Dakari Johnson says Noel or WCS return is “not a concern”

The #1 center in the 2013 class, Dakari Johnson has recently cut his list to only three schools. Kentucky, Syracuse and Georgetown are still in the mix for his services. The bigger rumors have said that he is Kentucky bound and there is very little to sway him away from the ‘Cats. During a high school game in December, an announcer shouted to the gymnasium that Johnson had committed to Kentucky. Quickly afterwards, Johnson went to his Twitter account to refute the announcement. Since then, Kentucky has seemed to all but sign the Montverde Academy star. Montverde Academy (FL) recently defeated St. Peter’s Prep (NJ) 89-62 in the Hoops for Troops Classic. Dakari Johnson’s play was best described as a constant dominant force in the paint. Johnson finished the game with 16 points all while sitting out the entire 4th quarter. After winning the City of the Palms MVP, Johnson narrowed his list to his final three schools. Interestingly enough, former top-recruit Nerlens Noel had the exact same final list before committing to the Kentucky Wildcats. Will Johnson follow suit? Syracuse currently does not have a scholarship available for Johnson, and neither does Georgetown. The Hoyas also received UCLA transfer Josh Smith a couple of days ago. For Kentucky, what happens if Nerlens Noel and/or Willie Cauley-Stein decides to stay in Lexington? Dakari Johnson said if both or one return, it’s not a problem: “I talked to Coach Cal and it wouldn’t matter to me, even if they stayed they would push me harder in practice and I would just be better developed going against those guys every day,” he said. I really like the prospects of this kid being a Kentucky Wildcat next season. While the other teams in his recruitment would have to “make room” for Johnson, Kentucky would just welcome him into the fold. While Nerlens Noel is surely all but gone after this season, Willie Cauley-Stein is more likely to return. By the end of the season, WCS could become a lottery pick in his own right. I think it’s only a matter of time, Dakari Johnson will become a ‘Cat.