Report: 5-star PG AJ Johnson decommits from Texas, signs with Australian NBL

Woodland Hills (Calif.) Southern California Academy five-star point guard AJ Johnson has decommitted from Texas and signed with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony.

The 6-foot-5, 170-pounder had been committed to Texas since Nov. 21.

Johnson is the No. 16 overall prospect and No. 2 point guard in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 2 player in California.

On3 rates Johnson higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2023 On3 rankings, he is the No. 10 overall prospect, No. 2 point guard and No. 2 player in California.

With his decision, Johnson is now the highest-ranked American prospect since LaMelo Ball to join the NBL’s Next Stars program. Ball played a season in Australian NBL before being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Johnson currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $284K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

AJ Johnson Scouting Report

The following is an On3 Scouting Summary of AJ Johnson:

“AJ Johnson is a jet-fast point guard with elite end-to-end speed. He has great length and good size as a lead guard. Johnson will need to add weight; he is very skinny at this point. But his burst and explosion get him to his spots. Johnson is decisive getting downhill, using his dribble to attack the paint. Johnson has upside on defense with his length and quick twitch. The pull-up jump shot is a weapon in the mid-range. He is an above-average shooter that could continue to tighten. His natural tools are impressive, and as he continues to add weight, his ceiling is as high as any player in the 2023 class.”