City of Basketball Love

Dylan Lutey (@dylan_lutey)
—

It took one day for Mekai Johnson to know where he wanted to spend the four years of his life after high school.

The 6-foot-5 Bishop Ireton (Va.) shooting guard went on a visit to Saint Joseph’s on September 27. By the end of the visit not only did he end up receiving an offer from the Hawks, but he already saw himself donning the crimson and gray. 

“(I knew) this is where I wanted to be,” Johnson said when asked about his campus visit. “(On the visit) I was telling myself ‘this is how it’s going to be for (the) next (few) years there’. I already envisioned myself being there.”

Less than two weeks later, on October 7, Johnson announced his commitment to St. Joe’s via Instagram, becoming the first member of the Hawks’ 2024 recruiting class.

“It’s a lot of pressure off my shoulders,” he said. “I always try to play my best, but it’s a lot easier to play, knowing that I’m already committed.”

Not only did Johnson’s commitment make him feel more at ease in the short-term, but also allowed him to realize a life-long aspiration. 

From an early age, Johnson was immersed in the world of basketball. His father Kenny Johnson has been part of a Division I coaching staff for most of his life. He is currently an assistant coach for Rhode Island and has coached at La Salle, Louisville, Indiana, and Towson. Naturally, it was the younger Johnson’s ultimate goal to play Division I basketball.

“It’s always been a dream of mine,” he said. “Growing up around Division I basketball, watching it a lot and growing up around some NBA players, it’s just always been a dream of mine.”

Despite the older Johnson’s playing career ending relatively quickly due to multiple knee injuries during his second year of varsity basketball at Oxon Hill High School (Md.), he has gone on to have a coaching career for the better part of the last 20 years. He has coached at the highschool level and has been a part of several March Madness runs at the college level. 

Consequently, he has been able to pass a lot of basketball knowledge and wisdom down to his son. The younger Johnson gives his dad a lot of credit for helping him along his journey, but also notes that the game was never forced on him. In an age where some parents live their dreams through their kids, the younger Johnson noted that wasn’t the case at all with his dad.

“My dad always (allowed) me to decide what I wanted to do in life,” Mekai Johnson said. “He asked me if I wanted to play basketball and when I told him ‘yes’, he helped me with my development and improvement, but always made sure that this is what I wanted to do.”

The 6-5 shooting guard’s recruitment started late and ended relatively quickly. He went into the summer with no offers after a previous offer from NJIT came off the table. He picked up his first offer at the beginning of the summer from Coastal Carolina and ended up committing four months later. Johnson went into DMV Live with a ton of confidence and knew it was a big opportunity for him to achieve his aspirations of playing at the D-I level. 

“I believed in myself and knew I could play D-I basketball and I just had to show it,” said Johnson. 

That’s exactly what he did. Johnson went on to average 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game across seven games during DMV Live 1 and 2. He shot 51% from the 3-point line, averaging three triples a game. He impressed with his length and as a 3-and-D player with playmaking abilities. By the end of the month he picked up two offers from Coastal Carolina and East Tennessee State which “motivated (him) to go harder."

During the summer live period with Team AKT, Johnson continued to impress with his versatility on both ends of the floor. He carried the momentum he had built up from the summer into the open gym period where he ended up receiving offers from Towson, USC Upstate, and St. Joe’s within the last 10 days of September. 

Out of the five schools that offered him, he ended up taking visits to Towson and St. Joe’s, with the Hawks and head coach Billy Lange ultimately winning out. Lange boasts an impressive resume which includes coaching experience at the college and NBA level. Before starting with the Hawks in 2019, he was an assistant coach for the 76ers and also spent time at Navy and Villanova.

The environment around campus and within the basketball program are two aspects that impressed Johnson.

“(I liked that) the campus is in the middle of the city, but also has an isolated feel,” Johnson said.

“The coaches treat you like they should, but they also treat you like they’re your friends. They try to get along with you and make jokes. It’s not strictly business which I like.”

He’s joining a St. Joe’s squad that has a superb starting backcourt duo in guards Lynn Greer III and Erik Reynolds II, both of whom still have eligibility in 2024-25; Greer III averaged 13 points per game last season and Reynolds II averaged 19.6 points per game and earned A-10 All-Conference Second team. They also have a couple of younger guards including freshman Xzayvier Brown and sophomore Christian Winborne, who should both play big-time minutes this year and beyond.

Their guard play has been one of the reasons why there is a lot of excitement and optimism around the Hawks moving forward. After finishing last in the A-10 conference going 2-16 in the conference and 6-26 overall in Lange’s first season at the helm (2019-20), they finished 9th in the A-10 conference, going 8-10 in the conference and 16-17 overall last season.

There will be minutes up for grabs in the backcourt, thanks to the impending graduation of 6-5 wing Cameron Brown, the fifth-year starter finally exhausting his eligibility this winter. If Johson proves he can knock down 3’s at a high clip and defend at the next level there is a chance the 6-5 shooting guard could carve out a role for himself as a freshman. 

While the coaches don’t have a concrete plan for Johnson when he arrives on campus next year, they expressed excitement about some of the skills he brings to the table.

“They know I can shoot the ball well and that I play good defense,” Johnson said. “They said they envision me being a great fit for the roster. Obviously I’m gonna have to get better, but they made it seem like I was the perfect fit for them.”