Stanley, Zeus considering staying
Stanley Johnson may be dealing with the biggest decision of his adult life, which … just started.
“He’s only 18,” Johnson’s mother, Karen Taylor, said, repeatedly, while discussing her son’s decision of whether to leave the Arizona Wildcats after just one season.
Sitting in the Top 5 in the NBA mock drafts for most of his freshman season at Arizona, Johnson has slightly dropped into the 6-10 range — which still means he’s projected to earn at least $2 million next season in the NBA.
That’s why UA coaches have been preparing for his departure, and continue to do so. They even have Drexel grad transfer Damion Lee, a high-powered wing scorer, on campus for a recruiting visit this weekend.
But while UA center Kaleb Tarczewski has not yet declared his expected decision to stay at UA, Taylor and Johnson’s high school coach insist Johnson is thinking about sticking around, too.
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“I know all the other kids who have announced didn’t come back to school, but Stanley’s still taking classes,” said Gary McKnight, who coached Johnson at Mater Dei High School. “To me that’s a good sign that he’s seriously considering coming back. I’ve encouraged him to stay. He’s only 18 and an extra year of college basketball can put him in the top echelon. And he really enjoys college.”
McKnight said he spoke to Johnson last week and believed he “has a real conflict going and can’t make up his mind.”
Taylor said her son is “still processing” all the information, while Tarczewski’s former coach and mentor John Carroll, said earlier this month that Tarczewski was taking his time with his decision.
While neither Johnson nor Tarczewski could be reached for comment, here’s some of the arguments that might be floating around in their heads as the April 26 deadline to declare for early draft entry nears:
