Former Miami (Fl) forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu has committed to the Iowa men’s basketball team, per an announcement from On3. Johnson-Arigu will arrive on campus for the second semester and be eligible for the 2025-26 season.
Standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 200 pounds, Johnson-Arigu played eight games this season for the Hurricanes, posting 1 point and o.8 rebounds per contest in limited action. After Miami got off to a slow 4-8 start, longtime head coach Jim Larrañaga abruptly announced his retirement, causing some players to transfer away from the program.
Johnson-Arigu officially entered the transfer portal on Jan. 6, and it didn’t take long for him to find a new home. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery and his coaching staff were heavily involved with Johnson-Arigu’s recruitment out of high school, but the forward ultimately chose the Hurricanes over offers from Iowa, Northwestern, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, and others. According to 247 Sports, Johnson-Arigu was ranked 129th nationally in the Class of 2024.
Johnson-Arigu will be playing much closer to home by moving to Iowa, as he attended Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, Minnesota. Despite his limited playing time at the college level, Johnson-Arigu’s high school career garnered him plenty of praise from college scouts, who highlighted his strong defensive ability.
6’7 ’24 point forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu not only led Totino-Grace (MN) to 3rd straight state title w/25 pts,11reb, 3asst,but #ItsAllAboutTheU #GoCanes recruit should find himself on #SCTop10 after this absurd dunk for @TGEaglesNest. pic.twitter.com/RsHyLqDa40
— Rodger Bohn (@rodgerbohn) March 24, 2024
“Defensively is where Johnson-Arigu really has a chance to shine early on during his college years, Eric Bossi of 247 Sports said. “He is instinctual when it comes to getting into passing lanes and causing deflections, his lateral quickness allows him to stay in front of opponents and most importantly he is a versatile defender who is capable of switching one through four.”
Bossi says that Johnson-Arigu still has some work to do on the offensive side of the ball, but credits his ability to make plays at the rim.
“He’s likely most comfortable as a small ball four right now because of his preference for driving the ball, his nose for the ball on the offensive glass and him being much more comfortable as a jump shooter from 17 feet and in,” Bossi said. “To make a full time move out to the wing, he is going to need to improve his range and ball handling.”