Preseason Mr. Basketball Candidate: Brandon Johns
Brandon Johns, of East Lansing High School, will be a frontrunner to win Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award from the start. Over the summer, the 4-star, Top-100 recruit committed to Michigan. Here at PrepHoops, we have him as the top-ranked player in the loaded 2018 class. All these rankings/accolades come for good reason – the 6’8″ power forward is the perfect embodiment of today’s ultra-valuable versatile big man. He has the shooting, footwork ability, handles, footwork, quickness and athleticism to play on the perimeter. Combine that with a great ability to rebound the basketball and the strength/footwork to play in the post like a traditional big, and you have a matchup nightmare that only a tiny portion of high school teams can defend.
Brandon Johns helped the Trojans to an undefeated seasonUltimately, all the rankings/accolades in the world mean nothing if you don’t prove yourself on the court. Most people are well-aware of the fact that Johns has already proven he can dominate high school basketball – as a junior, he averaged 20 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and 3 blocks per game en route to an undefeated regular season. Johns also put up solid numbers on the EYBL Circuit (12 points per game on 52% shooting, including 44% from three, 6.6 rebounds per game, as well as a steal and a block per game). As many may know, the EYBL Circuit is widely considered the top youth basketball league in the country.
With all things being considered, I broke my prediction down into three main categories: individual production, team performance and competition. When taking a look at past Mr. Basketball competitions, these have been the three biggest factors the voting coaches have taken into consideration. So, without further ado:
Production
As proven by the aforementioned stats, Johns is no stranger to putting up big time numbers. Johns has all the ability in the world to completely dominate the entirety of the regular season. Similar to last season, there should be a decent chunk of opponents East Lansing rolls this season. While this will make it easier for Johns to put up big numbers, it could be a potential disadvantage, as he could spend some time sitting the final minutes of a blowout. Should he avoid this conundrum, or simply put up monster stats before the final minutes, Johns is positioned to be one of the most productive players in the state this year.
Team Performance
Last year East Lansing went undefeated in the regular season. They would make a decent playoff run before being ousted by a very talented Kalamazoo Central team (led by last year’s Mr. Basketball and current Wolverine Isaiah Livers). This year, East Lansing retains a couple of its main pieces, indicating that they should repeat last year’s success. While undefeated is difficult no matter how good the team, a 19-1 or 18-2 record still looks very impressive to the voters. They should have no problem winning at least 16-17 games, with 18-20 being a realistic goal. Since Mr. Basketball is based only on regular season play, Johns’ Trojans have an opportunity to be the best performing team in the Mr. Basketball race.
Competition
This year’s Mr. Basketball competition is stiff. There are 8 high-major commits/recruits in the 2018 class alone – that’s not to mention the plethora of top notch mid-major talent the 2018 class boasts. Thomas Kithier’s transfer to Clarkston puts 3 of the 8 high-major players on the same team. With only so much ball to go around, that might help desaturate the field for Johns. That’s not a guarantee, however, and that doesn’t even take into account the other 4 high-major players. What Johns has going for him is this: he’s committed to Michigan. Being committed to one of the two in-state high-major programs has proven to be a difference maker in the Mr. Basketball race in years past. However, 6 of the 8 high-major players in the race are also committed to Michigan or Michigan State, so that factor doesn’t play as much of a role as it usually would. It’s important to note that the race doesn’t only include high-major players; it’s possible a mid-major player explodes for a monster season and steals the award – there are multiple around the state that have the talent.
With all this being said, I believe there’s a wildcard that separates Johns from the rest. In the paragraph above, I mentioned that Johns’ team has a chance to go undefeated – this is a very real possibility. Couple that with what’s sure to be a great year production-wise, and you’ll be hard pressed to make a better case for Mr. Basketball.