Dallion Johnson Finds 'Big Family' in Penn State Men's Basketball Program
Sequestered at home from Phillips Academy for the remainder of his senior year, Dallion Johnson is naturally excited to begin his Penn State basketball career.
Johnson isn’t so eager as to gloss over his accomplishments last season, though.
Named in April as the 2019-20 Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year, the future Nittany Lion added one final, significant honor to his list of high school hoops achievements.
“I’m definitely proud of it. I'm proud of myself,” Johnson said. “Before the season, I wrote down some goals and I wanted Player of the Year. That was the biggest goal, and to accomplish that was just surreal because I know how hard I've been working. To win it, it's just great. I'm proud of myself.”
Awarded in every state to its best high school boys basketball player, the honor seeks to recognize “not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.”
In Johnson’s case, the combo guard earned the recognition by averaging 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals at Phillips Academy. In the process, he helped lift the program to the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class A semifinals and also became its all-time leading scorer.
“Dallion is a special young man that has earned these awards as a result of an amazing work ethic,” head coach Terrell Ivory said via press release. “Penn State is not only getting a great student-athlete but they are also getting an amazing kid that has been a role model and a leader in our community. He has made me a better coach and I am definitely going to miss him. I am also excited to see all the amazing things that he will accomplish at the next level and beyond.”
Reflecting on his decision to commit to Penn State in July 2019, the Rivals three-star shooting guard explained what most appealed to him about the program, ultimately choosing the Nittany Lions over a list of offers that also included Brown, Davidson, Rice, UMass, St. Bonaventure, Boston U, and George Washington.
“When I went on my official visit with my parents, we all just got that feeling, like this is the one. Because Coach Chambers and his staff, they were all so open and excited and excited to have me there. It just seems like a big family, and how they interact with their teammates and the team and the players, it's just like one big family,” Johnson said. “The whole community, I was just amazed when I was there. And knowing it was a high-major basketball school and part of the Big Ten, that was my dream as a kid. I wanted to play high-major, Division I basketball.”
To do so effectively, though, Johnson said he understands that his body will need to change in a big way.
Currently checking in at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Johnson has been putting to use at-home workouts provided by Penn State’s strength coach Greg Miskinis throughout the quarantine. Hoping to get to between 180 and 185 pounds before the start of the season, a goal to gain weight he thinks should come easily, Johnson is also aiming to make developments in his game.
Previously just a scorer and shooting guard at Phillips, Johnson spent his senior season handling the ball as the point, improving his rebounding, steals, and assists along the way in anticipation of his future career as a Nittany Lion.
“I need to get stronger, get bigger for the Big Ten to get ready, and add weight. So I've been working on my nutrition and stuff like that,” Johnson said. “But my game, I'd say I gotta keep improving on defense and really locking in, and rebounding too. But then everything else, I gotta keep sharp like my shot, my handles. I gotta get my handles better too so I can handle the ball under pressure.
“It's going to be different, a new thing to me, but I'm not worried. I'm just ready to work and ready for the next level.”
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