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Johnny Juzang is no doubt the hottest name in college basketball right now. After all, the formerly relatively unknown swingman just led the 11th ranked UCLA Bruins to the Final Four for the first time since 2008.
Sure, the 20-year-old shooter is a household name now, but not a lot of people are aware of his early basketball journey.
Born and raised in Los Angeles by his father Maxie of Creole descent and Vietnamese mother Hanh, Juzang has been tearing up nets since high school.
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He played for Harvard-Westlake School in LA and was teammates with Indiana Pacers forward Cassius Stanley. Juzang earned the attention of scouts right around his junior season, where he won Mission League MVP, along with other accolades, with averages of 23 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
After receiving several Division 1 offers, Juzang narrowed down his choice to Kentucky and Virginia, eventually choosing the Wildcats. While he showed promise in his freshman year under John Calipari, Juzang was mainly utilized as a catch-and-shoot guy and playing just around 12.3 minutes in 28 games. He was overshadowed by eventual NBA picks Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley during his brief tenure in Kentucky and felt he needed a change of scenery to maximize his potential.
He did not pass up an opportunity to come home and play for the Bruins, which turned out to be the best choice he ever made in his career. Juzang has emerged as UCLA's top payer, notching 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and a ridiculous 90.2 percent success rate from the foul line.
The 6-foot-6 guard has become a revelation come March Madness, dropping 13 points in their spirited win against Alabama followed by a 28-point explosion in their mighty upset of Michigan. Juzang now hopes to continue the Bruins' magical Cinderella run as they try to take down Gonzaga, considered to be the best team in college basketball right now.
It remains unclear if Johnny Juzang will declare for the pros next year, but his stock has definitely risen up the leader boards.
Don't be surprised if UCLA's Juzang could become the first Asian-American NBA lottery pick in league history.
