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ASU courts Highland hoops players Johnson, Carlino
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The news that Nick Johnson had received a scholarship offer from Arizona State caused quite a stir among some of his peers over the weekend. They found it hard to believe that a Pac-10 basketball program would be so interested in a 14-year-old.
Believe it.
In the last week, ASU has offered scholarships to Johnson and 15-year-old Matt Carlino, months before either son of a former Sun Devil plays his first high school game at Gilbert Highland.
Due to NCAA regulations, ASU coach Herb Sendek is not permitted to comment on recruits until they sign a national letter of intent.
When asked if her son was ready to verbally commit to the Sun Devils, Michelle Johnson laughed.
“He’s way too young to be accepting,” she said.
He wouldn’t be the first member of the Class of 2011 to commit to a Pac-10 school.
Southern California’s Tim Floyd last week secured the verbal commitment of 14-year-old Illinois point guard Ryan Boatwright, who has yet to choose which high school he will attend. At this time last year, Floyd received a commitment from another 14-year-old, Los Angeles forward Dwayne Polee Jr.
First-year Highland coach Mark Carlino, Matt’s father, has noticed the recruiting process beginning earlier and earlier the last few years.
“It’s certainly different,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it seems to be a trend.”
Highland participated in a team camp at ASU over the weekend. The team also includes Nick’s older brother, Chris Johnson, and Nick Witherill, who has committed to Washington State.
Both are upperclassmen and both attended other schools last year. Chris Johnson played sparingly as a sophomore at Phoenix Desert Vista and Witherill averaged better than 20 points per game as a junior at Scottsdale Saguaro.
Nick Johnson, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, is the son of former Sun Devil Joey Johnson and the nephew of former NBA player Dennis Johnson. Carlino is a 6-1 point guard, who has already been offered scholarships by a number of institutions including Arizona and Washington State.
His father said he was not concerned with the early start to Matt’s recruitment.
“I’d be a lot more disturbed by it as a college coach than I am as a high school coach,” Mark Carlino said.
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