[kywldcat01]

Johnson plays with a team named the K-Y Players. The Players is a team based out of Covington that is made up of mostly Covington kids and a few Cincinnati kids. Three of his Holmes' teammates are on the team with him including his brother Jeremiah, Elijah Pittman and Willie Slusher. The Players have been playing mostly in local tournaments so the Adidas Take 5ive event on the campus of Cincinnati was a good opportunity for Johnson to showcase his skills against top competition and in front of college coaches.

The Players started off shaky the first night dropping their first two pool games and falling out of the platinum (winners') bracket and into the gold (consolation) bracket. After the game though, Johnson was optimistic about their ability to adjust to the competition level.

"I feel we've played (well)," Johnson said. "It's just little mistakes that are hurting us right now, but we are going to bounce back though."

Those words proved to be prophetic as the Players finally got used to the level of competition and found their groove. The team reeled off four straight wins over the next two days to end up winning the gold bracket, and Johnson was right at the forefront leading the charge.

Johnson was the best player on the court in both the semifinals and finals on Wednesday. He displayed not only his improved strength when finishing around the basket but also a solid step-back jumper from the 15-to-17 foot range that had the scouts impressed. The 6-foot-5 senior-to-be played a lot of his minutes at the point position, showing that not only could he play as a scorer off of the ball, but also lead his team from the point position as well. In the finals Johnson had 14 points at the half and finished with 20 in the win demonstrating his scoring ability in the first half and then his leadership and ability to get his teammates involved in the second.

Johnson said that it wasn't just one thing that he's been working on in the off season, but multiple things to make him a well-rounded player.

"I want to improve my jumpshot, my ballhandling, really just every aspect of my game," he said. "I feel if I'm working on all parts of my game, I can't be stopped. I just want to make my position stronger."

At least a few of the coaches and scouts in attendance took notice of the guard from Covington.

"He's good… I mean really good," said a coach from a school in the MAC conference. "His versatility and the way he shot the ball today… I'm surprised he's not getting recruited by the big boys. He was the best player on the court today."

Johnson said that Bradley was still his only offer, but there had been other schools in contact as of late.

"I've been talking to Oklahoma State a little bit recently, also Miami of Ohio and Xavier a little bit."

One thing is for sure, if Johnson continues to play in these national tournaments at that high of a level, Bradley won't be his only offer for long.

http://queencityhigh.rivals.com/barrier_...&tid=&mid=

[HollaBack]

When you lose the first two you are in the SILVER bracket, not GOLD bracket. They won the bracket with all the 0-2 pool play losers.

Anyways, maybe he will get more offers soon.

[kywldcat01]

When you lose the first two you are in the SILVER bracket, not GOLD bracket. They won the bracket with all the 0-2 pool play losers.

Anyways, maybe he will get more offers soon.

They did win the silver bracket. I too was wondering why it said gold bracket as well.

As far as offers go, look for Akron to offer soon...they were just one of the many programs there who very very impressed with Ricardo's play.

[alterEGO]

Fantastic opportunity for this young man. He is an outstanding athlete. I would love to see him get some big offers and land at a school where we could watch him get some playing time on television.

Will Ricardo play major D-1?

[BaseballIsLife]

Fantastic opportunity for this young man. He is an outstanding athlete. I would love to see him get some big offers and land at a school where we could watch him get some playing time on television.

Will Ricardo play major D-1?

Quite possibly...

He has the skill set to do so.

[thetribe]

I think the kid is really talented. I would imagine that he will end up at a D-1 school getting some minutes. He's a very solid athlete.

[Stardust]

I see him at UC

[kywldcat01]

I see him at UC

Doubtful...Mick was pursuing him but has backed off some. Things may change this coming season but Ricardo hasn't been in touch with UC in quite some time.

If he ends up anywhere in Cincinnati, it will be at Xavier. He really likes the program.

[Spud6]

I watched Johnson down state and he was just simply amazing. He showed that he could play the point and score, and he also showed he could play the point and distribute the ball to his teammates. He also showed me that he could take the ball to the hole and finish strong. He can just play it all. He has the talent to play D-1 ball quit easily. In my opinion.

[kywldcat01]

I watched Johnson down state and he was just simply amazing. He showed that he could play the point and score, and he also showed he could play the point and distribute the ball to his teammates. He also showed me that he could take the ball to the hole and finish strong. He can just play it all. He has the talent to play D-1 ball quit easily. In my opinion.

I feel like this is where he's improved most since last year, as scary as that sounds. When I saw him at the It takes 5ive Classic, I was simply amazed at how much stronger he's gotten since last year when finishing at the rim through contact. There was more than a few times where he got absolutely killed during a shot but was strong enough to hang in the air and finish.

His outside game has really improved as well. He was very efficient from 15 feet on out to the perimeter and his shot selection impressed me. He really lets the game come to him and picks his spots. His game reminds me a lot of the way Kobe Bryant plays, in that he can turn it on and off at any point during a game.

[BlackcatAlum]

Outside of UK, I'm a pretty big WKU basketball fan and I really want to see Ricardo choose WKU.

He would be an excellent wing player for the Hilltoppers!

[kywldcat01]

Outside of UK, I'm a pretty big WKU basketball fan and I really want to see Ricardo choose WKU.

