Texas Basketball: 5-Star SG Tre Johnson includes UT in final two

First tip for the 2023/24 Texas Basketball season is less than four weeks away, but that does not mean head coach Rodney Terry and his staff are sleeping on the recruiting trail.

Massive recruiting news came through the pipe late Tuesday night as 2024 five-star Link Academy shooting guard Tre Johnson announced he would decide between Texas and Baylor regarding his basketball future.

“I narrowed it down to these two schools out of my six because just different things about different programs,” Johnson said in his Instagram post. “It wasn’t a decision. I just weighed out the pros and cons of all the schools. Really, Texas and Baylor are the best two options for me at the moment. Also, I’m the best player in Texas. Why not just stay and compete in Texas? I never thought there would be a better opportunity to leave for a better place when there’s the best competition in Texas.”

The highly-coveted five-star guard announced a top six of Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky, and Texas on May 15. Coach Terry and his staff have done a terrific job with this recruitment and now find themselves with a very good shot to land one of the top 2024 high school prospects in the nation.

Texas basketball included in top 2 for 5-Star 2024 SG Tre Johnson

When Terry’s interim tag was removed on March 27, one of his first trips was to Dallas to see Johnson. He seemingly has a terrific relationship with he and his family.

Johnson took a multi-day official visit to Austin in late August, which was reported as a massive success. Coach Terry has reportedly impressed the Dallas native with a plan for his future as well as the future of the Texas basketball program.

Johnson spent his first three years of high school at Lake Highlands (TX) High School, leading the Wildcats to a 34-3 record and a state title last season. He will spend his final season playing for Link Academy (MO), a boarding school focused on basketball development.

Seen as a consensus five-star and top-five player in the class of 2024, Johnson is arguably the most gifted scorer in the class. He dominates with the ball in his hands and has an uncanny ability to create space and get his shot off. He can efficiently score from all three levels and poses a threat to defenses out to 25 feet. 247Sports Recruiting Analyst Brandon Jenkins NBA comp for the five-star is none other than Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.

Johnson still has areas to improve, including shot selection as well as becoming a better ball-handler and playmaker. His time at Link Academy should help him become a better facilitator, as he will be surrounded by other D1 prospects.

Texas basketball’s inclusion in Johnson’s final two speaks volumes about Coach Terry as a recruiter and the trajectory of this program going forward. In the new age transfer portal era of college hoops, Terry and his staff seem to be hunting for the perfect mix of high school and transfer talent.

Coach Terry’s 2024 class already includes Cam Scott, a high four-star shooting guard out of South Carolina. Johnson is the biggest fish left on the Horns board and would be the highest-ranked Texas basketball recruit since Mo Bama in 2017.