SG Darin Johnson, Class of 2013, Commits to the University of Washington

It has been a while since I have written about basketball, I hope I remember how. So, there is this round orange ball? Uh-huh, and it goes into an orange "rim?" What am I going to do with that?

Lorenzo Romar landed another commitment from the class of 2013 in the form of a 6'4" shooting guard Darin Johnson out of Sheldon High School in Sacramento, California. Johnson joins a class that includes center Gilles Dierickx (a transfer from Florida International) and point guard Nigel Williams-Goss.

Johnson was split mainly between Oregon, San Diego State and the University of Washington, and ultimately made the choice to land with Romar's Huskies. In talking with Mason Kelly (Insider only) at ESPN he revealed one of the key reasons for his choice, "They've got a good thing going with that staff. I'm trying to get to the next level. I feel like they've got the perfect plan for me." He obviously has aspirations of the NBA, and without a doubt has the talent for it.

Johnson is a physical shooting guard with a capable but inconsistent jump shot. He is at his best when he is slashing to the rim using his explosiveness and strength. His play-style is a great fit for Romar's "controlled chaos" transition game. He has the ability to pull up for a mid-range jumper, but that could use a little more consistency.

Defensively, I cannot find information about what kind of a defender he is but his frame and explosive athleticism gives him the ability to be an absolute lockdown defender. Given that you have to be at least passable defensively to receive minutes on a Romar-coached team Johnson has to already be a decent defender. Again, he has the ability to end up an elite, lockdown perimeter defender.

One more impact that Johnson may have is in the recruiting of forward Aaron Gordon and shooting guard Isaac Hamilton. He also mentioned to Kelley that he wanted to help bring them both to the Udub. Gordon, the number six overall recruit according to ESPN is largely considered a Washington lean, but with John Calipari and Kentucky in the mix one can never be certain. Hamilton, four-star recruit at ESPN and five elsewhere, has a visit with Washington planned for later this month as well.

Overall, a good get for he class of 2013. ESPN and Rivals list Johnson as a three star recruit, while Scout has him as a four-star player. "Romar Math" means that if Romar wants to bring in eight more recruits, he can bring in eight more recruits. In all seriousness, it appears as if Romar is getting pretty full-up on the number of guys he has for the 2013 class (beginning of the second season from now is when they would be eligible to play):

Note that the limit is thirteen scholarship players. Andrew Andrews, Jernard Jarreau, Perris Blackwell, Martin Breunig, Shawn Kemp Jr., Dierickx, Desmond Simmons, Hikeem Stewart, C.J. Wilcox and now Williams-Goss and Johnson. That leaves two more slots available. If those two players are Gordon and Hamilton then we should all run around with our pants on our head.

Now if you will excuse me I am going to go to the mall and get some University of Washington sweatpants.