He would be an excellent wing player for the Hilltoppers!

A lot of the scouts close to the WKU program have compared him to Courtney Lee out of high school.

[Stardust]

I feel like this is where he's improved most since last year, as scary as that sounds. When I saw him at the It takes 5ive Classic, I was simply amazed at how much stronger he's gotten since last year when finishing at the rim through contact. There was more than a few times where he got absolutely killed during a shot but was strong enough to hang in the air and finish.

His outside game has really improved as well. He was very efficient from 15 feet on out to the perimeter and his shot selection impressed me. He really lets the game come to him and picks his spots. His game reminds me a lot of the way Kobe Bryant plays, in that he can turn it on and off at any point during a game.

I've not heard that about Mick not having interest. I'm not doubting you, but everything that I have heard (including the UC scouts that have been watching both Johnson and Pittman this summer), UC is interested.

[Spud6]

I feel like this is where he's improved most since last year, as scary as that sounds. When I saw him at the It takes 5ive Classic, I was simply amazed at how much stronger he's gotten since last year when finishing at the rim through contact. There was more than a few times where he got absolutely killed during a shot but was strong enough to hang in the air and finish.

His outside game has really improved as well. He was very efficient from 15 feet on out to the perimeter and his shot selection impressed me. He really lets the game come to him and picks his spots. His game reminds me a lot of the way Kobe Bryant plays, in that he can turn it on and off at any point during a game.

All I know is that I can not wait to watch him this year. And if he's improving like you say he is. WATCH OUT!

[kywldcat01]

I've not heard that about Mick not having interest. I'm not doubting you, but everything that I have heard (including the UC scouts that have been watching both Johnson and Pittman this summer), UC is interested.

I never said Mick wasn't interested...He most certainly is, as he was over Holmes more than a few times last summer to watch both him and Pittman during summer work outs with Coach Huggins of WV.

I was simply stating that UC had backed off some since then and wasn't pursuing him as hard as they originally were.

With the summer he's having though, I'd expect to see things heat back up on the recruiting trail for Ric.

[kywldcat01]

All I know is that I can not wait to watch him this year. And if he's improving like you say he is. WATCH OUT!

Watch out for his brother JJ too. He has improved tremendously since last year....much more aggressive, ball handling has improved, and has improved his mid range game. When I saw him, he looked to have grown some since last year...he's taller than Ricardo now which puts him right around 6'6.

Also heard that Kevon Rice (6'6 jr) is having a very good summer too. He's averaging over 20 ppg playing with Kingdom Prep 16u out of Dayton, Oh. With Ricardo leading the way and Pittman, J. Johnson, and Rice along side him, Holmes is going to very tough to beat next year. Anything less than a state championship would be a disappointment for those young men, IMO.

[thetribe]

I watched Johnson down state and he was just simply amazing. He showed that he could play the point and score, and he also showed he could play the point and distribute the ball to his teammates. He also showed me that he could take the ball to the hole and finish strong. He can just play it all. He has the talent to play D-1 ball quit easily. In my opinion.

That's where I started watching him play as well. It seems like he can do it all and having a well rounded player such as that would be an asset to any team. JJ will be a tremendous player as well. The Johnson brothers are just amazing athletes for their age. Time will only serve to help these boys improve. Holmes should have the state championship this year.

[kywldcat01]

That's where I started watching him play as well. It seems like he can do it all and having a well rounded player such as that would be an asset to any team. JJ will be a tremendous player as well. The Johnson brothers are just amazing athletes for their age. Time will only serve to help these boys improve. Holmes should have the state championship this year.

Holmes should definetly be one of the heavier favorites, but there's a few other teams who will be right there with them.

Scott Co with Guyn, Euton, Jackson, Manning, and Ivery/Flannery will be pretty tough. They also will be much deeper this year than this past year.

Eastern with Abell, Thomas, Marks, Gaines, and Woods will also be very tough to beat next year. They have size (Thomas 6'1, Abell 6'2, Marks 6'3, Gaines 6'4, Woods 6'6) and will be one of the most athletic teams in the state. I personally think Eastern is Holmes biggest threat next year. They have the personnel to match Holmes athleticism.

The one thing that separates Holmes from a lot of the other teams is their size. Not only do they have very talented players with athleticism, but they also have great size. It's already been made official that Demetrius Avery will not be at Conner next year. All signs point to him being at Holmes next year but only time will tell. With him you'd see Holmes roll out the following starting lineup:

Avery (6'3), R. Johnson (6'5), J. Johnson (6'5), Rice (6'6), Pittman (6'8)

I just really don't see how anyone in the state can match up with them with that kind of size and athleticism in both the front and backcourt.

[thetribe]

I'm not counting any team out, but Holmes is definitely one of my favorites to take it all again. VERY good size for them in this coming season. The shortest player in their starting lineup is bigger than some teams' centers in Eastern Ky. That's why it is so hard for our boys to go to state and make anything happen.

[-STAT-]

Had the privelege of seeing Ricardo playing down state the past 2 years, and needless to say he is an outstanding young athlete. He will definitely get a D-1 scholarship, would be nice to see him go to WKU, someone earlier took the words out of my mouth, he would remind you of a Courtney Lee type player. Wish nothing but the best for this player and his brother as well.