Recruiting Report: Keith Johnson (2018)
T.J. Rushing
Currently, with no existing offers to speak of, it’s safe to say that Dubuque, Hempstead’s Keith Johnson is one of Iowa’s most under-recruited guys.
The 6-foot-5 forward -- Iowa’s 17th-ranked 2018 -- was offered by in-state D2 Upper Iowa this past spring, but that offer no longer stands.
“What happened was, they had two or three kids commit, and then they had a kid transfer in, so they said as of right now the offer is not on the table anymore,” said Johnson, who mentioned what interest he’s been receiving of late.
“Some schools looking at me would be Drake, North Dakota State, Northwest Missouri State, Central Missouri State, Wayne State, and schools like that.”
With great leaping ability, an innate knack for rebounding, and an increasingly diverse set of offensive skills, Johnson should have several offers right now. He’s using that lack of recruitment as motivation.
“I feel as though I’m a little under-recruited. I work hard, work really, really hard to be where I am today. It just sucks to see that nobody else really notices enough to give me an offer. I’m going to work twice as hard to achieve that goal of getting an offer,” said Johnson.
“An offer is not something that I want, but something that I need. Because it would suck to have to go through college and make my parents have to pay all that money, when that could go away with an offer.”
Still, with the fall camp circuit and his senior season ahead of him, Johnson has plenty of time to attain his recruitment goals.
“Hopefully by the end of my senior season, I’ll get an offer or two and some colleges will see the hard work and dedication I can bring to their program,” he said.
“I’m just hoping for a D2 or D1 offer, not anything particular at this point.”
Though he’s been known as a more of a combo-forward in the past, Johnson has worked this spring and summer on ball-handling and his jumper, solidifying his place as a true small forward.
“I would like to say my 3-point shot has gotten a lot better since the last time we talked. I’ve been working on that a lot, getting in the gym and getting hundreds of shots up. I’m pretty confident in my shot, a lot more than I was six months ago,” said Johnson.
“Ball-handling, I’ve improved a little bit, but there’s a lot more room for improvement there. And my on-ball defense has gotten a little better, I’m able to close out a little better and play defense a little tighter.”
This offseason, Johnson was the focal point of a Tri-State Steam that not only had a great deal of success, but did so during its last ever season.
Steam program director Carlos Pittman will coach with the Iowa Barnstormers next season.
“Playing with Carlos was a really great experience, he knows how to bring out the best in everybody that he’s coaching,” said Johnson.
“This spring and summer I played one of the best AAU seasons that I played in my entire career, and with him as a coach there, it helped out a lot.”
Johnson added: “It was an honor playing under him, and I wish the best for him as he heads to the Barnstormers.”
Now, as he heads into what could be a very promising senior season with the Mustangs, Johnson remembers last season’s heartache at the state tournament.
“My expectation for us is to not only go to state, but to be a contender to win, just like last year. We fell short last year, but that’s going to make us work that much harder to get back and make more of an impact this year,” said Johnson.
“Nobody is trying to outshine anybody, there’s no competition among us, except for good competition, but no bickering or anything like that. I think that we’re going to be really good this year, and my expectations are high for this Hempstead team.”
As for the recruitment, Johnson says he’s not going to take anything for granted, and he’s going to work more than ever to get those offers.
“Not having any offers, I’ve been getting twice as many shots up, and twice as many drills in. It’s given me a little more drive, and has waken me up a little bit to the fact that not everything is going to be given to you,” said Johnson.
“I’ll be in the gym wherever I can, to see if I can try and get better to impress some of these coaches.”
