It is true that coaches can't teach height. Well, the kind of athleticism that NCHBC All American Daquarius Johnson possesses cannot be taught either. Add to that his 6'4" frame, soft shooting touch, soft hands, and physical toughness, and a very impressive picture is painted.
Johnson burst onto the homeschool basketball scene with an exclamation mark during the 2014 NCHBC national championships. Averaging 20 ppg and dunking no less than 12 times in five games created a buzz from many of the 9,000 players and spectators.
While Johnson's 360 degree game ending dunk in GAIS's 69-61 4A championship game victory and his insane dunk contest performance stole the show, I was most impressed with his consistently good shooting, his competitiveness, and his composure.
After trailing throughout much of the Class 4A championship game, Johnson stole the ball and was flagrantly fouled before finishing a breakaway that would have cut the opponent's lead to two points late in the fourth quarter. Daquarius kept his composure and eventually made two big free throws and made a phenomenally athletic play to put his team ahead for good.
Daquarius scored between 15 and 23 points in each of the five games and never got into foul trouble. He had virtually no turnovers, rebounded well, and was effective in the paint and on the perimeter.
Johnson will spend the spring and summer staying on track academically, developing his basketball skills and playing competitive AAU basketball. In addition to all of his obvious strengths, he is a good hearted young man who is a great teammate and a joy to coach. I especially enjoyed watching him interact with the young kids in Springfield, Missouri, seeking his autograph. Very neat stuff!
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