Prospect Spotlight: Jackie Johnson III (2021)
Jackie Johnson III (2021) isn’t your average recently turned 15 year old. If you watch Jackie on the court, it’s impossible to ignore his explosiveness, playmaking ability, and comfort on any given possession.
Off the court, you will get much of the same, a confident but humble young man who works tirelessly on improving his game and his future with basketball.
Point-in-case, I caught up with Jackie during one of his Sunday workouts with his Strength and Conditioning Trainer, Bret Michael (USA Training Center).
“Training with Bret has really helped my core strength, leaping ability, and my overall ability to be more effective on the court.”
Jackie is averaging about 25 PPG to go along with 8 APG so far this year and garnering a lot of attention for his playmaking ability. Most recently, Jackie had a 37 point, 10 assist, 5 rebound, and 3 steal game against Northwest High School that solidified his prowess in the city league.
He has an exceptional ability to get past his defender and generally makes good decisions once he faces help defenders, although at times he can be turnover prone.
Jackie is not focused on one aspect of his game to improve but is really focusing right now to elevate every aspect of his game on both sides of the ball and getting bigger, faster, and stronger.
As he progresses and gains playing experience in high school, it will be interesting to watch how he develops into more of a leader for Wichita North High School.
“Jackie takes his training very serious to not only thrive at the next level but to put himself in a position to play after college” said Bret Michael.
For those around the 5’10 Point Guard, this success is not a surprise. This summer he played with Team Griffin and plans to play with KC Run GMC in 2018.
Those even closer to him knew early that he had interest in the game of basketball.
His mother, Denise Johnson, described how he wouldn’t play with any of his toys as an infant but always had an interest for balls. Always bouncing balls around the house, throwing them into makeshift baskets even before he was old enough to play with a little tikes hoop.
Eventually, the Johnson’s living room was turned into a half court that Jackie spent a lot of time on before starting his journey with organized basketball at the age of five.
Jackie works so hard on his game for his family, most notably his mother who he is determined to make a better life for through the game of basketball. Denise is who he looks up to most, even more so than Lebron.
“She shaped me into who I am today and I wouldn’t be myself without her.”
The sky is the limit for Jackie Johnson III who is already drawing Division 1 interest for his early play in his high school career. Don’t be surprised when you see this young man ranked nationally for the class of 2021.