I wrote about new Jarvis Johnson's commitment to the Gophers and the shift in recruiting culture at University of Minnesota in Saturday's paper.
But the 6-foot-1 local point guard touched on several topics at his commitment announcement at DeLaSalle on Friday afternoon.
A few other notes from Q&As with Johnson, his coach, Dave Thorton and his mother:
Johnson:
Q: As you know, Minnesota has already gotten commitments from two guards that play at the point and shooting guard. Have you thought playing with a bunch of guards and how you'll fit in?
A: I have. This past year, [Minnesota] played three guards. I just want to fit in with those two guards and play my role.
Q: Do you think that role means playing off the ball a little more?
A: It could. In AAU season, I played with Tyus, played more off the ball a little more, so I don't think it will be too much of an issue.
Q: When did you know you wanted to go to Minnesota?
A: I had a dream one night ... when a recruit goes on a visit to a basketball game, you can see the players running out when they say their name. And I just had a dream that [a jersey] said No. 12 and Johnson. And that's when I knew.
Q: You had five visits scheduled, four more after Minnesota (Wisconsin, Baylor, UNLV and Wichita State), but opted to skip the rest and commit. Was that a tough decision?
A: At first it kind of was, but I kind of knew that I didn't want to go. I knew I needed to be home with everybody.
Q: When did you tell coach Ricard Pitino & assistant coach Ben Johnson (who was the main assistant recruiting him)?
A: I told them on Monday, so it's been a while.
Q: What was the week of sitting on your news like?
A: It was kind of nerve-wracking. I already knew I was going to the U but nobody else knew. There were rumors that I already committed, but I didn't want to speak too much on it.
Q: Does it feel like weight off your shoulders now?
A: (Johnson makes a face to show just how much it has)
Yes. The recruiting process was a lot. I enjoyed it but after a while it just becomes a lot and there is so much you have to deal with.
Q: You know new Minnesota transfer Zach Lofton pretty well from AAU. How much of an impact did that make on your decision?
A: It was fun. I knew Zach since I was younger, so we kind of built the relationship to now. I actually didn't know he was coming back to the University, but when I found out, it kind of gave me a little more reason to go there.
Q: Was there any one thing that really persuaded you to commit to Minnesota the most?
A: Knowing that these four here [gestures to mom, dad, brother and sister] can come to any game, to be honest.
Q: You've been on campus a ton because you live so close. Was the official visit very different?
A: A little bit. I've been there so much. But it's different when you finally get an official.
Q: A lot of local guys have spurned the Gophers in recent years. Do you feel like your commitment could start a trend for Minnesota recruits to stay home?
A: I'm sure it does. There aren't many people that have stayed here, from Minnesota. I'm sure they might want to stay [now].
Q: Will you work on those guys though?
A: Ah, yeah, I'll try.
Q: Have you thought about the expectations that come along with playing at your home-town school?
A: A little bit. I try not to pressure myself too much. I just want to enjoy it.
Dave Thorton, Johnson's coach at DeLaSalle:
Q: At the start of the summer, Johnson was ranked at 80-something nationally on rivals.com. Now he's not even in the top 150. Are you surprised by that?
A: It's amazing to me that they don't recognize what this kid has done through the season ... I'm not worried about that I'm worried about making sure he gets where he needs to go.
Anyone that saw Jarvis ... playing in our program in the summer -- and guess what it's outside of the recruiting period, it's not at the EYBl -- but they were awesome. The show that Jarvis put on at Minnesota's team camp.
Some of that in my mind is ridiculous ... I laugh at that.
Q:Minnesota has gotten commitments from a bunch of 2015 guards now. How do you see Johnson fitting into that?
A: Obviously Jarvis is a point guard in high school but even as a freshman we had to slide him over and play him at the 2 because we had a great senior point guard in Tyler Moore. The one thing I appreciate about coaching Jarvis is it's all about winning. It's not I need X amount of shots. Everyone around him is like that. That's how we have success ... You look at how college basketball has evolved. In the last two years we've seen teams really playing with two lead guards. Look no further than UConn, Arizona.
