Happy St. Patrick’s Day. No green beer for me, but is it time to roll? Indeed. Let’s roll.
Looking back at the OKPreps basketball tournaments and what OU fans can be watching.
Johnson: ‘I can still play’
That was the mission for Norman North guard Jeremiah Johnson. Now more than a year removed from when he was shot multiple times, suffering non-life-threatening injuries but having two bullets removed that night in the hospital.
Johnson lost 45 pounds during that struggle and transferred from Putnam City North to Norman North before this season.
The junior was a big reason why the Timberwolves reached the state tournament, ultimately going down to Tulsa Booker T. Washington 81-72 in the quarterfinals.
“It meant a lot,” Johnson said. “Especially coming from a different school and different environment and getting those new relationships. A new team, coaches and seeing if we could get it done.
What I saw that afternoon was a pretty impressive outing. Johnson scored 30 points on 10-16 shooting and 5-7 from 3-point territory. He also had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
And he is different. He didn’t have a choice. As a freshman, he was all about his athletic ability. He was a highlight waiting to happen. He’s had to evolve his game, but he’s been able to do that.
“Freshman, sophomore year, personally? I was more athletic,” Johnson said. “That’s really what it was. I was faster, stronger, could jump higher when I was younger.”
Johnson still shows those signs and bursts, but as he has grown older, he’s had to rely on a different aspect of his game.
“After the incident, I had to learn, especially not being all the way back but knowing I can still play, to play to my advantages,” he said. “I can still shoot, dribble. I’m still smart. I’m using my IQ and putting that more into my game.”
Johnson doesn’t believe he’s back to 100 percent at this time. He said he’s around 80-85 and the only thing that’s going to help him is time.
What he can say, though, is the hard part is over. Physically, mentally, it’s full steam ahead.
“It was real tough because when all you’ve known for the last five, six years is playing one way, it’s hard to change it just like that,” Johnson said. “It’s just time now – only thing that can get me better. I just have to keep working on my body.”
Oklahoma and head coach Porter Moser definitely know about Johnson. With Moser’s son, Ben, being on Norman North, Porter was around as much as he could be to watch Johnson and the Timberwolves.
“It has been nothing but consistency,” Johnson said. “He comes to as many practices and games that he can, but they play a lot, too, so it’s hard. I hear from him every week, couple of weeks or so. He shows a lot of consistency.”
Johnson, like a lot of 2023 prospects, didn’t want to dive in with a favorites list. With high school ball wrapped up, it’s time for AAU season. Johnson said following the summer events, he’ll weigh his options and move one from there.
Impressions? Johnson always felt in control. He has a nice shot and did get to see a day where he was hitting most of the time. Almost want to see him lean into being a point guard more to get a feel of where he should end up.
I think everybody is sort of wondering who is Johnson in 2022 compared to 2020 and how should his ranking be reflected by that? He is different. But as we know, different can be good. AAU season will be interesting to see his mindset and what he attacks.
***
Garrison: ‘Hits me up like every other day’
It doesn’t take you long at all to figure out who 2023 Del City power forward/center Brandon Garrison is. He certainly stands out with that 6-8, 6-9 frame.
But a lot of players can be tall. This was the first time seeing Garrison in just about two years, and he has developed a lot (as you would hope) to justify his top-100 ranking across the board.
Able to watch Garrison in the semifinals and the championship game. Never truly got to see him as his peak. The semifinals weren’t a spot where Garrison needed to do the heavy lifting. And foul trouble almost completely negated him in the championship loss to Tulsa Memorial.
Still, a lot to like and you understand the maturation process he went through.
“This year definitely felt a little bit different,” Garrison said. “We had to find more leadership because we have a lot of juniors this year. It was definitely a new role for me.”
He’s got the staff to help him. Head coach Lenny Hatchett has done a tremendous job for years and years at his various stops. Assistant coach Tommy Griffin, yes that Griffin, father of Blake and Taylor. Then Tondrell Durham, who was the head coach at McGuinness during the Daniel Orton years.
Not really worried about the trajectory of Garrison with that strong support staff surrounding him who fully understand what it takes to reach the highest of the elite levels.
“I’m scoring more,” Garrison said. “I’m playing a lot better defense. I had to step up this year and become a better scorer and play that type of defense. But I also try to be selfless and look for my teammates.”
