Catching Up with NC 2021 SG Austin Johnson

Austin Johnson is a 6’4 SG in the NC 2021 class that is versatile and can affect the game in many different facets. The Mallard Creek rising senior can shoot the ball well from the perimeter as well as score off mid-range pull ups. Johnson has shown the ability to slash at times and find his teammates when he attacks the basket. In transition, Johnson can push the ball and score in the open floor. He also has great court vision when leading the break where he has shown his ability to set guys up for easy layups and kick-out threes. For the shooting guard position, Johnson rebounds it well and will collect some put back baskets from grabbing some offensive rebounds each game. Defensively, Johnson plays hard and uses his size and length to give him an advantage. 

We had a chance to catch up with Austin Johnson and hear more about his recruitment, what he is looking for in a school, and his development as a player.

Question: Which schools are showing you the most interest? 

Austin Johnson: “The schools I am showing interest in are Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State, Morehouse, NC A&T, UNCG, WCU, ECU, and Coastal Carolina.”

Question: How did your high school season end up? 

Johnson: “This year my high school season was very rocky. We had a pretty good team but we got off to a bad start in the year but personally, I feel like I did pretty good this year but I know that I haven’t reached my potential.”

Question: Were there any highlights or memorable moments throughout the year? 

Johnson: “There are 2 memorable moments from this year. One was earlier during the season we took a trip to Raleigh to play panther creek. That game I had 19 points and I hit a big 3 to tie the game with about 3 seconds left or so but we ended up losing that game due to a terrible foul call lol. My other moment was when we played North Meck the second time at creek my defensive assignment was switched onto Tristan for the whole 4th quarter and he didn’t score another field goal. The only thing he scored were one and one free throws. I feel like my defense in that fourth quarter that game gave us a chance to comeback and win the game but we ended up losing by 5.”

Question: What qualities are you looking for in your potential college coach and program? 

Johnson: “I’m looking for a coach and a program who believes in me. I like to be around people who are going to push me not just to push me but to push me because they believe in me and know that I can do it. Being around people who believe in me and care about me as a person makes me want to play for them.”

Question: How would you describe your game on the court? 

Johnson: “My game on the court is very versatile meaning that I like to do more than one thing on the floor. I like to fill up the stat sheet in not just one stat. I do whatever the team needs whether that’s playing defensive on the best player, rebounding, shooting, scoring, getting teammates involved, etc. I just like going out there and playing with and for my teammates.”

Question: In what areas of your game would you like to improve as you prepare for the next level? 

Johnson: “I would like to keep approving on ball handling of course, keep approving on my mental toughness, my explosiveness, and continue to get stronger in my upper body.”

Question: Who is your favorite player to study and why?

Johnson: “One of my favorite players to study is Dejounte Murray from the spurs because I’m just about his size and I like how he gets after it on both ends of the floor. I like how he uses his length defensively and offensively and he’s just a dog. I can’t wait for him to have his breakout season.”

Question: How have you been able to manage the quarantine while continuing to train and get better as a player?

Johnson: “I’ve been managing the quarantine very well. I’ve been keeping myself busy. My dad bought a whole bunch of weights and medicine balls and all of that for us to continue to train and get better so I look at this quarantine as a blessing in disguise for me because I know most people might not have the access to what I have or might not be as blessed as I am.”

We look forward to keeping up with Austin and continuing to follow his progression as a very talented player in NC’s 2021 class.