His future is at Northwestern University, near his native Chicago, and pieces of his past are spread around prep schools dotting the country, but in his second year as the starting point guard at JSerra, Johnnie Vassar has found a home in the Lions den.
Once one of the most heavily recruited freshman players in the nation and currently ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Vassar took a roundabout path to Southern California. If not outright adrift early in his high school career, Vassar at the very least seemed to be in search of an anchor during an odyssey that included three schools in two years, all in different states.
Since arriving at JSerra’s cozy San Juan Capistrano campus as a junior, however, Vassar has been able to put down some roots and grow into the budding college prospect his potential always had forecast.
“It was just the right spot,” Vassar recalls of his first impressions of the college preparatory parochial school with just over 1,000 students. “Now at JSerra, it’s more stable, and I can say I’ve been at one spot for more than a year.”
Vassar completed his first year at JSerra as an important cog on a Lions team that advanced to the CIF-SS Division 4-AA quarterfinals, averaging 13.3 points, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. His senior season has seen a spike across the board in his numbers – 19.5 points and just over two steals per game – including his first double-double (23 points, 10 assists) of the season in a 76-73 Trinity League loss to St. John Bosco on Friday.
“He’s our point guard. He makes us go,” teammate Dylan Osetkowski said. “He’s the guy calling the shots, so he’s a critical part of our team.”
WELL-TRAVELED
During his freshman year, Vassar already had offers from Illinois and DePaul. But he also had a bad case of homesickness, he said, while attending boarding school at the elite Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass.
A stint at La Lumiere in La Porte, Ind., closer to home didn’t prove to be the right fit academically, and Vassar finished his sophomore year being homeschooled by his mother, Cherise.
As a junior, Vassar was set to transfer, along with a handful of other high-profile recruits, to Georgia powerhouse Milton, where coach David Boyd already was embroiled in a scandal involving recruiting irregularities. Boyd was out before the season started, and Vassar never played a game at Milton, instead opting to move with his mother to California, where he already had some family in place, including his father.
“He was well-traveled, and he came here out of the blue and we were lucky to get him,” Lions coach Joedy Gardner said. “Then it was just a matter of making sure he understood that we care. A lot of people were telling him a lot of things and making promises, and we didn’t make any promises. We told him what the facts were and what we had to offer. He and his mom bought into the school first and basketball second, and that’s been the same ever since. That’s humbled him and made him better and he’s a good student, too, so that also helps.”
Gardner, a former star at Cal State Long Beach who was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1984, has a history of polishing high-profile prospects for future success. Through his Team Works Next Level Training and Mentoring program, Gardner has worked with a laundry list of current NBA players, including Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, a fact that was not lost on Vassar.
“Coach Gardner has been really helpful just working with me as a point guard,” Vassar said. “It’s always just great to hear things from him and learn.”
But the primary emphasis of the coach’s mentorship has been holding Vassar, who has a 3.3 grade-point average, accountable as a student as well as an athlete.
“He loves being here,” Gardner said. “He’s come a long way from last year to this year. He’s part of the chemistry. He hangs out with his teammates. He’s become one of our leaders on and off the court.”
ENJOYING A BIGGER STAGE
Feeling at home and at ease, Vassar has been free to have some fun on the court this year. His balanced play has the Lions ranked No. 7 in Orange County and eyeing another deep playoff run. He’s had some opportunities to show off his athleticism on some big stages, such as winning the slam dunk contest at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic on Dec. 28 in Rancho Mirage in front of more than 2,500 fans.
“The atmosphere was great,” said Vassar, who stands just 6 feet. “The crowd really got into it. I think I catch a few people (off guard) here and there if they don’t know already, but a lot of people don’t expect the little guy on the court to go up and finish like that.”
But likely the biggest weight off Vassar’s shoulders was his commitment to Northwestern on Dec. 20, when he officially joined one of the school’s most promising recruiting classes and set up a much-anticipated homecoming for the fall.
“The academics speak for themselves at Northwestern, and the coaching staff is great,” Vassar said. “I felt like I can learn a lot from them. I feel like with some of the pieces coming in, we could have something special.”
Vassar’s arrival at Northwestern’s Evanston campus, just a few miles from his childhood home in Chicago, in the fall will signify his long prep journey coming full circle. But Vassar still has some unfinished business here in his adopted home.
“We really just want to come out on top in the Trinity League and make a big run to state because we have the talent to do it at every position,” Vassar said. “I think we’ve got a special group.”