The numbers aren’t gonna blow you away, I get it. In the semifinal win vs. Midwest City Carl Albert, Garrison had eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Del City was a +19 with him in the game.
Then he got off to a great start vs. Memorial before picking up his second foul midway through the second quarter. Then he picked up his third foul one minute into the third and sat. And his fourth foul a minute into the fourth quarter. In a 32-minute game, he played less than 19 with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Garrison was one of the very first visitors to OU once Porter Moser took over. He was there in June, and Moser and staff are not going away. They’re letting him know they want to keep Garrison home.
“Our relationship has been real good,” Garrison said. “He hits me up like every other day. When I’m here, it’s all love.”
Again, no favorites coming with AAU season just around the corner. He knows his first official visit is going to be Kentucky. He knows he’s going to make official visits to OU and Oklahoma State. And Texas Tech is a major threat to watch here.
In other words, it won’t be easy. The Sooners could get a bit of an assist here from 2024 football recruit David Stone, especially if he were to commit to OU sometime soon.
“Brandon is my guy,” Stone said. “I really miss him. I love watching him play. Seeing him out there dominating is really amazing.”
Impressions? I didn’t care about numbers in the least here in watching him play. So much to like. OK, grabs a rebound and keeps the ball high. Gets the ball in the post, always has his eyes up looking to make the right play. Grabs a board, quick to outlet. Very, very coachable, noticed that a bunch. So much to like. Didn’t get to see or truly know if he has a back-to-the-basket type of game. Doesn’t matter as much as it would have years ago, but would just add to his versatility.
This is gonna be a monster battle for Moser. It would be an incredible win because they’re all (rightfully) coming for Garrison. See how the AAU season changes things.
***
2024 radar
Again, this is just state basketball stuff here. Obviously, David Castillo (Bartlesville) is the 2024 name everybody is going to watch.
I’m gonna add a couple here in Edmond North guard T.O. Barrett and Carl Albert guard Quincy Hopkins. Am I ready to say they’re OU guys/high Power 5? Umm, maybe, but they’re definitely on the cusp to that and have legitimate potential to be those types of guys if they’re not already there.
What I like about both is their size and strength. That’s one of the first things I look for with guards in the 6-2/6-5 range. Like how are they physically going to transition to the college game? Barrett and Hopkins will do just fine.
In watching Hopkins vs. Del City, he wasn’t afraid to attack Garrison but also showed nice variety to his game. He scored 16 points with five rebounds and three steals.
Heard about Barrett for a while, but it looks like the flashes are becoming more consistent and the whole all-around game is coming together.
You’re going to take the good with the bad right now. He had nine turnovers in the semifinal win vs. Booker T., but I truly didn’t think Edmond North was going to beat the Hornets. He also had 17 points and five assists and three steals in that one.
The championship win was a monster showing by sophomore Dylan Warlick with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Barrett did his part, too.
He had seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. And some of the passes he made during the three days – yes, that’s what you want to see.
Garrison and Barrett are both Team Griffin guys so hope to see a lot more of them in the months ahead. There are some names I wanna see more of, but we’ll just have to see how schedules shake out and what is legitimately feasible to try to see.
***
I was gonna dive in with the OU roster and transfer portal stuff. But we’ll do that another day, once the NIT run is in the books.
Instead, we shall close with a couple of quotes from Moser about Bijan Cortes and C.J. Noland, following the NIT win vs. Missouri State.
Cortes:
“I didn't really have a specific message to him. I just had a message to the team. I'll talk to him. We need to get him back. We didn't really have him in the flow of the tournament. We tried to get him in today. I got to get him back. We need him. We don't play until Sunday. I got to get him back. We need him.”
Noland:
“I’m gonna really feed off that second half. I told him when he came out, I told him in the locker room just now, I told him four times already, ‘Great job responding at halftime.’ Because he had one where he kind of migrated in and didn’t box out. He had another one, the turnover, and a defensive possession.
“I thought he had good energy. I thought he got to a bunch of loose balls. He got some defensive stops. He got a couple rebounds. Next thing you know, he got a transition, then he made a cut. He was doing a lot of things and we needed that. I thought he had a really good second half and we’re gonna feed off that and build off that with him.”
