The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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58 ■ THE WOLFPACKER WOLFPACK BASKETBALL Markell Johnson can only shake his head at what he has been through the last six- plus months. The NC State freshman point guard has gone through a whirlwind after reclassify- ing to the class of 2016 and then picking the Wolfpack, where he can learn from star point guard Dennis Smith Jr. The 6-1, 164-pounder from Cleveland isn't getting the same attention as some of his NCSU classmates, but his importance can't be understated. With Smith expected to be a one-and-done this season, the pro- gram could turn to Johnson at the point for the 2017-18 season. "He has done a really nice job and is learning a lot," head coach Mark Gottfried said. "This is a whole new world for him. I think he has done a pretty good job, and he needs to have a good year this year. "Next year, he should be in a great posi- tion." Johnson was tracking as a four-star pros- pect by Rivals.com in the class of 2017, and it was clear his best basketball was ahead of him. Johnson enjoyed a dynamic junior year at Cleveland East Tech. He averaged 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game, and was named the Cleveland.com Player of the Year. "I'm an athletic point guard who can get into the lane, pass the ball and also create my own shot," he said. Johnson was with the King James travel- ing team in April and May, playing on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit just in case he ended up in the class of 2017. He averaged 18.2 points per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three-point land (8 of 23) in 13 contests. T h e Wo l f p a c k c o a c h e s tracked him during the first two evaluation periods in April, and he rewarded them with an of- ficial visit June 8-9, followed by a verbal commitment June 20. "It has been tough for me and the transition has been tough," Johnson said. "My teammates and coaches here are trying to coach me up. I've adjusted well so far." The next step in his plan was to solidify his spot in the class of 2016 academically by attending summer school. "It wasn't that hard [to move to 2016], but I had to take two classes in the summer to get here," Johnson said. "The coaches really motivated me to come here [a year early]. I just had to believe in myself to come here and compete as a freshman com- ing in." Johnson's arrival at NC State gave him a chance to finally meet Smith. They had traded tweets and text messages, but they had never met in person before. "When they were recruiting me, he had texted me to tell me what the school was like," Johnson said. "I had asked him how it would be if we played together, and he said, 'It would be cool.' Both of us are good guards, and we don't have any ego." Smith had his own unique path to NC State. He graduated from Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian in three-and-a-half years and enrolled at NC State last January to rehabilitate his knee injury, which was suffered Aug. 2, 2016. Johnson had hoped to meet Smith for the first time during his official visit, but Smith was out of town. They were finally on campus at the same time in early Au- gust. Smith's move to en- roll early proved to be a smart one, and Johnson hopes to follow a simi- lar path. "The sales pitch was to play with or behind Dennis Smith at NC State," John- son said. "That is good for me. I can learn a lot. He is where I am trying to go. Every prac- tice is tough, and we are making each other better every day." ■ — Jacey Zembal Johnson was named the Cleveland.com Player of the Year for 2015-16 after averaging 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game for Cleveland East Tech. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Preseason ACC Predictions ATHLON 1. Duke 2. North Carolina 3. Virginia 4. Louisville 5. Virginia Tech 6. Florida State 7. Notre Dame 8. Miami 9. Pittsburgh 10. Clemson 11. NC State 12. Syracuse 13. Wake Forest 14. Georgia Tech 15. Boston College Key notes: Freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. was projected to be a third-team All-American, first-team All-ACC and second-team all-freshman, and was ranked No. 5 among "floor leaders" na - tionally … Junior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu was listed third-team All-ACC, second-team on the all-junior squad and No. 8 among "post men" in the country … Senior center BeeJay Anya was named "best defensive player" in the ACC. LINDY'S 1. Duke 2. North Carolina 3. Virginia 4. Louisville 5. Notre Dame 6. Miami 7. Syracuse 8. Virginia Tech 9. Florida State 10. Clemson 11. NC State 12. Pittsburgh 13. Wake Forest 14. Georgia Tech 15. Boston College Key note: Junior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu was named "top rebounder" in the ACC. SPORTING NEWS 1. Duke 2. North Carolina 3. Louisville 4. Virginia 5. Syracuse 6. Florida State 7. Miami 8. Virginia Tech 9. Notre Dame 10. NC State 11. Clemson 12. Pittsburgh 13. Wake Forest 14. Georgia Tech 15. Boston College Key note: Freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. was named the fourth-best newcomer in the ACC. Markell Johnson Fitting In Nicely