All-Big Ten honoree arrested for reckless driving, resisting law enforcement

Indiana Hoosiers guard Xavier Johnson was arrested and charged with both reckless driving and resisting law enforcement, according to the Monroe County Correctional Center and reported by the IndyStar.

Johnson was released from the Monroe County Jail at 10:32 a.m. on Sunday, per the IndyStar, on a $2,000 surety, $500 cash bond.

Johnson just finished up his senior year of college, but he still has one more year of eligibility thanks to the COVID-19 eligibility waiver. The 2021-22 season marked his first at Indiana, as he transferred to play under first-year head coach Mike Woodson following three seasons at Pitt. A 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard from WOodbridge, Virginia, Johnson had a great year with the Hoosiers. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals per contest, shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range. He earned an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention from the media in his first year playing in the conference.

The Indiana basketball program released a statement on Sunday morning, following Johnson’s arrest and release, per the IndyStar:

“Indiana University Athletics and the men’s basketball program are aware of the charges involving Xavier Johnson,” the statement said. “IU Athletics will continue to gather facts, cooperate with and monitor the legal process, and take further action as the evolving situation warrants.”

Johnson, the second-leading scorer and leading passer on the Indiana team, was suspended several weeks ago by Woodson. His suspension was short-lived, and he wasn’t alone, as several Indiana players were suspended for the Hoosiers’ Big Ten tilt at Northwestern for what was later called a curfew violation.

Johnson first began to showcase his talent long before arriving at Indiana, as his 2018-19 campaign with the Pittsburgh Panthers put the ACC on notice. He averaged 15.5 points per game, along with 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from three-point range, and he has named to the All-ACC Freshman Team.

In Johnson’s next two seasons at Pitt — while he may not have quite replicated the performance from his freshman season — he still had some success, averaging 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 2019-20, followed by 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 2020-21.

Coming out of high school, Johnson was a three-star combo guard, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was named the No. 7 combo guard in the 2018 recruiting class.