Johnson: 'I think we will be great'
Dior Johnson shocked the world three times in the last week.
First, the four-star guard was released from the Letter of Intent that he signed with Oregon last November.
Next, he announced a top three of Pitt, Washington State and Mississippi State.
And finally, on Monday, Johnson made his verbal commitment to play with the Panthers.
“I thought Pitt was a great situation for me personally and basketball wise,” Johnson told Panther-Lair.com. “Coach (Jeff) Capel and I have a great relationship and he knows some people that I am cool with as well so I respect him as a coach and as a man.
“Overall a lot of things came into play and I thought he was a great person for me overall to coach me, push me and help me through all the ups and downs.”
After Johnson decommitted from Oregon, things happened fast, but he knew where he wanted to go.
“After I decommitted, Coach Capel reached out and stuff but honestly just from the neutral people we both know, I knew I wanted to go there right away. I respect what Coach Capel has done with the people I know and I really respect him and all those people. Only great things have been said about Coach Capel and that obviously played a huge factor and I am just so excited to get to work.”
Ever since a young age, the spotlight has been on Johnson because of his skill on the basketball court. At one point, he climbed as high as No. 4 in the Rivals.com rankings for the class of 2022, and while he finished inside the top 40, he is talented enough that he should see plenty of playing time as a freshman this season.
“Coach Capel wants me to be creative and put me in good situations to show what I am capable of doing,” Johnson said. “Coach Capel and I are on the same page. He knows my game and I like the idea he has on how he will be using me.”
Pitt added a number of guards for the 2022-23 roster this offseason, but the most prominent addition - prior to Johnson - was Colgate transfer Nelly Cummings, a sixth-year senior who brings a lot of experience to the point guard position.
Johnson is also a point guard, but he believes he can share the court with Cummings.
“Me and Nelly are going to be fine,” Johnson said. “I think we are going to work together. Going into all this, Nelly knew I was committing to Pitt the day before I announced.
“We are going to make this work, we are guys that are mature enough where we understand the game and we will figure it out.”
Johnson is originally from New York but he most recently played in Los Angeles, so coming back to the east coast for college basketball was really appealing.
“Pitt is on the east coast. I am an east coast kid born and raised. As a basketball player it is just different on the east coast and this is a great opportunity for me to be near home and play in front of everybody that I know. The support group I have on the east coast is great and I can't wait to go out there every night and show them what I am about.”
While Johnson has taken a winding road to get to this point - he was committed to Syracuse before signing with Oregon - the 6’3” point guard is glad to be headed to Pitt, and he believes the Panthers have a bright future.
“I think we are going to be higher than everybody’s expectations,” he said. “It is not our job to meet other people's expectations but it is our job to meet our own expectations and if that lines up with other people’s expectations that is great but we are going for the long haul and the long haul is when you shoot for the stars. I think we will be great."