Looking back at the OKPreps basketball tournaments and what OU fans can be watching.
Johnson: ‘I can still play’
That was the mission for Norman North guard Jeremiah Johnson. Now more than a year removed from when he was shot multiple times, suffering non-life-threatening injuries but having two bullets removed that night in the hospital.
Johnson lost 45 pounds during that struggle and transferred from Putnam City North to Norman North before this season.
The junior was a big reason why the Timberwolves reached the state tournament, ultimately going down to Tulsa Booker T. Washington 81-72 in the quarterfinals.
“It meant a lot,” Johnson said. “Especially coming from a different school and different environment and getting those new relationships. A new team, coaches and seeing if we could get it done.
What I saw that afternoon was a pretty impressive outing. Johnson scored 30 points on 10-16 shooting and 5-7 from 3-point territory. He also had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
And he is different. He didn’t have a choice. As a freshman, he was all about his athletic ability. He was a highlight waiting to happen. He’s had to evolve his game, but he’s been able to do that.
“Freshman, sophomore year, personally? I was more athletic,” Johnson said. “That’s really what it was. I was faster, stronger, could jump higher when I was younger.”
Johnson still shows those signs and bursts, but as he has grown older, he’s had to rely on a different aspect of his game.
“After the incident, I had to learn, especially not being all the way back but knowing I can still play, to play to my advantages,” he said. “I can still shoot, dribble. I’m still smart. I’m using my IQ and putting that more into my game.”
Johnson doesn’t believe he’s back to 100 percent at this time. He said he’s around 80-85 and the only thing that’s going to help him is time.
What he can say, though, is the hard part is over. Physically, mentally, it’s full steam ahead.
“It was real tough because when all you’ve known for the last five, six years is playing one way, it’s hard to change it just like that,” Johnson said. “It’s just time now – only thing that can get me better. I just have to keep working on my body.”
Oklahoma and head coach Porter Moser definitely know about Johnson. With Moser’s son, Ben, being on Norman North, Porter was around as much as he could be to watch Johnson and the Timberwolves.
“It has been nothing but consistency,” Johnson said. “He comes to as many practices and games that he can, but they play a lot, too, so it’s hard. I hear from him every week, couple of weeks or so. He shows a lot of consistency.”
Johnson, like a lot of 2023 prospects, didn’t want to dive in with a favorites list. With high school ball wrapped up, it’s time for AAU season. Johnson said following the summer events, he’ll weigh his options and move one from there.
Impressions? Johnson always felt in control. He has a nice shot and did get to see a day where he was hitting most of the time. Almost want to see him lean into being a point guard more to get a feel of where he should end up.
I think everybody is sort of wondering who is Johnson in 2022 compared to 2020 and how should his ranking be reflected by that? He is different. But as we know, different can be good. AAU season will be interesting to see his mindset and what he attacks.
***
Garrison: ‘Hits me up like every other day’
It doesn’t take you long at all to figure out who 2023 Del City power forward/center Brandon Garrison is. He certainly stands out with that 6-8, 6-9 frame.
But a lot of players can be tall. This was the first time seeing Garrison in just about two years, and he has developed a lot (as you would hope) to justify his top-100 ranking across the board.
Able to watch Garrison in the semifinals and the championship game. Never truly got to see him as his peak. The semifinals weren’t a spot where Garrison needed to do the heavy lifting. And foul trouble almost completely negated him in the championship loss to Tulsa Memorial.
Still, a lot to like and you understand the maturation process he went through.
“This year definitely felt a little bit different,” Garrison said. “We had to find more leadership because we have a lot of juniors this year. It was definitely a new role for me.”
He’s got the staff to help him. Head coach Lenny Hatchett has done a tremendous job for years and years at his various stops. Assistant coach Tommy Griffin, yes that Griffin, father of Blake and Taylor. Then Tondrell Durham, who was the head coach at McGuinness during the Daniel Orton years.
Not really worried about the trajectory of Garrison with that strong support staff surrounding him who fully understand what it takes to reach the highest of the elite levels.
“I’m scoring more,” Garrison said. “I’m playing a lot better defense. I had to step up this year and become a better scorer and play that type of defense. But I also try to be selfless and look for my teammates.”
