Keshad Johnson sets commitment date coming off "top-notch" visit to Kentucky
San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson is ready to sit down and make a final decision regarding his next stop at the collegiate level. Coming off an official visit to Lexington, the 6-foot-7 forward is set to choose between Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and USC.
First up, though? Graduation day, with Johnson set to earn his diploma at SDSU on Sunday. From there, the high-profile transfer target will weigh his options and come up with a final choice, with an announcement tentatively planned for next Saturday, May 20.
That will allow him to make a commitment alongside his friends and family in his hometown of Oakland, CA during his graduation party.
“He graduates Sunday and he’s having a graduation party in his hometown of Oakland. His timetable is that he’s going to announce his decision on that day, think it’s the 20th, next Saturday,” Johnson’s longtime coach and mentor, Don Manning-Fuimaono, told KSR in an exclusive interview Friday afternoon. “He’s going to take this week to just reflect on everything and make the best decision. … Keshad definitely has a hard decision to make.”
Manning-Fuimaono joined Johnson for his visit to Lexington, helping the San Diego State transfer through the process as he decides between five standout basketball programs for his final year of eligibility. And to say the coach and mentor was pleased with how things went at Kentucky would be an understatement.
“It was a really great visit, everything was top-notch. It’s Kentucky basketball, you know?” he told KSR. “Everything about it was first class. Coach Cal was amazing and I think we both were really honored to meet him, be able to talk to him. It was a great time from a basketball standpoint, we love their style of play. I think Keshad — we can envision him being really good in that style of play.”
Johnson gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at his visit on his Instagram page, posting clips from his time in Lexington on his story. At one point, he shared footage of his meeting with John Calipari inside the Hall of Fame coach’s office, fascinated by his endless collection of memorabilia.
As Coach Cal told stories of almost drafting Kobe Bryant with the New Jersey Nets and past success with the Wildcats, Johnson was in awe of the championship rings out on display.
“Give me a ring, Coach!” he yelled.
“I couldn’t speak for Keshad, but Kentucky basketball is legendary, you know what I mean? If not the most, one of the most prominent programs,” Manning-Fuimaono told KSR. “Coach Cal is a legendary coach. For us to be able to interact with them and be open with them, him being so welcoming to us, it was — I don’t know if it exceeded expectations, but it definitely left a lasting impression.”
Johnson and his mentor got to explore the basketball facilities, soaking in the practice gym and all of the amenities the program has to offer. Then they got the chance to look around campus and see what life would be like as a student-athlete at the University of Kentucky.
All of it was impressive, but it was the dialogue with the coaching staff that made the biggest impact.
“We were able to see Rupp Arena, which I thought that was really — it was almost like being in an NBA arena. We were just able to see Lexington, see campus, but a lot of it was just about the dialogue,” Manning-Fuimaono said. “It was a lot of interaction with the entire staff, truly a basketball visit with a lot of talk about basketball. And that’s what we love because we’re true basketball people. That’s what appealed to us most.”
How does Calipari envision Johnson’s role playing out at Kentucky? Well, the 6-foot-7 forward is a defensive-first player to begin with, taking pride in his versatility on that end of the floor above all else. That translates anywhere.
But there’s hope Johnson could unlock something even bigger offensively, expanding his game to create for himself and his teammates.
“I think they’d utilize him kind of in the same way from a defensive standpoint. They love his defensive versatility, being able to switch on guys and cover not only ball handlers, but also bigs if needed, primary scorers, whatever,” Manning-Fuimaono told KSR. “His defensive versatility brings a lot, but he’s also been working on other facets of his game. He’ll be able to do a lot more from the perimeter facing up, bringing some offensive versatility, too.
“He’s already able to do some things on the box and close to the basket, but I think they envision him being able to face up and get to the elbows, set up shots for himself while creating for others, as well.
They came to Lexington ready to hear a recruiting pitch and left with a greater understanding of the game of basketball and how things work on the biggest and brightest stage.
“It was a great staff, you know? Their knowledge of the game, an understanding of how things work at a high level,” his coach told KSR. “The trip was just invaluable — we both learned a lot. Overall, we just had a great time and loved the city of Lexington.”
So now comes the decision process, choosing between Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and USC. What will he be prioritizing most when he picks his second and final program to close out his career?
“I would say the main thing with him is he’s a winner. The connection between coaches and teammates is really important,” he said. “Also from a developmental standpoint, he wants to go somewhere he’s going to get better. But he wants to win, that’s the most important thing for him. He wants to get back to a Final Four, get back to a national championship.”
Kentucky certainly feels the same way.
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