Tajai Johnson is the No. 6 ranked prospect in the class of 2012 and is the highest rated guard in Northern California according to NorCalPreps.com. The Vallejo High senior combo guard, who averaged 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, will be attending UC Riverside next fall.
"I thought that playing under Coach Jim Wooldridge at UC Riverside would benefit me the best as a player," said Johnson. "He coached the Chicago Bulls before he began coaching at Riverside. So, he brings a pro style offense (ball screens and up tempo), which helps me create for my teammates and myself."
At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Johnson is a lefty who plays bigger than his size, is not afraid of taking the ball to the basket, and is good at initiating contact. As a junior last season, Johnson was forced to play in the interior, as his Apaches were undersized. During this past summer, he played for the Oakland Soldiers 17U Blue team.
Ray Thomas is Johnson's coach with the Soldiers. "Tajai will fit in nicely with a rebuilding team at UC Riverside," said Thomas. "At Riverside, he will have a good chance at playing right away. Their staff was elated at Tajai's commitment to them."
Johnson talks about the recruiting process. "When I first came in contact with Riverside, I talked to Coach Chris Brazleton. I thought we had an instant connection with each other. He really showed that he didn't just care about my basketball abilities, but he showed that he cared about how I was off the court also. Coach made sure he answered any questions I had about the school athletically or academically. I felt the most comfortable with him, he never put any pressure on me, he let me take my time in making my decision. Later on I started to talk to Coach Wooldridge more, he also showed that he cared. I knew that he had good intentions for me."
Thomas says about Johnson's summer development, "Tajai has made a great improvement in his playing making ability. He is really working hard at refining his point guard skills. He is moving away from combo guard label to just point guard. Watching him with Vallejo this year, you will see his leadership in play and vocally. He also has built his 6'2 frame into a college ready body. He will be overpowering alot of his opponents this year."
When asked how Riverside fits his school needs, the lefty Apache said, "Academically, I thought that it would be the best fit for me because the UC system provides you with a quality education and that was my number 1 factor when picking a school. They also had a wide variety of majors that caught my interest (Mass Communications, Business and/or Engineering). I loved the weather and on top of that the campus is beautiful, I loved everything about it. The people seemed nice and very helpful. The campus lifestyle is great."
Concerning his impressions of his future teammates and role, Johnson said "The players acted as if they were a family, and I liked that. No one seemed to be doing his own separate thing. They greeted me with open arms. I really liked the vibe I got from them. I hope to come in as a freshman and contribute to the team anyway the coach/players need me to. I am willing to do anything for the team next year that will get us wins."
Coach Thomas muses about Johnson's future. "Tajai will have to become a more consistent perimeter shooter. He has improved alot but it is still not where it needs to be. He is such a gym rat that his weakness will become a strength. Tajai has been in our Soldiers program since his freshmen year. He has done everything that we have asked of him and more. I could not be more proud of his transformation and happy for his parents Stephaine and TJ who raised a great kid."
Despite the commitment, Johnson has a few things that he wants to work on during his senior year. "This year to prepare for college basketball I think I need to work on my jump shooting the most, work on attacking going both ways consistently, and stay on the weights. I plan to enroll and start my college life the summer after my senior year is over. I want to take some classes during that time so I can make the transition easily from HS to college."
If Johnson can play the point guard position in college, he can use his size and length against smaller players. He plays bigger than his size and rebounds well for a guard. His shooting efficiency and defense from the perimeter will go a long way in determining how much playing time he gets as a freshman.
Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara are picked as the preseason favorites for the Big West while UC Riverside is picked as fifth in the nine-team conference. Riverside will get Santa Clara junior transfer Robert Smith as their point guard. In addition, former Oakland High star Dominique Taplin is on the roster.
The Highlanders (named after the campus' high altitude location) have a roster that look to be undersized and guard heavy. As a result, Johnson will have a lot of competition but the Highlanders look to run a multi guard set that will require multi skilled guards. Expect Johnson to head higher in terms of his basketball skills for the Highlanders.
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