Prospect Spotlight: Deshawn Johnson 2020

Looking around the Coliseum League, you'd be hard-pressed to find a player who can match up with Deshawn Johnson. An incoming senior at Washington Prep, Johnson possesses the type of versatility that can thrive in today's game. Seemingly gone are the days where big men dominated the paint and offenses revolved around having strong post play. Nowadays, big men need to be able to do a little bit of everything on the court. Johnson fits that mold to a tee. He can play like a traditional post player. He's a big body that can get good position in the paint. You can throw the ball into him and he can get you a bucket. But he can step out and shoot not only from the mid-range but from the three-point line as well. He can also put the ball on the floor at times and make plays off the dribble. He's quick and mobile and can guard multiple positions on the defensive end. He's also got an incredible work ethic and looking to improve his game every day. "Right now I'm just trying to work on all aspects of my game. Basically, I'm trying to become a good all-around player. I want to be able to do everything when I step on the court," Johnson told Prep Hoops. "All summer I've been working on my off-side game. I still got a little bit more work to do on my handles, but I've been working all summer." Johnson understands the need for him to be an all-around big man. It isn't enough for him to simply be a post player. He wants to be able to keep the defense guessing with each offensive move. Slow starts, however, have been an issue for him though. He's aware of it and he is determined to address that this season. "It expands my game to be able to step out and shoot the three and to post up. It makes me harder to guard," Johnson said. "I've just got to play how I warm up. In the first half, sometimes I play bad, I start off slow. That's something I need to work on." The Generals have been accustomed recently to winning. They had a pretty solid season last year. They finished 22-8 and went a perfect 7-0 in league play. They beat Taft in the first round of the City Section playoffs before falling to Fairfax. In the state playoffs, they knocked off Windward before losing to Rancho Verde. During the 2017-18 season, Washington Prep won its first-ever City Section championship against University. In order for them to have continued success this season, they'll need a big year from Johnson. Thus far, Washington Prep has gotten off to a 1-3 start. They had a solid win over Crossroads and dropped a nail-biter to Taft. To this point, Johnson has been a little impressed with what he's seen from the team. He was skeptical at first but he believes this group can really grow together. "We've looked good, we're getting better. At first, I was a little bit iffy on us, but we're going to get better," Johnson said. "We're growing, and a lot of us we all need more experience. We're going to be good by the end of the season." This season, Washington Prep has joined the Coliseum League along with King/Drew. They will play against the likes of Crenshaw, Fremont, Dorsey, and View Park. A few of those teams used to be basketball powerhouses years ago, but a lot of things have changed since then. Basketball in the Coliseum League hasn't gotten the proper respect it should around Los Angeles County in recent years. Both Fremont and Crenshaw are hoping for resurgences while Washington Prep has had recent playoff success. Johnson embraces the underdog role that Coliseum League teams have adapted and he and his teammates use it as a motivating factor. "We've got to prove people wrong. That's just how I feel," Johnson said. "We got to step up and prove people wrong, play hard and show people what we can do." And with the season officially underway, Johnson has a couple of goals in mind for himself and for the team. He is a dual athlete also playing football, and once that's done with, he's going to give his all on the basketball court. "I know I want to win MVP of our league. For that I know I need to work a lot harder. Right now I'm doing football too. Once football is over, I'm going to give 100 percent in basketball to be able to do that," Johnson said. "I also want to have a good season and win a lot of games. I think we can have a good season."