it says that two wisconsin high players passed on the badgers, twice, and both ended up here.

I guess you think it means something else.
 

Did not make 1,2,3 or 4 team WI all-state. Not even HM.
GG was 1 team all-state for WI. That says something.

For the 2nd season in a row, Ayianna Johnson earned honorable mention by the
Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association's Division 3 All-State Girls Basketball Team. This was also mentioned in another article posted.


She does not appear on the Associated Press All-State team as far as I can see.

PrepGirlsHoops rates her as the #3 2023 prospect in Wisconsin. The link to that was posted previously. I think this one carries weight.

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In the videos at times looks fluid and occasionally looks not quite and could use more development time. She's a post player. What an athlete. The post position can be rough.



"Jefferson senior forward/center Ayianna Johnson was voted first team all-conference in the Rock Valley for the second consecutive season in voting held recently. Johnson, a University of West Virginia recruit, averaged 16.6 points per game on 50 percent shooting for an Eagles team which reached the sectional semifinals. Johnson finishes her four-year varsity career having played 89 games with a career scoring average of 13.9. She scored 1,241 career points and her career-high 38-point outing versus Saint Francis last month was the second-highest single-game point total in program history."





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Ayianna Johnson


"Jefferson senior forward/center Ayianna Johnson (5) scores inside with Fort Atkinson sophomore center Ashlie Riley defending during the first half of Saturday’s Battle for the Paddle game in Jefferson. The Eagles won 46-36 and Johnson scored a game-high 20 points."

 
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If anything, Ayianna Johnson has great development potential under a good coach. She certainly has athleticism. She will flourish in the program. IMHO, she may have been overlooked because of the HS team she plays with.
 




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