March 30, 2011
Tajai Johnson is the No. 13 ranked prospect in the NCP 2012 Top 40 as this Vallejo High junior led his Apaches to a 16-12 record. The shooting guard averaged 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists en route to a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff appearance.
At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Johnson is a national prospect that is being sought after by Boston College, Prairie View, Santa Clara, TCU, and USC. This lefty is a prolific scorer who has had to play big for an undersized Apache team. These skills would definitely translate into being useful at the next level.
Vallejo High Coach Duke Brown says about his star pupil, "Tajai Johnson is a premier student athlete who works hard, both in the classroom and on the basketball court. He currently ranks #22 academically (3.50 GPA) out of 317 juniors in his class. Tajai was awarded the SCAC League MVP this past year. Some of Tajai's strengths are his leadership and ability to make those around him better. He is very coachable. He is a team player and exhibits the passion for the game every time he steps on the court."
As a nationally recruited prospect, Johnson has had some initial thoughts about these schools and their conferences.
Atlantic Coast (Boston College): "The ACC holds the reputation of having most of the top players and teams. I would love the opportunity to play in this conference. I didn't get a chance to really watch Boston College this year but I know that they did pretty good this year. I plan to go down there for an elite camp this summer and see what they are up close and personal. Also, I know that they have great academics."
Big East (TCU): Johnson says, "I haven't been down there but I got to watch them on television once or twice and I like the way they play. They recently moved conferences (Mountain West to Big East) which mean that they get to play against top competition. From what I seen through letters, they have great facilities and academics."
Pac-12 (USC): Johnson says, "I really like USC. I've been down there for two unofficial visits and one elite camp. I love the vibe the coaches and players give off. They seem to be willing to make you better academically and athletically. I got to watch them play a couple times this year on television and I liked what I saw. They play up-tempo and get after it on defense. I would love to play for them in the Pac-12 conference, especially now that they are competing at the top and losing the reputation of just being a football school"
West Coast Conference (Santa Clara): Johnson says, "I don't really know much about them other than what I've heard about players from the Rebels and Soldiers going there."
"On the court, [Tajai] understands the game and situations that arise throughout a game," said Coach Brown. "He thrives for competition. He has a mental toughness second to none. He shoots well from the outside, but has a knack to attack the basket and get to the free throw line. He also rebounds well and plays solid defense. He never shies away from competition at any given time. Tajai will definitely make it to the next level! Whether it's mid or high level D-1 depends on his success during the summer circuit and his performance during his senior year."
During this summer, Johnson will be playing for his Oakland Soldiers 17U team. He plans to work on all aspects of his game, but really focus more on shooting, getting stronger, and improving his off hand. Expect Johnson to get more college contact and looks after a successful summer campaign to bolster his college choices.
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