Top-ranked 2024 hoops prospect completes KU basketball visit on Saturday
The Kansas men’s basketball program — which landed Hunter Dickinson, the top available player in the 2023 NCAA transfer portal on Thursday — is playing host to a high school prospect ranked No. 1 overall in the recruiting class of 2024.
Tre Johnson, a 6-foot-6, 185-pound junior shooting guard from Dallas Lake Highlands High School ranked No. 1 by Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports in 2024, arrived on KU’s campus Thursday for an official visit that runs through Saturday.
Johnson’s list of schools includes KU, Texas, Baylor, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Arkansas and others. He has already visited Texas, Baylor and Kentucky.
“The Lake Dallas product draws comparisons to Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. Johnson possesses standout athleticism with a skill set far beyond his years as a high school player. He is a true three-level scorer who has a high upside on the defensive side of the ball,” wrote Chandler Mumme of usatoday.com. “The recruiting race for Johnson is set to be a tight one to the finish. Many scouts see him as a program changer and a future NBA lottery pick.”
Of KU, Johnson told On3.com: “They use their guards. They’re going to let their guards play, regardless. They’re made off of defense and winning. I want to be around a winning culture.”
Johnson’s dad, Richard Johnson, played basketball at Baylor in 1995-96 before transferring to Midwestern State.
“From day one, we planned to be here (as a top prospect), but we didn’t know how it was going to happen or when it was going to happen,” Richard Johnson told CBSDFW.com. “So, us being here, it’s kind of exciting, but we kind of handled it like it’s what we expected.”
In December of 2022, Tre Johnson averaged 23 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in four games at the City of Palms tournament.
He scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds with four assists and three blocked shots in the championship game of the Allen Holiday High School Invitational.
“When the lights come on, it’s a big game and it’s a big moment, he is always ready and he’s always delivered,” Lake Highlands coach Joe Duffield said as quoted by On3.com. “He has been doing that since he was young. He is a human highlight reel.”
Duffield added: “I think the special thing about Tre is that he plays the game of basketball the right way. It’s about the team. It’s about winning.”
Mgbako visiting Indiana
Mackenzie Mgbako, the No. 9-ranked player in the recruiting class of 2023 by Rivals.com, is visiting Indiana this weekend.
Mgbako, a 6-8, 210-pound senior forward from Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey, has visited St. John’s and KU since receiving a release from his Duke letter-of-intent on April 11.
He has a list of Kansas, Indiana, Louisville and St. John’s.
His decommitment from Duke followed 7-footer Kyle Filipowski’s decision to return to Duke for a sophomore season.
Mgbako on April 8, 2022, announced for Duke over Kentucky, Ohio State and Memphis. He also was heavily pursued by St. John’s, Louisville, North Carolina, Auburn, Georgetown, Michigan, LSU and UCLA.
Mgbako scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the World Team’s 90-84 loss to Team USA in the recent Nike Hoop Summit in Portland.
He knocked down 2 of 5 three-point attempts and went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
“A timeline for Mgbako’s final decision is unclear, but it stands to reason with two visits down and another on the books for this weekend that he’s approaching his second commitment. Should he pick Indiana, he would be the program’s highest-rated signee since Romeo Langford, in 2018,” wrote Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.
