There has been a recent run of smallish point guards that have seen success at the D1 level. 5’6” Saah Nimley won Big South Player of the Year last season at Charleston Southern. Winthrop’s Keon Johnson (5’7”), Richmond’s Kendell Anthony (5’8”), UMass Chazz Williams (5’8”), and Creighton’s Marcus Watson (5’9”) have all experienced recent college hoops success at a high level.
However, for some reason size still scares off college coaches. Such is currently the case for 5’7” Darlington (SC) senior Frankie Johnson. Some of the common traits that you find in the successful small guards are their quickness, ability to shoot, and toughness.
Well Frankie Johnson possesses all of these traits in spades. Let’s start with quickness. Johnson is starting at quarterback this year for Darlington High School. South Carolina is a football first, football second state with NFL players littered across the state. Through five games of 3A South Carolina football, Johnson has thrown for 648 yards, rushed for 543 yards, and scored 8 touchdowns.
Quick…Check !!
Moving on to toughness, of course Johnson is a two way player on the football team. Through the same five games, playing cornerback on defense, Johnson has accounted for 28 tackles with three being for a loss. For the 5’7” Johnson that is 231 yards per game and 5.5 tackles per game.
Tough…Check !
Let’s move on to look at Johnson’s ability to shoot. Johnson’s scoring averages have gone up each year he has been in high school. As a freshman he average 10 points per game, as a sophomore he averaged 17 points per game, and as a junior he averaged 20 points per game. During his best years Johnson averaged 35% from three, 49% from two, and 80% from FT. He is confident, his stroke is pure, and he is able to create space for himself to get off his quick release.
Ability to shoot…Check !!
Lastly, take a look at Johnson’s leadership ability. As a sophomore Johnson averaged 17 points and 5 steals per game, leading his Darlington High School to a state title. As a marked man the following season Johnson led his Darlington High School team to the Lower State Championship game. His junior year alone, again as a marked man, Johnson averaged 20 points, 4.5 boards, 6.5 assists, and 4 steals per game.
There is no question that Big South, MEAC, SWAC, Southern Conference schools should be all in on Johnson. Johnson currently carries offers from Newberry College and Coker College. However, we expect this to really pick up.
Johnson is a point guard that defends 94 feet in your face (4 steals per game), a point guard who can create his own shot (20 points per game), a point guard who can create shots for others (6.5 assists per game), and a point guard who wins (60-20 as a 3 year varsity starter, with a state championship).
What more do you want'!