Dakari Johnson, a 6-foot-11 rising sophomore, must will sit out the upcoming school year after transferring to Montverde (Fla.) Academy from Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, headmaster Kasey Kesselring told the Orlando Sentinel.
According to Florida High School Athletic Association rules, a player following his coach to a different school is ineligible to compete for a year, Kesselring told the paper.
“The biggest thing is the kid is a great kid and is going to be a great player one day,” current Montverde and former St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle told SNY.tv by phone. “Obviously, we feel awful that he won’t be able to play this year. We had told him and his mom that this would be a possibility a couple months ago so they knew coming in that this was very much possible coming but they still thought it was advantageous. It’s a great school academically to come to. They knew well this could happen.”
A year ago, Johnson was a key player on a St. Patrick team that was ranked No. 1 nationally for most of the season before losing to arch-rival St. Anthony in the North Jersey Non Public Parochial B title game.
Johnson, 15, told SNY.tv at the LeBron James Camp that Syracuse, Kentucky and Georgetown were courting him and that Syracuse was “recruiting him the hardest.”
ZAGSBLOG reported last month that Johnson had transferred to Montverde.
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