Durand Johnson trims list, has Pitt on top

Durand Johnson is making moves in his recruitment and on the move for his final year in high school.

The 6-foot-7 swingman from Baltimore announced Wednesday that he would be attending Brewster Academy (N.H.) after playing at Lake Clifton (Md.) last season.

Also on Wednesday, Johnson trimmed his college list to five – with an asterisk, though.

“It’s Pitt, Marquette, Louisville, St. John’s and Seton Hall, but my fifth is still in the air,” he said.

Johnson, who ran on the AAU circuit with Cecil Kirk, said Florida State, Cincinnati, DePaul, South Florida, Providence and Virginia are also in the mix for the final spot on his top-five list.

While he does not have any visits set just yet, there is one school that is currently standing out to Johnson.

“Pittsburgh,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit!”

This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Johnson’s recruitment, as he has kept the Panthers at the top of his list since visiting their campus last October.

Top-five recruit Josh Selby overshadowed Johnson at Lake Clifton last season, but he has turned some heads with his performance on the AAU and camp circuit this summer.

Johnson is not content to rest on his laurels, though.

“[My stock] should rise more,” he said. “I should be a top 50 kid.

“I’m a 6-7 scorer. I can do it all. I can play all three positions and get my teammates involved. I’m a threat; every time I played this summer, I made things happen for my team – and teams played me in a box-and-one.”

Johnson points specifically to a time last summer when he went up against incoming North Carolina freshman Reggie Bullock. According to Johnson, he scored 28, while holding Bullock to no more than 16 points.

This year, he feels he has outplayed nearly everyone he has faced.

“I killed a lot of guys, I can’t really remember names.”