Prospect Spotlight: Lavele Johnson (2019)
The high school big man is usually one of the last positions to fully develop their games, especially with the growing trend of ball-dominant point guards.
Luckily for class of 2019 Riverside Poly forward Lavele Johnson, he found himself in a high school program that will benefit his end product on the court, though right now he’s a bit of a sleeper.
“I’m not really on the radar much and nobody is really talking about me,” he told Prep Hoops So-Cal. “I’m just in the gym working hard every day.”
2019 Riverside Poly forward Lavele Johnson is an active rebounder on both the offensive and defensive glass.One aspect of the game Johnson does not need to work on is his motor. The 6-foot-6 forward plays with high energy on both ends of the court every minute he’s on the floor, which lends to the biggest strength in his game.
“I think the best part of my game is my rebounding,” he said. “In my head I think ‘you have to work as hard as you can to get what you want.’ I want to win every game, and for us to win with me being the only bigger player on the team, I have to rebound.”
Johnson is active and pursues rebounds on both the offensive and defensive glass, which comes in handy for the Bears, especially when it comes to creating second-chance opportunities.
As for what he’s working on, the junior noted that his scoring package needs to expand beyond offensive rebound put-backs.
“I’m working on my jump shot,” Johnson said. “Also, ripping through baseline, my ball handling, of course, free throws, basically everything. “I want to be able to play more out on the perimeter. I need to defend better, as well.”
Johnson is looking forward to this high school season for a handful of reasons, but one of the biggest is playing alongside a pass-first point guard in Lamont Butler.
“It’s terrific,” he said of having Butler as a teammate. “Lamont is a really good point guard. He knows how to pass and when to score. We all have to work as hard as possible and have a chip on our shoulder. We’re going to come out looking like the underdogs in every game.”
Johnson boasts a 3.4 grade point average, is interested in studying business in college and reports no next-level interest as of now.