Louisville Report

Elite Local '25 Prospect ZaKiyah Johnson Announces College Decision

The three-time state player of the year and top-five prospect in the Class of 2025 was down to Louisville, Kentucky and LSU.

Matthew McGavic

Sacred Heart's Zakiyah Johnson makes the basket against McCracken's Jayden Skaggs in the Mingua Beef Jerky Sweet 16 Girl s Basketball Championship.
Sacred Heart's Zakiyah Johnson makes the basket against McCracken's Jayden Skaggs in the Mingua Beef Jerky Sweet 16 Girl s Basketball Championship. / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Zakiyah Johnson is one of the best girls high school basketball players to ever come through the state of Kentucky. She is a three-time Gatorade Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of the Year, and three-time Sweet 16 MVP. She also enters her senior season with 2,208 points, 871 rebounds, 411 assists, 223 steals and 109 blocks to her name.

As you can can imagine, the Louisville women's basketball program has been heavily invested in recruiting the guard, as she plays at nearby the Louisville (Ky.) Sacred Heart. On Sunday, the recruitment for highly touted Class of 2025 prospect finally came to an end.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it did not conclude with her choosing her hometown team. Johnson announced her commitment to LSU, picked the Tigers over both the Cardinals and the in-state Kentucky Wildcats.

Losing out on the 6-foot-0 guard/wing is undoubtedly a massive loss. She comes in as the No. 4 recruit in the nation per On3, and the No. 12 prospect according to ESPN's HoopGurlz, and is the top player in the state of Kentucky by both services.

This past season, Johnson stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 18.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She helped guide Sacred Heart to a 31-7 overall record, including their fourth-straight state championship.

While Louisville did lose out on Johnson, head coach Jeff Walz and the Cardinals are off to a good start in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Last month, they landed a commitment from Danville (Ky.) Christian standout forward Grace Mbugua, who is one of the top girls high school basketball players in the Commonwealth.

(Photo of Zakiyah Johnson: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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