D1 Nation

Two of the more talented players at last Summer's 2014 D1 Nation Top 100 Camp were two unsigned seniors; 6'7" Jarrell Brantley (Montrose Christian/MD) and 6'2" Jerry Johnson (Memphis, TN/Houston).

These two guys were not only talented, they were tough. Playing on the circuit with the Louisiana D1 Ambassadors they gave folks the business, thumping 4 "shoe teams" even though the team was put together at the last minute by current Hill College Coach Isaac Amedee. These guys just ball!

By the end of last summer, Brantley had played his way into a couple of D1 scholarships and had committed to Hawaii. However when the Rainbow Warriors examined his transcript they found that the NCAA had somehow missed on it and a course that he'd taken at his original South Carolina high school was not on the approved list.  He was a half credit short! 

This quirk was frustrating so rather than waste 2 years at a junior college we sent him to Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, MA. This season Brantley has been one of New England's hottest commodities. His recent performance at this past weekend's Nation Prep School Invitational saw him pick up D1 offers from James Madison, Fairfield, College of Charleston, North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina Central, Stephen F Austin and Maryland-Eastern Shore. His future looks bright!

Jerry Johnson had a star studded high school career in basketball crazy Memphis, TN where he played for his father at Houston High School. He inexplicably still has not received a D1 offer although there have been plenty of nibbles.  Johnson is 6'2" and powerfully built. In some ways he reminds me of former Marquette star Junior Cadougan as far as his body type.

According to New England Recruiting Report. "Guard Jerry Johnson has been one of the unsung heroes for Notre Dame Prep. He's powerful, skilled, able to make plays off the dribble, and consequently is one of the BEST and MOST VERSATILE guards left on the board".

Additionally I'd like to add that Jerry is a typical coaches son, a savvy player who understands the game and excels in crunch time. D1's don't sleep on him!