I think from a style perspective, it's less an issue because of how coach Pitino wants to play offense.
Q: What do you think Johnson needs to improve in his game?
A: I think he still has upside in a couple of different areas. One is that I think he's got to tighten up some of his footwork from a shooting perspective
...As he develops physically from a strength perspective ... that's something he needs to be even more invested in. We do it here but it's something that the stronger he can be -- and I know what it takes to go to East Lansing and win or go to Columbus, go to Ann Arbor. You can't go in there without your body being at an apex level.
He's not weak obviously, but I'm talking about being a freshman in the Big Ten and being able to handle the sort of physical play that he'll see in that league. I think that's another area he's got to concentrate on ... for him to be an impact guy, he's got to continue to do that.
Q: Has he put on weight this summer?
A: He's stronger. He's done a pretty nice job of that. I get frustrated with the AAU season and the way it's constructed because it is hard to consistently lift.
Q: Was the timing of Johnson's recruitment one of the major differences between him and [DeLaSalle gradutate] Reid Travis, who chose Stanford over Minnesota last year?
A: They [Pitino and the staff] did a great job kind of digging out of a hole to get in the position they were with [Travis]. And I know that was hard for Ben [Johnson, who recruited them both]. But in both situations, they have done the right stuff. Richard has proven that. He is wise beyond his years. The way that he builds relationships and the consistency. Recruiting is sometimes all about hype and that's fake, that's false...Richard understands that. At least in this situation, he's done a marvelous job.
Q: Do you think it was a tough decision for Johnson to turn down all the schools he did?
A: It's a tough decision when you've got Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, UNLV, Baylor, Maryland, Georgia Tech ... my sense is that Jarvis' relationship was so strong with that coaching staff and liking the players and feeling comfortable that it became a pretty easy decision for him.
Q: Do you think his commitment will help open the pipeline for other local recruits to follow?
A: I sure hope so for the Gophers, and I know how that works. I think we're going to have more players here at DeLaSalle, I have to tell all of you. We've got two more seniors [in Sacar Anim and Josh Collins], we've got other underclassmen that I think are going to be able to play at that level. So at least here, I think that will happen.
Q: Did you feel like the recruiting process was much different than that of former coach Tubby Smith?
A: I think they've taken a different approach than what Smith did and that approach, at least in this situation, was extremely effective. DeLaSalle is a place that is built on relationships. I think it's pretty obvious that it's more than just basketball... I get the sense that relationship-building is something he's really emphasized in terms of how he's spread the word about his program. So I think in that way, it's probably a little different.
Q: Other factors in Johnson's decision?
A: We've all had a season. How are you going to play? We didn't know that ...there's a lot of coach-speak out there. They may talk one way in recruiting and not play that way. Now we know how Pitino is going to play, and how he said he was going to play, he's doing it.
Tanisha Johnson, Jarvis' mother:
Q: The recruiting process can be long and overwhelming, not just on the player but on the parents as well. Do you feel relief today also?
A: I feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. I don't think he got confused, I think it was just overwhelming -- toward the end it was. You meet a lot of great people. You meet a lot of great coaches, players. And then you have to cut that off because you can only go to one school at the end of the day. And he felt the University was that for him.
Q: You've been around the university quite a bit as well. What is your impression?
A: Coach Pitino, whatever he's told us is happening. He's a man of his word so I solely trust him with Jarvis.
Q: How big is that for you, to send off Jarvis to a school that you know so well and are comfortable at?
A: It's amazing. That's your kid that you're turning over to somebody for the next four years. So for me to be able to trust him with my son, that's exciting to me.
Q: Are you looking forward to attending games?
A: I'm excited. Me and my husband, we're looking to move downtown. We're so excited. It's just me and him.My daughter goes to Iowa State, my oldest son has already graduated from college so I told him we might as well go downtown and be closer to Jarvis!