Prospect Spotlight: Drake Johnson (2019)
After piecing together one of the better sophomore seasons of anyone in Iowa last season, Stanton guard Drake Johnson has become one of the state’s small-town players to keep a close eye on.
We got our first look at him two weekends ago at the Summer Shootout in Ames, and he instantly caught our eye.
Recently, we caught up with the 5-foot-11 scoring guard, and he mentioned what it is that makes him such a force on the court.
“I just try to be a really good team player, and if there’s opportunity to score then I’ll be able to score. I can post up and take advantage of mismatches too. And if there’s an options to pass, then I’ll pass too. I just try and make things work,” said Johnson, who mentioned what he’s been working most to improve this offseason.
“We have a shot machine in the gym , and I’ve been working on that. The other day in the gym I got up 700 shots, because I need to work on that still.”
Last winter, as a sophomore, Johnson led the Corner Conference in assists and points per game, and was second in steals per game.
He was modest when reflecting on his role with the team.
“I was just trying to help our team out with whatever we had to do,” said Johnson.
This summer, Johnson has been playing some grassroots ball with Iowa United Select 17U. Several of his Stanton teammates are on that squad.
“We’re basically playing with our high school team, and I’ve just been trying to help improve my other payers along with myself, and just work on my game,” said Johnson.
“It’s (offseason) a time to step outside of your comfort zone and improve on things you’ve never done before.”
As for of his recruitment, it’s just starting up. And the four-sport standout has identified basketball as the one he’d like to pursue at the next level.
“This past year is when I started getting some letters. My coach came up to me and was wondering if basketball was the sport I wanted to play after high school, and I told him ‘ya,’” said Johnson. “Basketball by far is my favorite sport.”
“So then (my coach) started reaching out to college coaches, and we’re just trying to get that all down now.”