Scout.com five-star prospect Johnny O’Bryant first considered becoming a Tiger when he received a call from LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson two years ago. Johnson pitched the idea of a purple and gold future.
After a year of consideration, O’Bryant’s thoughts became reality.
“My first impression of Coach Johnson was that he was real serious about his coaching scheme,” said O’Bryant, who signed with LSU during the early signing period Nov. 10. “Once I got to campus I could see he was fun guy to be around.”
O’Bryant then gave Johnson an early Christmas present last October when he finally committed to the Tigers over Alabama, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, giving LSU its first five-star basketball prospect since Anthony Randolph in 2007.
“I felt so comfortable around everybody — players, coaching staff, the people and the campus,” said the Cleveland, Miss., native. “I felt like this is where my heart was.”
The 6-foot-9-inch, 245-pound power forward is rated as the 25th-best prospect overall and the seventh-best power forward in the nation by Scout. O’Bryant is also known nationwide as a rebounding machine.
The East Side High School star is averaging a double-double during his senior season, putting up 16.1 points per game and 13.1 rebounds per game.
“You can count on Johnny getting rebounds,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer. “He’s a relentless rebounder. He’s strong, and he controls his area of the court, so I think that translates right into the college level.”
And while experts agree that O’Bryant is already developed as a legitimate rebounder, some believe his abilities don’t end there.
Meyer said O’Bryant could become an effective scorer and dominant offensive force in the Southeastern Conference with a little coaching and some conditioning.
“What I expect to see in Johnny’s career in college is that he is going to become a legitimate offensive threat,” Meyer said. “I think it’ll take some time to develop in college, but I think you’ll get some points.”
Scout recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said O’Bryant is a perfect pickup for Johnson and his scheme. Daniels is confident the young talent could make an immediate push for the Tigers’ starting lineup.
“He’s going to need to get into the weight room and get his conditioning in check and get in shape,” Daniels said. “But there’s no doubt he has the ability and the skill set to make an impact once he gets on campus.”
O’Bryant also won’t have a hard time making friends when he arrives.
The future Tiger played AAU basketball with LSU freshmen Andre Stringer and Jalen Courtney, both of whom helped sway O’Bryant’s decision.
“He’s a great player. He has a lot to learn, and he’s willing to learn,” Stringer said. “He’s the type of guy that’ll listen, and he’ll play hard for you. He wants to be a great player.”
The trio’s AAU coach, Larry Stamps, called coaching O’Bryant “a luxury” and said the future Tiger has shown signs of greatness both on and off the court.
“He’s an excellent leader,” Stamps said. “He’s a good kid too, very humble and mild mannered.”
O’Bryant will join fellow frontcourt newcomer and Iowa State transfer Justin Hamilton. Despite the recent struggles LSU has faced on the court, O’Bryant said he hopes his experience will help the program become a power.
“It’s a very bright future with me coming in,” said O’Bryant, who won a medal with the USA U-17 national team in the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. “Andre and Ralston are going to continue to get better.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]