It was an eventful moment last week at Westminster high school in Fort Lauderdale, one which signifies a new era in the boys basketball program.
A pair of Class of 2019 guards, both of whom underwent a volcanic stock increase during a thoroughly productive 2018 summer with Team AutoNation, signed their letters of intent.
Chase Johnston, he of of the bolt-quick 3-point shooting prowess, penned with Purdue Fort Wayne. Sam Griffin, the cerebral scoring guard, signed with UT Arlington.
Johnston averaged 18 PPG last season and shot a team-best 52 percent from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-5 off guard enters a heavily anticipated senior season having scored 1,750+ career points.
With notably clutch, shot-making Zach Scott now a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast University, Johnston inherits some ownership of Ehren Wallhoff‘s team.
The authenticity of the coaching staff at Purdue Fort Wayne was ultimately a deal closer for Johnston. The senior also held offers from Stetson, FGCU, Vermont and growing interest from Holy Cross, Penn, Bucknell, Siena, Florida Atlantic and UMBC.
In head coach Jon Coffman, Johnston said he identified a guy who reminded him very much of his current head coach in Wallhoff.
“He kept everything honest with me,” Johnston said.
“That was a big factor. There was trust. He wasn’t being a used car salesmen about anything. He told me after I committed, he wasn’t going to recruit my position any more.”
The seasoned senior made it clear the end goal is to win an unprecedented third consecutive state championship. That would be the righteous stamp on his career at Westminster, he explained.
Johnston, who averaged 22 PPG during the UA Challenge in Atlanta this summer, drilled 33 pointers during one five game sequence. Johnston added to his arsenal with transition 3-point shooting while subsequently adapting as more of a creator.
It was the recruiting job of assistant coach Snoop Johnson which ultimately solidified Sam Griffin as a key signee at UT Arlington.
Griffin’s hot shooting onslaught against Montverde’s national champion high school team as a junior was a harbinger of things to come.
The gritty, shifty guard authored a convincing 25 point performance against New Heights this summer. Griffin stuck timely 3-pointers, engineered the break, and showed out as a crafty at the rim finisher. He additionally unveiled a nifty floater.
The aforementioned Scott was a no questions asked crunch time deliverer. The school’s all time scoring leader with 2,740 points, Scott capped off his illustrious career with a 35-point performance en route to an 89-64 trouncing of Master’s Academy and a second consecutive Class 4A title.
With him now at FGCU, Griffin’s role ramps up in importance. The heady guard developed a knack for sparking vital runs and breaking games open with his vastly improved scoring this summer. A 6-foot-2 guard out of Miami, Griffin chose UT Arlington over Air Force, Northern Colorado, Hofstra, NAU, and others.
Anticipate the tandem of Johnston and Griffin to establish a vaunted 1-2 punch throughout the state this season.
