Introducing K.J. Johnson

K.J. Johnson might have been best known around the vicinity of Marshall County, Tennessee for his hair. After all, neither clippers nor scissors have touched it in years.

But even the tremendous hair has taken a backseat to his basketball game in the past couple of years.

At almost 6-foot-2, the 2019 guard from Marshall County High School was named Tennessee's Class AA Mr. Basketball Award last season as well as making All-District 12AA and Region 6AA, in both his sophomore and junior years.

On the AAU circuit, Johnson is running with EAB Basketball, who is 28-4 on the year, with a couple of tournament championships in Alabama and Georgia. His high water mark of the spring was a 43-point performance against a highly regarded Bobby Maze Elite squad.

The culmination has led to offers from Campbell, UT-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Morehead State, and North Alabama. Johnson said he is also hearing seriously from Murray State, ETSU, Lipscomb, and Western Kentucky.

"My strengths are mostly making the outside shot and making plays," Johnson explained. "I'm working on getting to the hole and getting quicker."

Mark Griffin on EAB actually believes his penetrating game has picked up to the level to where it is a go-to part of his game.

"K.J. is a slasher," Griffin said. "He can hit the three, and then will drive hard to the basket, and take contact well. He is also an overall leader and a well liked teammate."

Another noticeable trait about Johnson is his frame. At 145 pounds, he admits that he is currently working hard to gain weight, and would like to get to the 180 pound mark by the time he steps on a college campus. But Johnson tells us that any underestimation of his ability has proven to be a mistake in the past.

"Getting stronger is the thing I am working on," Johnson admitted. "Finishing more around the bucket comes with getting stronger. But over the years, I've grown in height. People underestimate my appearance. I've proven them wrong though my athleticism, length, and craftiness.

In his time with EAB, going against some of the toughest competition in the country has helped the youngster, and allowed him to expand his game even more.

"I love EAB," Johnson shared. "My teammates are unselfish. They play for each other and not for themselves. If somebody is hot, the rest of the team works on getting them the ball. That makes it easier for me. I feel like it has definitely helped me improve. Playing against tough competition always helps."

Obviously, Johnson is getting attention from college coaches, but he says the 43-point outburst against the Bobby Maze Elite really cranked up the process.

"I got lots of texts from coaches the next day," Johnson said. "It felt amazing. I have always wanted this. It is a blessing that my time has arrived."

When asked what impresses the coaches about his game, he responded, "They like how I can get others involved. They also like how I can shoot in a variety of ways. I'm not just a standstill shooter. They also like the fact that I can rebound."

Johnson says he hopes to get some high major offers, but it is not something that he is obsessing over. He explained that he doesn't actually have a goal to play at a certain level.

"I'm just looking for a place where I can feel at home, " he described. "I want a great relationship with the coaches. I'm also looking for a program that plays an up-tempo style, that allows the freedom to shoot 3's and run the fast break."

So far, Johnson has taken unofficial visits to Alabama-Huntsville, and Lipscomb, but he will begin picking up that process as early as this month. He will be visiting Tennessee Tech and East Tennessee State in June, as well as attending the Murray State Elite Camp.