Where Would Dior Johnson Fit In With Pitt Basketball?
PITTSBURGH -- Dior Johnson, a consensus top-50 basketball player in the country and two-time decommit from Syracuse and Oregon, turned some heads when he announced a new top three that included Mississippi State, Washington State and the Pitt Panthers. Such an elite prospect had other options, but has settled on some less prestigious programs as his final choices.
A decision on where the bonafide pro prospect will play college basketball next season is coming late in the 2022 recruiting cycle, but the Panthers appear to be in the mix. That said, they are already laden with talent and experience in the backcourt, making Johnson a potentially awkward fit.
Johnson clearly has dreams of playing basketball professionally. He is widely regarded as good enough to do so but that means he'll want to play immediately - that much was clear when he abandoned his verbal commitment to Oregon after the Ducks added a pair of transfer guards from the Power Five ranks in March.
So there is a choice for Jeff Capel to make. Unless he's able to convince Johnson to stick around in Oakland for another year, his path to playing time would likely alienate someone.
Jamarius Burton transferred for a third time to a Pitt program that had little direction at that moment. Nike Sibande has stuck around despite injuries and eligibility disputes that kept him sidelined. Colgate transfer Nelly Cummings kicked off a hopeful offseason of recruiting by signing earlier this spring. Relegating any one of those players, all of whom are naturally more proven at this level than Johnson, to the bench would artificially cap their potential during their final seasons.
Make no mistake, Capel and Pitt aren't in any position to shoo away talent and it's not his job to protect the feelings of his current players, especially at the expense of winning games. But in a business that relies so heavily upon relationships and reputation, drawing Johnson to Pitt risks making someone who saw potential in this Pitt program unhappy.
Capel needs to win now and Johnson is the kind of immediate injection of talent that can change perception and get results immediately. Johnson is an elite scorer and creative playmaker with the room to become just as good a rebounder and defender. If things go according to plan, Johnson will only spend one year at the college level before pursuing a professional career. Johnson coming to Pitt is a short-term decision for both parties, whereas investing that final scholarship into a prospect in less of a hurry would indicate that Capel is confident that he will retain his post beyond this season.
It's not a question of how good a player Johnson is - he's got the skills to contribute immediately wherever he goes. But it remains to be seen if disrupting the delicate harmony that currently exists in the backcourt will be worth it for Pitt and Capel.
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