By ZACH SMART
While he’s shown vertically explosive and inside-outside scoring acumen on various exposure-heavy stages these last six months, Class of 2026 combination guard Ethan Johnston finds himself in an immensely more multi-layered role at The Hill School (PA) this season.
As a primary ball handler who guards nearly every position at this level, Johnston characterizes himself as a jack of all trades. The rapid transformation process has witnessed Johnston add significant strength to a once spindly frame, become an active ingredient on the offensive and defensive glass, and savor the niche of making his teammates beneficiaries of his presence.
“As a player, I do all of the little things to help my team,” said Johnston, who is hearing from Marquette, Villanova, Illinois, and Georgetown the most consistently out of a handful of high major suitors. “I like to draw and dish, make my teammates better. This year for me, it involves a lot more rebounding and a lot more assists. It’s really a different role.”
At 6-foot-6, Johnston has become a more viable physical threat in his finishing and in-traffic scoring. He’s been a consistent outside shot-making presence the past two seasons at The Hill School, where he’s assumed some ownership of this year’s team.
It’s a role that will entail Johnston hitting go-ahead shots and scoring under heightened pressure during critical fourth-quarter sequences. He’s coming off a 19-point performance, with his late-game poise helping guide his team to a win over Springside Chestnut Hill (PA).
With Marquette currently in most active pursuit of him since offering him back in November, Johnston broke down the schools currently recruiting him:
Marquette: “They’ve been the most consistent. Coach (Shaka) Smart is definitely a great guy. Every time I speak with him, we have a great conversation. A deep conversation. He’s developed a great relationship with my family The whole program, they are just different. The way they recruit is different. They actually saw me first. Coach (DeAndre) Haynes, he was actually the first one I spoke with on staff. They sent each assistant out and came to my open gyms. I think my style of play fits their system because I’m a transition-centric type of player. I’m really looking forward to my (official visit) coming up, on Feb.24-26th.
Villanova: “They’ve been real consistent as well. Their assistant coach, Ash Howard, he came to my game today. He’s been the one recruiting me. He also came to my game a couple of weeks ago. Coach (Kyle) Neptune showed me around campus when I visited and he spent a lot of time with my family. They’ve been great. During my visit, I watched their practice. I was able to really see just how hard they practice. They really dug deep. Guys were diving on the floor for loose balls.
Illinois: “(Associate Head Coach Orlando) Antigua is very consistent. Two of their assistants and head coach (Brad Underwood) came to my open gyms this year. They’ve been updating me on games, asking me how I’m doing. They definitely have a very good recruiting class. The current freshmen class is really good. Definitely, what stands out to me is their ball movement. I like how the ball movement is there. They really deliver extra passes and get good looks.”
Georgetown: “They came to my game early in the season. I was actually supposed to, originally , visit them around this time. We had to postpone it because of the snow. So, I’m looking forward to getting down there for my official visit and really looking forward to meeting coach (Ed) Cooley. I’m definitely going to get up there soon.”
Photo: @EliteHSscouting
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