The numbers aren’t gonna blow you away, I get it. In the semifinal win vs. Midwest City Carl Albert, Garrison had eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Del City was a +19 with him in the game.
Then he got off to a great start vs. Memorial before picking up his second foul midway through the second quarter. Then he picked up his third foul one minute into the third and sat. And his fourth foul a minute into the fourth quarter. In a 32-minute game, he played less than 19 with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Garrison was one of the very first visitors to OU once Porter Moser took over. He was there in June, and Moser and staff are not going away. They’re letting him know they want to keep Garrison home.
“Our relationship has been real good,” Garrison said. “He hits me up like every other day. When I’m here, it’s all love.”
Again, no favorites coming with AAU season just around the corner. He knows his first official visit is going to be Kentucky. He knows he’s going to make official visits to OU and Oklahoma State. And Texas Tech is a major threat to watch here.
In other words, it won’t be easy. The Sooners could get a bit of an assist here from 2024 football recruit David Stone, especially if he were to commit to OU sometime soon.
“Brandon is my guy,” Stone said. “I really miss him. I love watching him play. Seeing him out there dominating is really amazing.”
Impressions? I didn’t care about numbers in the least here in watching him play. So much to like. OK, grabs a rebound and keeps the ball high. Gets the ball in the post, always has his eyes up looking to make the right play. Grabs a board, quick to outlet. Very, very coachable, noticed that a bunch. So much to like. Didn’t get to see or truly know if he has a back-to-the-basket type of game. Doesn’t matter as much as it would have years ago, but would just add to his versatility.
This is gonna be a monster battle for Moser. It would be an incredible win because they’re all (rightfully) coming for Garrison. See how the AAU season changes things.
***
2024 radar
Again, this is just state basketball stuff here. Obviously, David Castillo (Bartlesville) is the 2024 name everybody is going to watch.
I’m gonna add a couple here in Edmond North guard T.O. Barrett and Carl Albert guard Quincy Hopkins. Am I ready to say they’re OU guys/high Power 5? Umm, maybe, but they’re definitely on the cusp to that and have legitimate potential to be those types of guys if they’re not already there.
What I like about both is their size and strength. That’s one of the first things I look for with guards in the 6-2/6-5 range. Like how are they physically going to transition to the college game? Barrett and Hopkins will do just fine.
In watching Hopkins vs. Del City, he wasn’t afraid to attack Garrison but also showed nice variety to his game. He scored 16 points with five rebounds and three steals.
Heard about Barrett for a while, but it looks like the flashes are becoming more consistent and the whole all-around game is coming together.
You’re going to take the good with the bad right now. He had nine turnovers in the semifinal win vs. Booker T., but I truly didn’t think Edmond North was going to beat the Hornets. He also had 17 points and five assists and three steals in that one.
The championship win was a monster showing by sophomore Dylan Warlick with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Barrett did his part, too.
He had seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. And some of the passes he made during the three days – yes, that’s what you want to see.
Garrison and Barrett are both Team Griffin guys so hope to see a lot more of them in the months ahead. There are some names I wanna see more of, but we’ll just have to see how schedules shake out and what is legitimately feasible to try to see.
***
I was gonna dive in with the OU roster and transfer portal stuff. But we’ll do that another day, once the NIT run is in the books.
Instead, we shall close with a couple of quotes from Moser about Bijan Cortes and C.J. Noland, following the NIT win vs. Missouri State.
Cortes:
“I didn't really have a specific message to him. I just had a message to the team. I'll talk to him. We need to get him back. We didn't really have him in the flow of the tournament. We tried to get him in today. I got to get him back. We need him. We don't play until Sunday. I got to get him back. We need him.”
Noland:
“I’m gonna really feed off that second half. I told him when he came out, I told him in the locker room just now, I told him four times already, ‘Great job responding at halftime.’ Because he had one where he kind of migrated in and didn’t box out. He had another one, the turnover, and a defensive possession.
“I thought he had good energy. I thought he got to a bunch of loose balls. He got some defensive stops. He got a couple rebounds. Next thing you know, he got a transition, then he made a cut. He was doing a lot of things and we needed that. I thought he had a really good second half and we’re gonna feed off that and build off that with him.”
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