Jackie Johnson III may have went into the NEO National Youth Elite Camp with little national recognition, but he left as a Top 20 All-Star Game MVP.
The 5’8, 143 lb., 2021 point guard from Wichita, Kansas knew he had to prove himself early and thrived on it. “It feels good,” he said on leaving as an MVP. “I know I’m the underdog so I know I have to show up and play every game.”
He faced top ranked guards such as Jalen Blackmon, Ryan Conway, Meechie Johnson Jr. and Carter Whitt. “The competition was pretty good,” he said. “But I think I did pretty well overall. One of the reasons I think I was named MVP was because of my hunger on the court.”
It’s that hunger of his that propels him in the gym that paid off on a national level. Unlike most his age that may go into the gym focusing on a few specific things at once, Johnson says he goes through nearly everything he can think of for his daily regimen. Here is his recent highlight tape displaying his skills.
“I try to work on my overall game because in the game you can’t just shoot or just pass. You have to have an overall game,” he said. “Getting better is basically all repetition.” His daily routine consists of 20 shots from all over the floor before doing defensive and speed drills.
This summer he’s playing with Oz Elite AAU team 15U, which is an age group and has been tearing up the circuit. Just this past weekend, he averaged 27 points and 5.3 assists per game and finished with 108 points in three games at the Reign the Plains Showcase, a NCAA sanctioned tournament.
After the tournament, he received a personal invite to the BallisLife Camp in L.A. later this summer.
Scoring in bunches isn’t anything new to Johnson. This past school year, he led his middle school Christa McAuliffe Academy to a 13-1 championship season, and broke the school record of most points in a game with 42! And by the way, he finished the year with a 3.4 GPA.
Anyone that can do that has a lot of things working for them on the court, but he feels his court vision and ability to get to the basket are his strengths.
After discussing his strengths, it came as no surprise to hear His favorite player is Lebron James and Kyrie Irving. James’ court vision and Irving’s unstoppable ability to get into the lane go hand-in-hand with Johnson. He also admires James’ strength and Irving’s finesse.
Johnson knows that basketball is gift and realizes with gifts, you have to use them to make the world a better place. He is currently on Food Ministry at his church Living Word Outreach.
“You have to give back,” he said. “God has given me a talent and I want to give back to Him too.”
Johnson is ready to stake his claim as one of the best in the class, so be ready when you hear his name in the near future.