By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
In a high profile college homecoming, Link Academy guard Tre Johnson will be going back to his home state of Texas.
Johnson, the No. 4 ranked recruit in the 2024 ESPN 100, committed to play for the Longhorns back in Nov. at the end of a recruiting process that saw Texas, and one of its main in-state competitors the Baylor Bears, as the two schools who remained in the mix at the end.
In a decision that ended up coming down to Texas and Baylor, Johnson had a tough choice to make between two schools from his home state. However, he felt compelled to ultimately pick the Longhorns, and is satisfied with the results of the process. In particular, Johnson is looking forward to feeling the comforts of a familiar environment.
“It was a good decision because I can go home [and be near] family,” Johnson said. “It was the best option for me to stay close to home, and [Texas] had everything I needed.”
What’s more, Johnson has his sights set on the chance to play in front of a large and passionate crowd during Longhorns home games, something that wasn’t always possible during his high school days.
“Being in front of that atmosphere, the home team crowd [is going to be exciting],” Johnson said. “I like the new arena, more fans and [being able to] play in front of the college fans.”
However, while Johnson is set to be a Longhorn in the fall, the decision to commit to Texas was a challenging one for him. Baylor was a very enticing possibility in Johnson’s eyes, and he gave the school serious consideration. It took a thorough look into the pros and cons of the two schools for Johnson to feel comfortable making a decision.
“It was a very tough decision,” Johnson said. “Both of the programs were even, neck and neck. It was [about] finding little different things, nitpicking. They both had great things for me.”
One factor that played heavily into Johnson’s choice was his fondness of the coaching staff at Texas. He feels he already has positive connections with some of the coaches there, and he believes they are equipped to help him continue to develop on the court.
“I loved their strength coach, and I felt that’s another part of my game I can expand,” Johnson said. “I like the coaching staff, and [head] coach [Rodney] Terry, I felt like I had the best relationship with him.”
Over the course of Johnson’s recruitment, he talked to a handful of different connections about what he should be prioritizing from whatever college he settled on. This curiosity on Johnson’s part is another demonstration of how seriously he took this decision, and how he wanted to be as sure as possible before deciding which Texas-based Big 12 college to attend.
“I asked different people what their advice was,” Johnson said. “Not asking about the schools, {I asked] just overall [for] advice on college basketball, and what I should be looking for.”
With Johnson now having made up his mind and ready to return home and suit up for the Longhorns in less than a year, the next stage of his promising basketball journey is ready to take shape.