Fayette County basketball coach Andre Flynn has been in the coaching profession for 20 years, and he has seen his fair share of talent at the high school level.

But nobody Flynn has coached has possessed more talent than his current 6-7 senior shooting guard, Noel Johnson, who recently committed to USC.

“Probably, from top to bottom, Noel is the best player I’ve ever coached,” Flynn said. “He’s the total package. He has unbelievable skills. The thing that separates him from other basketball players is his basketball IQ.

“He knows how to play the game. A lot of players are very talented, but they don’t know how to play the game. Noel does.”

Johnson enters this season as one of the mostly highly rated basketball prospects in the nation. Johnson chose USC over Wake Forest, Miami, UCLA, Georgia Tech and Louisville.

Flynn feels USC is the perfect fit for Johnson, both on the court and in the classroom.

“USC’s offensive system is very similar to ours,” Flynn said. “They like to run the fast break and play up-and-down basketball. Their offense fits Noel to a ‘T’. USC is an up-and-coming team, and, unlike other schools, USC made Noel its No. 1 priority.

“Perhaps the biggest thing for Noel and his parents, though, was academics. USC is a private school. Their class size is not all that big there. He will get a good education there.”

Flynn can foresee Johnson eventually playing in the NBA.

“If he stays healthy, I feel Noel can play at the next level,” said Flynn, a former NBA player. “I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

Johnson, the All-Citizen team’s player of the year last season, was part of the 2007-2008 Fayette County team that finished as Class AAAA state runner-up.

He averaged 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals per game and shot 40 percent from the 3-point line. He was named the 2008 All-Metro Atlanta Naismith Award winner and surpassed the 1,000-point career scoring mark last season.

Johnson is the son of former NBA and Wichita State player Lynbert “Cheese” Johnson.

Getting to know Noel

Name: Noel Johnson

Age:17

School/class:Fayette County 2009

Position:SG/SF

Started playing basketball:Since age 1

Best moment of high school athletic career: My first triple- double

Favorite subject in school:Digital Media

How you selected USC as the college you’d play for: My decision was based on taking my game to the next level and being surrounded by successful individuals

What do you want to major in?: Architecture

First job: Haven’t Had Time

Favorite city to visit: Miami, FL; Harlem, NY

Favorite athletes to watch (pro and/or college): Michael Beasley and Carmelo Anthony

Favorite books:Business Books

Favorite food(s):Pizza,Chicken Tenders

Favorite movies: Above the Rim, He Got Game

Favorite music (artists or groups): The Game, Lil Wayne

Bookmarks (websites you most frequent):thecitizen. com, uschoops. com

Favorite sports team: New York Yankees

The best advice I ever got on the court: Stay agressive

The best advice I ever got off the court: Be a student-athlete

My motto: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”

Bucket list (three things you want to do in your life): Play professionally, own a lucrative bussiness, and be a national icon

login to post comments