On Monday, former Memphis Basketball Commit Ty-Laur Johnson Committed to HC Kenny Payne and the Louisville Cardinals. Johnson previously committed to HC Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers, yet de-committed from the Tigers in late April. He had been one of the only Tigers not to sign their letter of intent (LOI) to attend the University of Memphis.
His delay in signing created a buzz surrounding why he hadn’t signed. Multiple reports indicated that he had an academic credit issue, and these credits wouldn’t transfer to the University of Memphis. However, other reports indicated differently. So, let’s dive into why Ty-Laur Johnson did not end up a Memphis Tiger.
How Does this Impact Memphis’ Chances with Naas Cunningham?
Ty-Laur Johnson was an integral part of Memphis’ recruiting class. His performances on the shoe circuits shot him up the 247 Sports Composite Rankings throughout his time in high school. Johnson had deep ties to Memphis assistant coach Andy Borman, as he played under Borman for the New York Rens on the Nike EYBL circuit. Additionally, Johnson is a very close friend of 2024 5-star Memphis target Naas Cunningham, who happens to be the #7 overall recruit in 247 Sports 2024 recruiting rankings. Some sources have indicated that losing Johnson negatively affects Memphis’ pursuit of Cunningham, which is probably the case. However, I have heard that Memphis is still in a great spot to land Cunningham as of right now.
Why did Johnson Not End Up a Tiger?
Johnson is an undersized point guard; however, he is extremely talented. He plays with attitude and heart, and I have no doubt that he will be a productive college player. Johnson most likely is not an NBA prospect, but he will be an extremely productive collegiate player. Why did Johnson not sign with Memphis? Despite some sources indicating that there was an academic issue with Johnson, other sources indicate that Memphis never gave Johnson the opportunity to sign the LOI papers. If this is in fact true, Memphis Basketball missed on an extremely talented guard. However, Memphis recently picked up UCF transfer G Jayhlon Young, who is a talented guard with experience that should be able to come in and produce.
