Poised to land its most highly regarded recruiting class in years, the Colorado men’s basketball program added its second national top-100 prospect Monday night when 6-foot-6 small forward Xavier Johnson of legendary Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., extended an oral commitment to the Buffaloes, according to .
Johnson, rated as the No. 83 among the nation’s bluechippers by Rivals, also had offers from at least four other Pac-12 schools, including Arizona State, Oregon State, Southern California and UCLA, according the recruiting-based website.
Known for his athleticism and scoring potential, Johnson joins 6-9 power forward Josh Scott of Colorado Springs Lewis-Palmer as national top-100 recruits. Scott is ranked No. 65 by Rivals and, like Johnson, rates four stars out of five.
“I picked Colorado because of their fast-paced offense and free play,” Johnson told Rivals.
Colorado also has oral commitments from a pair of three-star players: 6-7 forward Wesley Gordon of Colorado Springs Sierra and 6-7 guard-forward Chris Jenkins of Detroit Jesuit. Jenkins committed to the Buffs on Sunday.
For basketball, high school seniors can sign a national letter of intent during the eight-day early signing period that begins Nov. 9.
Under NCAA rules, college coaches are prohibited from speaking to the media about recruits until they are signed.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
