East Lansing's Brandon Johns dreams of playing at Breslin...in maize and blue

EAST LANSING — Brandon Johns has dreamed about running onto the court at a Michigan State basketball game since the day he made his college decision.

He can envision the energy at the Breslin Center.

The hype.

The animosity.

Because Johns will be sporting the maize and blue of the University of Michigan.

“The crowd is not going to like it,” he said with a smirk. “It motivates me. It will be great, regardless.”

Johns, a senior forward and four-star recruit at East Lansing High School, turned down offers from Purdue, Texas, California and Pittsburgh, among others.

He also shunned MSU and head coach Tom Izzo, who had been recruiting him since seventh grade. Before Johns inked his letter of intent Nov. 10, he reached out to all the coaches who had sought his services.

The local call was the toughest.

“Yeah, he went on a whole rant,” Johns said of Izzo. “That was not what I expected. It wasn’t easy.

“We built a relationship.”

Izzo gave a terse statement regarding Johns' decision.

“If he’s happy, I’m happy for him,” Izzo said.

MORE: East Lansing's Brandon Johns a nominee for McDonald's All-American Games

MORE: East Lansing's Brandon Johns makes it official, signs with Michigan basketball

Johns was raised an MSU fan thanks to his father, Brandon Johns Sr., and he said the Spartans were “very much” in the running late. There was just something about U-M head coach John Beilein that kept drawing him to Ann Arbor.

“He encouraged me to go on all of my visits and see other places,” Johns said of Beilein. “He told me he wanted me to think about Michigan at every stop. When I was on my final visit at Pittsburgh, he was right — I was thinking about Michigan.”

Johns became the fifth and final signee of Beilein’s highly touted, top-10 recruiting class, which features three four-star players and a pair of three-star standouts.

“I just felt like I had a better opportunity there,” he said. “Their style really fits me. It will be an easy transition from high school to college.”

And don’t think Johns hasn’t heard it from the naysayers.

“Of course, I have,” Johns laughed. “A lot of people have been respectful though.”

His mother, Havilah Johns, has heard plenty of opinions, too. Some MSU fans have shared their "mild" disappointment, she said. Others have been downright ugly.

"Oh yeah, It started immediately," Havilah Johns laughed. "I will say, the support has been awesome, but we did see some comments coming from people that were disappointing. They were coming from adults and they were about a 17-year-old kid ... Some true colors came out, but, for the most part, people have been great."

Johns was all smiles during Monday’s practice at ELHS. He was loose, having fun with his teammates and dancing to blaring rap music in the gym.

His demeanor is a far cry from his junior campaign, when Johns admitted that he faced daily pressures about what his college destination would be all while attempting to lead the Trojans to an elusive state championship.

One thing that hasn’t changed is his play. If anything, he’s gotten better.

Flying down the court, the 6-foot-8 blur fired passes to teammates and ended sequences with thunderous one-handed dunks. He swished baskets from behind the arc and in the paint. Consistently.

(Watch highlights of East Lansing's Brandon Johns from the 2017-18 season.)

“He is the real deal,” ELHS head coach Steve Finamore said, looking on during drills Monday.

The stats prove it.

Through seven games this season, Johns is averaging 31.2 points per contest and pulling down more than 11 rebounds. He scored a season-high 51 points in a 114-82 rout of Sexton early in the season. He was only on the floor for 26 minutes.

Wednesday, Johns earned another accolade, being named one of nine Michigan prep players on the list of candidates to play in the McDonald's All-American game March 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

During his junior season, Johns was named the No. 2 prospect in the state after dropping 20 points per game. He was also named the Associated Press Class A Player of the Year.

Those numbers had Division I coaches around the country salivating. Beilein, who has also been recruiting Johns since middle school, knows what kind of player he is getting.

“He is a humble kid, even with all the expectations he has carried over the years as a top prospect in Michigan and on the national level,” Beilein said, describing Johns in a November press release. “Brandon is an explosive athlete that also has a high skill level. He checks a lot of the boxes we look for in our student-athletes.”

FROM LAST YEAR: Unbeaten East Lansing eyes first state title in 59 years

Finamore, who is in his eighth season at ELHS, said he fielded weekly calls from college coaches inquiring about Johns but tried to steer clear of the recruiting process. He didn’t want to sway the senior or even give input.

“A lot of schools came in late,” Finamore said. “A lot of schools were afraid, because they thought he was going to stay in state. They asked me if they would be wasting their time coming here. I truly didn’t know. In the back of my mind, I figured he would stay here.”

Was he surprised when Johns decided to attend U-M?

“No, not at all,” he said. “I thought he was 50-50 between Michigan and MSU. Nothing surprised me. U-M’s style of play is more suited for him.

“I am just really happy for him,” Finamore continued. “U-M is a great school. I mean, it’s the maize and blue. It’s a worldwide school. There were a lot of Michigan graduates in my hometown in New York even.”

Johns is not flashy. Aside from a pair of small diamond-studded earrings and his highlight-reel dunks, he is a quiet, team-first guy. He didn’t talk about winning Mr. Basketball, which is given to the state’s top prep player. He talked about making a run toward a state title, which, conveniently, is at the Breslin Center.

He said he wants to work on his confidence.

“I want to work on walking on the court and telling myself that I am here to dominate,” he said. “I want to be ready to dominate every game.”

Choosing U-M has allowed him to focus on that.

No more phone calls from coaches. No more campus visits. No more waiting game.

MORE FROM CODY TUCKER:

Bath's Amanda Bobby Cooper preps for UFC 218 Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena

Finding Charles Rogers

He was once known for his off-the-field antics. Now MSU's Blake Ezor has turned the page

Michigan State football fan, 92, receives MVP treatment from team, coaches

“It was a huge weight lifted off,” Johns said, smiling and taking an exaggerated deep breath. “It was overwhelming at times. I even had a few breakdowns. Now, I can just focus on improving and finishing strong here.”

Johns has led sixth-ranked ELHS (6-1) to 45 straight regular season wins, including 34 straight in the CAAC Blue Conference before Tuesday night's 59-53 home loss to Grand Ledge. The Trojans have won 53 of their last 56 contests.

Havilah Johns, who is a U-M fan, said she is ready for the next step in her son's life. The fact that he will be a Wolverines is just a "cherry on top of the sundae."

" I can not put into words how excited I am for him," she said. "He is going to have an amazing career there. I'm really excited to see him grow as a person and an athlete."

Johns said he isn’t sure if he will be at the Breslin Center on Saturday afternoon when the Spartans and Wolverines meet for their lone regular season game. He has prior obligations.

He wants to be there, though. He wants to get a taste of what’s to come.

“I am not sorry,” Johns said. “It was my decision.”

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.