MOBILE, Ala. – Taishaun Johnson, who spent last year at Quakerdale Prep School, will enroll at the University of South Alabama as a member of the men's basketball team in the 2014-15 season, head coach Matthew Graves announced Wednesday.

A 6-foot point guard, Johnson will have four seasons of eligibility remaining.

"We're really excited about Taishaun joining the South Alabama Basketball family," Graves said. "We expect big things out of him. He brings good experience playing at Pike High School—a very good high school in Indianapolis—and we look for him to have an immediate impact as a freshman."

Johnson averaged 17 points and seven assists last season for Quakerdale, located in New Providence, Iowa.

As a senior at Pike, Johnson averaged 19.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Red Devils while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor. He scored 20 points or more on 15 occasions, including a 32-point effort in a 90-75 win over Bloomington North.

He was named to the Associated Press and IBCA/Subway Senior All-State Honorable Mention teams and the Marion County Coaches Association All-County Third Team.

"Offensively, he's a natural scorer, even though he's 6-feet tall," Graves said. "He has an ability to put the ball in the basket and he'll be able to play both guard positions and give us some versatility with his quickness and athleticism."

Johnson led the Red Devils to a 4A state finals appearance as a junior, scoring 19 points in the championship game. He averaged just 7.7 points that season, but came on late and reached double-digit points in five of his last six outings, including the season-best performance in the final.

"I think he complements what we have already," Graves said. "We were looking to add another guard to the mix. With what we have coming back, we felt like we needed to add another ball-handler. His versatility—not only playing point guard but being able to slide over and play some at the '2'—will only enhance our overall flexibility on the offensive end of the floor."

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