Every high school hoops season we see a an underrated prospect steadily rise through the rankings as their skill set slowly develops around some insane athletic ability. Many spectators in attendance at Summer AAU camps and clinics become enamored with some players’ above the rim type game, as they pad their resumes for college recruiters and coaches, while some have even become internet sensations simply by showing off their dunking prowess.
In recent years top flight dunk artists like NC State’s CJ Leslie, current San Diego State transfer via St. John’s Dwayne Polee, and Baylor commit Deuce Bello have dominated the HS ranks and are widely considered the high school ranks’ best dunkers.
Once a HS teammate of John Wall, Leslie is known for jumping clear over opponents on blocks and dunk attempts, while Polee once had his hops compared to that of Lebron James back in 2010. Bello’s dunking artistry has already become legendary as he won last year’s Boost Mobile Elite Dunk Contest by dunking over future collegiate teammate Quincy Miller and has video proof that he has been pulling off in-game Eastbay dunks ever since his junior year in HS.
Fast forward to the 2011-2012 HS hoops season and the not yet universally known Shaquille Johnson is beginning to make his mark on scouts and fans across the country because of his highlight reel dunking skills. The 6’4, 185lb native of Alpharetta, Georgia has been overshadowed a bit last year by higher profiled Milton HS teammate Shannon Scott, who as a Top 100 rated player is signed and sealed to Ohio State this Fall, but “Shaq” is generating a ton of buzz this Summer after putting in a tremendous showing at a number of top tier AAU events.
Most recently, he dominated the Under Armour Best of the Best Dunk Contest, held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, to take home the trophy for the event’s best dunk artist. Heading into his senior campaign, Johnson is already verbally committed to Auburn but if his perimeter skills ever catch up to his supreme athleticism, he may get more interest from high majors by the time he signs his letter of intent. Exhibit A is this jam as he jumps clear over 6‘8 UNC commit James McAdoo in the 2010 City of Palms Dunk Contest.
Upon first checking out Johnson’s mostly two-footed dunking style, he instantly brings back memories of another Georgia native Dominique Wilkins, since he jams with a ton of power considering his fairly undersized physique as a SF. Legend has it that he loves to posterize opponents and once dunked so hard that he broke the rim at a local gymnasium.
Check out Shaquille Johnson’s Official Mixtape:
Source: Hoopmixtape
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
