Ed. note: Talked with Putnam North star guard Jeremiah Johnson this past week just before OU offered. At the time, OSU was the only program in the mix. Here’s my conversation with him below for PFB+ subscribers.
Putnam North guard Jeremiah Johnson has two scholarship offers after a breakout freshman season. And in the way-too-early sweepstakes for one of the best and brightest in-state talents, the Oklahoma schools are first in line.
Oklahoma State offered him a scholarship two weeks ago to become his first Division-I offer. Hours after I talked with him on Tuesday, OU joined the mix.
“It’s good to get an offer like Oklahoma State at such a young age,” he told me. “Especially from OSU. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to go to school close to home. I don’t want to go super far. And OSU is right up the street, so it’s a blessing to know I have that opportunity.”
Jeremiah’s father, Jeremy, is his coach – and a former hoop standout himself. He played professionally overseas and won two championships in the ABL. Now he’s using that experience to push his son to higher heights.
“He’s played a big role in my development,” Johnson said. “Everything I know about basketball, he taught me. All the camps he paid for, everything with basketball he helped find a way for me to get there.”
Mike Boynton has played a massive role in recruiting stars in recent years, so of course I had to ask: What’s your relationship like with Mike Boynton? His answer surprised me.
“Coach Boynton called my dad [to offer me a scholarship], and the first time I talked with him, he offered me on the spot,” Johnson said. “It was my first interaction with him.”
Johnson said he intends to get up to Stillwater soon to watch practices and familiarize himself with OSU’s staff. He has no decision timeline because he doesn’t even have a driver’s license, so it’s too early to say. But he likes Boynton’s vibe already, “Because he thinks I can bring them a national championship,” as he put it.
“He thinks I can become an NBA player at OSU,” Johnson added.
As for what he brings to the table: “I can do everything. My playmaking is probably No. 1. I can pass; I can get other people shots. But I’m a good scorer too, so I can create my own shot. I hit open shots.” [So basically anything on offense.]