Johnson was one of the biggest surprises on the AAU circuit last summer, garnering several high-major scholarship offers based on his play. This summer, Johnson is Cecil Kirk’s headliner once again, facing all sorts of attention from the opposition.

“I expect it,” he said. “Last year, I had my coming-out party. I did my thing last year. This year I want to do better than what I did last year.”

Next year, Johnson will take his game to a place yet to be determined. He mentioned Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., and Brewster (N.H.) Academy as potential destinations.

When it comes to recruiting, Johnson said he’s in no rush to make a decision. The three-star prospect has plenty of suitors to consider.

“[I’m hearing from] everybody,” he said. “UConn, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Marquette, UNLV, DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Maryland. Everybody.”

• Nick Faust’s strong play on the AAU circuit this year carried over to Saturday’s game.

The 6-foot-5 ½, 170-pound shooting guard from City scored 15 points, showing off NBA range in the process. With Nike Baltimore Elite this summer, Faust has emerged as one of the top shooters in the country, drawing praise from scouts and attention from the national media.

“I didn’t expect it, but that’s what I worked for,” Faust said. “I work hard every day to get better and better. ... I’ve been working hard, so you try to get acknowledged for it.”

Faust said he has offers from Penn State, Oregon State, Delaware and UNLV. Maryland and several other high-major programs are also in close contact, but Faust says he’s wide open when it comes to recruiting.

“My favorite school since I was little was Duke,” Faust said. “I’m just starting to get recruited by them now, but I haven’t got offered yet. But they’re not my favorite. I’ll just go wherever best fits me.”

Faust is ranked as the No. 125 player in the class of 2011 by Rivals.com and the No. 91 player nationally by Scout.com. The second-team All-Metro selection has his sights set on a Top 25 ranking, and he should get a chance to prove himself against the best at the NBA Top 100 Camp next month.

“It means a lot,” Faust said. “Baltimore, we play hard and tough. I just have to carry on the legend.”

• After his first two years of high school, Sam Cassell Jr. was a nationally unknown player with a famous name.

The 6-foot-2 ½ combo guard – son of the Dunbar legend and longtime NBA point guard of the same name – was a big-time scorer for the Towson Catholic junior varsity as a sophomore. When the Archdiocese of Baltimore closed the venerable Catholic League school last summer, Cassell transferred to St. Frances.

The move to St. Frances proved to be a good one, as Cassell emerged as a standout player for the MIAA A Conference tournament-champion Panthers. He’ll enter next season as one of Baltimore’s top seniors.

“I think it was the best transition ever, because I turned from a nobody into a somebody now,” said Cassell, who scored six points Saturday. “College coaches didn’t know who I was, but I did my thing this year at St. Frances and now they’re taking a look at me.”

Cassell said Miami, UNLV and Virginia Commonwealth are just a few of the schools that have been in contact. It’s still in the early stages of Cassell’s recruitment, but he’s happy to play for Nike Baltimore Elite this summer and see what else materializes.

Aside from AAU, Cassell has plans this summer to spend time in the weight room, continue developing his chemistry with Panthers center Greg Lewis, and go head to head occasionally with his old man.

“We still go at it. I’d say [our games are the] same. I can do mostly what he does. I can probably run more than him,” Cassell said with a laugh.

• In his return to Baltimore basketball, Kevin Smith made himself right at home Saturday.

The former Baltimore Freedom Academy point guard, who spent the past year at Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, scored two points and made a number of jaw-dropping passes. The past year for Smith has been about transitioning from a scoring guard to a setup man.

“I changed my game a lot to a point guard, but I still can score though,” Smith said. “I’ve been working on my point guard skills for college basketball.”

Smith said he has heard from a host of high- and mid-major programs, thanks in large part to playing a national schedule at Huntington Prep.

“[I’ve heard from] Rutgers, Villanova, South Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Baylor,” Smith said. “They keep going on and on. Cincinnati. George Mason.”

Smith made a switch in AAU teams this year, moving from Nike Baltimore Elite to Baltimore Assault, an Adidas-sponsored squad. So far, it’s been a positive experience for Smith.

“[It’s a] big change,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of players that want to play. We’re working the kinks out, but we’re playing together, so it’s good. We’ve been winning a lot of games.”

Check back with Recruiting Report later this week for more on the I-95 Elite Challenge.