London Johnson 'Super Surprised' by Clemson Offer, Thinks He'd be 'Great Fit' With Tigers

While most of the recruiting news of late has centered around football, Brad Brownell has also been hard at work trying to assemble the Clemson basketball program's 2023 recruiting class.

The Tigers recently sent out an offer to point guard London Johnson, who many consider one of the Top-50 prospects in the country. The 6-foot-4 player out of Norcross High in Georgia told All Clemson that despite a good relationship with assistant coach Antonio Reynolds-Dean, it was on offer that caught him off guard.

"To be honest, I was super surprised when Clemson offered," Johnson said. "As a kid, I used to attend Clemson’s Youth Basketball Camp. Over the past year, coach Antonio Dean-Reynolds has kept up with my progress and I’ve been able to develop a relationship with him."

Blessed to receive an offer from Clemson University!! #gotigers pic.twitter.com/efGVialKa8
— London Johnson † 🇯🇲 🇺🇸 (@londonejohnson) June 16, 2021

Johnson said that the offer came after an outstanding performance during the Bob Givens Tournament of Champions, one of the most competitive tournaments on the AAU circuit featuring some of the best high school talents in the country. Members of Brownell's coaching staff watched the game online, something that really hit home with Johnson.

"Specifically, it meant a lot to me when coach let us know that he had indeed watched my performance online during the Bob Givens TOC," Johnson said. "I dropped 31 points going 5 for 7 from the 3-point line against a stacked John Lucas Team, leading my team to a 3 point victory."

Johnson already sports offers from Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech, with North Carolina State and Alabama joining Clemson as teams that have offered in recent days.

The highly versatile guard from Georgia is extremely confident in his abilities and thinks what he brings to the court would be a great fit for the system the Tigers currently run under Brownell.

"I think my ability to shoot the basketball and stretch the floor is a great fit for coach Brownell’s system," Johnson said. "I’ve always enjoyed a close relationship with my head coach. As a point guard, I have to be coach's eyes and ears on the floor, essentially an extension of coach's thoughts."

In fact, Johnson said he thinks he would be a great fit not only on the court, but off the court as well, and that playing for Brownell would bring out the best in him, not only as a basketball player but as a student as well.

"I think coach Brownell’s family-first approach would no doubt make channeling his charisma, energy, and thoughts much easier," Johnson said. "We both read a lot of "why-people-are-successful” books so I’m sure we would have a great relationship."

When it comes to making that ultimate decision, Johnson is looking for a school that will take advantage of his unique skillset. The SI All-American candidate thinks he can be a valuable asset both on the offensive end, as well as on defense, an area that Brownell really puts an emphasis on.

"A system that highlights my skill set, specifically, my ability to create," Johnson said. "I can play on or off the ball, use ball screens to manipulate the defense or run my fav play “ISO London” to burn a defenders face off with my jumper or punish a smaller defender going to the basket...since I am a bigger stronger guard I am extremely versatile."

"Defensively I can guard the 1-4. So from a matchup perspective, I am a luxury for a head coach, as they have the options to play me in multiple positions on defense and offense and I'm a matchup nightmare for an opposing coach."

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