20 in 60: #8 Johnson’s Winding Road to Providence

How much more different would the reaction to Sidiki Johnson’s commitment to Providence have been had he done so in 2009?  It was then that Johnson verbally pledged to Sean Miller and Arizona, 20 months prior to his high school graduation, while getting long looks from the likes of John Calipari at Kentucky.

He was Rivals’ 56th rated player in the country at the time, a budding superstar from St. Raymond’s in New York City who was said to be a matchup nightmare at 6’8, with the ability to take big men outside and small men in.

Three years later he’s a Friar – having taken a winding road to get there.

Just over a month after announcing his commitment to Arizona, Johnson was part of a seemingly mass exodus from St. Ray’s, announcing his plans to finish his high school career in New Jersey, playing for St. Benedict’s head coach Danny Hurley.

Nine months later Johnson said goodbye to Hurley, this time taking his game to famed Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his final year of high school.

To say his senior season didn’t go as planned is an understatement.  A broken foot sidelined the power forward for over two months and by February it was announced that Johnson was departing Oak Hill.  Some reports said it was due to family reasons, while other publications wrote that he and teammate Ben McLemore (now at Kansas) were “dismissed from the team for violating a school rule.”

No matter the cause, Johnson was headed back to New York where he wrapped up his high school career at a school in Harlem for which he did not play basketball.  His senior season a veritable wash.

A whirlwind two years closed with a commitment to a national powerhouse, broken foot, and three different high schools.

By May of 2011 he looked to be healthy once again, dominating an AAU game against the Long Island Lightning with a monster stat line of 27 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots.  Yet, more questions arose when it appeared as though Arizona head man Sean Miller was going to take the Maryland job prior to getting an extension to stay with the Wildcats.

Because Miller stayed, Johnson did too.  Wherever Miller went was where Johnson was headed, he told Zagsblog that May.

Johnson’s stay in Arizona was short-lived, however.  Three games into his Arizona career he was suspended indefinitely, with Miller publicly stating that he could be dismissed if Johnson didn’t meet the requirements of an agreement they came to during the suspension.  Instead of waiting, Johnson picked up and left – heading to Providence in January.  He’s eligible to play in the second semester of this season in a front court that badly needs him.

Johnson brings size and skills sorely lacking in the PC frontcourt.  At the time of his transfer, Cox Sports’ Adam Finkelstein summed his game up with the following:

“Johnson would help to provide a badly needed interior presence on a Providence team that is already strong in the backcourt and adding plenty more with the likes of Kris Dunn and Ricky Ledo.

Physically, Johnson has a wealth of physical tools.  He’s 6’8″ 235 pounds and just as mobile as he is powerful.  His offensive skills were still fairly raw and undeveloped, but they were definitely there.  In high school he showed some flashes of both being able to score with his back to the basket as well as facing up to attack with his dribble.

The biggest knock on Johnson during his high school days was that he didn’t always play as hard as he needed to in order to maximize his potential.  There was some similar signs this year at Arizona in the events that led up to his suspension and eventual transfer.

Hopefully he’s learned his lesson and will arrive at Providence with the mindset to maximize his opportunity – which could be a significant one given the Friars’ current problems along their frontline.”

In June there were rumors that Johnson may be on the move again, as Scout.com’s Brian Snow reportedly that he was transferring to Iona – a report that Johnson’s relatives and multiple sources later denied.

Johnson is here now and could potentially step into huge minutes if he’s ready for them in the second semester.  Friars.com has him now listed at 6’10, 240 pounds – the size Providence desperately lacks outside of probable starting center Kadeem Batts.

Be it the road he traveled to get here, that he can’t suit up until late-December, or reports like Finkelstein’s that he needs to play with more consistent effort, the buzz about Johnson in Friartown is relatively quiet considering he was ESPN’s 94th ranked player in 2011 and 71st on Rivals.

He’ll be the first former top 100 big man to suit up for the Friars since DeSean White enrolled in the fall of 2004.

Talent has never been a question with Johnson — this is a former Nike Tournament of Champions MVP and New York City first team all-state selection.  After he put on 15 pounds of muscle after stepping foot on campus at Arizona it looked as though he would step into minutes at Arizona early (for a power program, the Wildcats were lacking upfront last season), but it fell apart year for him there.

By virtue of his size, opportunity will be available for him this season at Providence.  For all of the talk in scouting reports about his offensive potential, his earliest impact in Providence would be if he could find a way to have that impact on the glass.  Aside from LaDontae Henton, Providence lacks anyone who has rebounded on a consistent basis on this level.

Rust could be a factor for Johnson as well.  Ed Cooley noted a season ago how much missing the first semester hurt Batts, and Johnson has had the last two seasons all but wiped away thanks to injury and transfer.  How quickly can he get back to game speed?

Whether Johnson can find a home in Providence and take advantage of this opportunity will be one of the most intriguing sub-plots in Friartown this season.

 

 

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