Clayton Johnson inks with Shorter Basketball

Chattooga High School senior Clayton Johnson recently inked with Shorter University to play basketball.

Chattooga Basketball Coach Jared Groce said it had been an absolute joy to have as a Clayton as part of the basketball program from the second he walked in the gym doors as a freshman. “Not only does he possess exceptional athletic ability, but he is a great person. He’s the guy that cleans up the locker room. He’s the guy that treats every conditioning session as a race against his teammates even after a 2-3 hour practice. He’s the guy that asks to get in the gym early so he can get on the shooting machine the day after an off-night. He’s the guy that goes to our elementary schools to give back. I cannot recall a single practice or game where I would even question Clayton giving 100% from start to finish. He’s a winner. Plain and simple.”

Beating the Odds: “The overall percentage of high school basketball players that make it to the NCAA level is 3.4%. The overall percentage of high school basketball players that end up playing NCAA Division-1 basketball is 1%, and the overall percentage of high school basketball players that end up playing NCAA Division-2 basketball is 1%. Out of 27 men’s and women’s sports at the NCAA level, basketball is the third most difficult sport to get the opportunity to play (behind men’s wrestling and men’s volleyball). Having said that, Clayton getting the chance to play at the NCAA Division-2 level is obviously a huge accomplishment.”

Recruiting Process

”I tell all of my players from day one that if they want to play college basketball, first and foremost, they absolutely have to take the classroom seriously for all four years of high school. College coaches will not even look at highlight videos or stats without first having ACT and/or SAT scores and a GPA. Furthermore, dedication in the classroom shows that a student-athlete is serious about his future and his goals,” Coach Groce said.

Recent Basketball Signings for Chattooga: “As for having three current Chattooga Alumni playing NCAA Division-2 basketball, it’s simply incredible. It says a lot about the respect our program has earned. It should be very motivating to our younger guys that if they put in the work, it’s not just a dream to get to play college basketball but a real possibility,” Coach Groce said.