Oklahoma State University Athletics
Karron Johnson Signs with OSU
November 15, 2010 | Cowboy Basketball
Nov. 15, 2010
Stillwater, Okla. — Karron Johnson, the nation's top-ranked junior college player according to two different recruiting services, has signed a National Letter of Intent in favor of the Cowboys, it was announced today by head coach Travis Ford. Along with consensus five-star recruit LeBryan Nash, Rivals.com ranks the Cowboys' class as the 10th-best nationally and the second-best in the Big 12 Conference.
“Karron has been working hard to get to the Division I level,” said OSU associate head coach Butch Pierre, the primary recruiter for Johnson. “He will be able to bring us some rebounding and athleticism in a player that can be a major impact for our program from day one. He will be a huge complement to LeBryan Nash.”
Johnson, a 6-8, 225-pound forward, plays for the Midland College Chaparrals who are ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Men's Basketball preseason poll. Johnson transferred to Midland from Moberly Area Community College where he averaged team highs in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 21.6 points and eight rebounds per game in 2009-10.
“Playing for Midland College and (head coach) Ross Hodge will get Karron prepared for this level,” Pierre said. “They have a regimented training program and they're the No. 1 ranked junior college team in the nation. There's a reason for that. Going through that program is going to help him develop some good habits. He already has the tools to be able to step in right away and help this program as it heads in the right direction.”
Johnson was a third-team NJCAA All-American last season at Moberly and is one of just six returning All-Americans in the juco ranks. Mike Mitchell of Midwest Scouting Service and Bret Swanson of JucoJunction.com both have Johnson ranked as the top returning junior college player in the country.
Johnson was considered one of the top big men in the nation coming out of high school, when he originally signed with Oklahoma State in November of 2009. At the time, he was rated as one of the top-20 power forwards in the country by all three major recruiting services.
Rivals.com ranked him as the No. 45 player overall in the country and the 14th-best power forward out of high school. He was a four-star forward according to Scout.com, and was a top-50 recruiting according to ESPN.com. Johnson was also recruited by Memphis, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.), Cincinnati, West Virginia, N.C. State, Virginia and Seton Hall out of high school.
