His shot has a little bit of a hitch...nothing like Marquise's..., but almost every one was nothing but net. What impressed me most was his ability and willingness to take contact on his drives. If he can also hit his free throws, he could be a bigtime scorer. Very excited to see him play this fall.
I am looking forward to Xavier playing at Mason...it seems like he was at or near the top of our list when we were seeking PG's last fall. Him and Hartwell should form a nice 1-2 tandem running the show this year. I would love for our staff to lad Darrius as well and keep it in the family. I really liked Hartwell's shooting this year. Another offseason of running the point will only mature his game more.
Darius is blowing up a lot sooner and he’ll be harder to land. Hopefully he likes playing with his brother and wants to stay home. Xavier looks big enough to play shooting guard too so we might see both Hartwell and Xavier on the floor together.
http://gmufourthestate.com/2019/11/...ball-family-and-playing-at-a-boarding-school/ It’s not every day that you grow up with parents who both played college basketball. However, Mason men’s basketball’s Xavier Johnson was lucky enough to have that experience. Johnson’s mother, Mary Johnson, played at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore during the ’80s. On the other hand, Johnson’s father, Kelvin Johnson, played college basketball at the University of Richmond from 1981-1985 before being drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the fifth round. His father scored 1,400 points during his college career and was inducted into Richmond’s Hall of Fame during the 2008-2009 season. It was this environment that allowed Johnson to excel on the court. “They both coached me,” Johnson said. “My mom coached me when I as younger, playing in the youth league and once it got a little more serious in AAU, my dad took over and coached me from there.” Johnson knew from a young age that he wanted to play collegiate basketball. “I always wanted to do it,” he said. “I never thought twice about it; I was always in the gym with my dad and I grew up with that mentality and put so much time into it.” Johnson brought his talents to Episcopal High School, a boarding school in Alexandria, Va.
XJ has the potential to be an all time Mason great. He won the game tonight against American. If he develops a 3 point shot, watch out A10.
XJ has shown a lot in these OOC games so far. He took over last night vs. AU. Really excited to see what he does in A10 play.
Doubtful. Should be more concerned of him leaving to join his lil bro. Would be huge if we did land him though.
Love XJ. man, he took over that game against AU. He needs to demonstrat that killer instinct every game though.
I know these kids are still in high school, and I know this may be a laughable statement in 3 years, but it sure does feel like we are starting to string together solid recruiting classes, doesn't it?
Darius Johnson, who some think is better than XJ. From a “pure ready to go talent perspective” it appears every recruiting class has improved and taken a leap in quality. The last two especially (Hartwell/Miller/Oduro/XJ). I really like the kids coming in as well (Henry/Kolek/Polite).
Agreed, but I honestly think it might be a mistake to leave Daddy out of this. He needs polish, but I really liked what I saw from him before he got hurt. He looks to me like the next long, versatile player that can give minutes from 2-4. If you've followed Miami since OCM went there, I can see him as an Anthony Lawrence type for us.
I only didn’t include Daddy because he hasn’t played much, but if he can offer anything and be a good player on the floor on either end, then I would include him as well. Maybe he can be like Goanar Mar on the defensive end. Haven’t followed Miami super close haha.
Freshmen highlights of XJ, feel free to share this! https://mobile.twitter.com/IamLiemLe/status/1273594029935132672