Smart on Melvin Johnson: “It was the fastest recruitment ever”
Remember that day this summer when VCU, seemingly out of the blue signed Melvin Johnson, the consensus top 100 recruit out of the Bronx who had committed to Miami? It turns out it really was out of the blue for VCU coach Shaka Smart who said on Atlantic 10 Media Day he was on a bus with his team when he received a call saying Johnson was interested in playing for the Rams.
Quinn Casteel
Sports Editor
Remember that day this summer when VCU, seemingly out of the blue signed Melvin Johnson, the consensus top 100 recruit out of the Bronx who had committed to Miami?
It turns out it really was out of the blue for VCU coach Shaka Smart who said on Atlantic 10 Media Day he was on a bus with his team when he received a call saying Johnson was interested in playing for the Rams.
Smart said Thursday that Johnson had been unable to play for Miami and coach Jim Larranaga due to a technicality, which was described in a July 12 AOL Sporting News article as Johnson asking for a release of his national letter of intent for a “multitude of reasons”.
“It was a rare situation that we were able to get him,” said Smart at Media Day. “We were on the road and got a call that he was interested so we brought him in on a visit and it was the fastest recruitment ever. In order for him to be at school for summer school, he had to make a decision relatively quickly and we were fortunate that he chose VCU.”
Johnson had also considered Georgetown, Virginia Tech, South Florida and the Rams’ new conference opponent Xavier before he initially chose Miami. He, along with fellow top 100 recruit Jordan Burgess out of Benedictine High School in Richmond, are expected to make immediate contributions for VCU.
“In terms of the impact he can make on our program, he certainly can make a significant impact as a freshman,” said Smart. “He’s got a lot to learn, particularly on the defensive end, he’s going to have to get in great shape to be able to play the way we play and that remains to be seen.”
At 6′ 3” 195, Johnson is an efficient scorer similar to a high-rate player like Treveon Graham, VCU’s best player at getting to the free throw line as a freshman last season. For Johnson, the key to accomplishing a big season like Graham did last year will be doing the little things on the court that Smart rewards minutes for. Meanwhile, Graham will likely move into a starting role after playing behind Burgess last season.
