Episcopal’s Garrett Johnson chooses Princeton: ‘The Ivy League is on the rise.’

He developed this criteria before the offers even arrived. Two years ago, Johnson took his game, and his recruitment, to the next level by joining AAU powerhouse Team Takeover and transferring from Oakton to Episcopal. Once he began to think of himself as a prospect and not just high school player, he made his priorities clear. College coaches tailored their pitches, emphasizing the education he could receive just as much as the playing time he could earn. He attracted interest from Ivy League programs early on and started paying more attention to the league on television.

“It feels like the Ivy League is on the rise, basketball-wise,” the 6-foot-7 Johnson said. “… Watching them over the years and seeing high-level basketball, it was intriguing. It made it a no-brainer for me.”

This month, Johnson committed to Princeton. He chose the Tigers over finalists Furman, Loyola-Chicago, Richmond, Xavier and Yale.

“I always knew it was a path I would like to go down but as my recruitment panned out I just felt like this is a 40-year decision, not a four-year decision so this was the smartest way to go,” he said.

Convincing a player to take on the rigors of an Ivy League education in addition to a college athletics calendar can be difficult. Many of the coaches who recruited Johnson relied on their players to give the prospect a look at how it can be done. Johnson said he spoke with Princeton players often over the last few months, getting a look at the challenges that might be ahead. In the end, it also helped that he had visited the campus several times before the coronavirus pandemic shut down most in-person recruiting.

“With Princeton, it was the perfect combination,” he said. “I felt really at home there.”

There are eight local players on Ivy League rosters, all of whom attended private high schools in the area: E.J. Jarvis (Maret/Yale), Bryan Knapp (Jewish Day/Cornell), Carsten Kogelnik (DeMatha/Brown), Ike Nweke (Georgetown Prep/Columbia), Eddie Scott (Gonzaga/Penn), Asa Shannon (Episcopal/Columbia), Josh Watts (Gonzaga/Brown) and Jelani Wlliams (Sidwell Friends/Penn).

Westlake forward Cameron Tweedy announced he would enroll in Olympus Prep (N.J.) for a prep year. The 2020 prospect earned fourth team All-Met honors last winter.

Maret forward Quincy Allen, a top-50 prospect in the Class of 2021, committed to Colorado last week. The versatile wing chose the Buffaloes over Georgetown, Michigan and Miami.

Episcopal offensive lineman Logan Taylor committed to Virginia last week. The four-star 2021 prospect was ranked as a top-ten tackle in the state.

DeMatha linebacker Greg Penn III spurned local interest and chose LSU this month. The four-star prospect committed to the reigning national champions over Maryland, Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.