LITTLE ROCK, AR – First Team NJCAA All-American Marcus Johnson Jr. of Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas, has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his college career under head coach Chris Beard at UALR.

One of the most coveted guards in the country, Johnson’s offer listed included Loyola Chicago, Middle Tennessee, UT Martin, Georgia Southern, Washington State, Fordham, LIU, Charlotte, FIU, Sam Houston State, Texas State, Prairie View and Northern Kentucky. Other schools with interest included Colorado, Memphis, Xavier, Purdue, UTEP and Seton Hall.

“Marcus Johnson Jr. was one of the best junior college point guards in the country this year,” Cameron Belden of MullenSports.net said. “He was the leader for a very good Hill College team that made its second straight trip to the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Marcus is a hard-nosed player that is very athletic and explosive into the lane. He can really score at the basket and he has the ability to be a tremendous defender as well. Marcus is another very good junior college get for Chris Beard’s staff.”

Playing under head coach Swede Trenkle and assistant coach Isaac Fontenot-Amedee at Hill College, Johnson was the Most Valuable Player in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference as well as First Team All-NTJCAC. He started all 36 games last season, averaging 16.9 points, 7.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds. He shot 47.3 percent from the floor, 40.6 percent from 3-point range and 79.5 percent from the foul line.

A true point guard, Johnson’s 279 assists in 2014-15 were second-most nationally and his 4.9 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked third. He handed out 10 or more assists in 10 different games. The 6-1 guard committed just 57 turnovers over 36 games last season.

Johnson scored in double figures in 31 games, including 20 straight at one point. He score 20-plus 10 times and totaled two games of 30 or more. In a win over Ranger College on Jan. 24, Johnson scored a season-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-8 effort from 3, while totaling 10 assists and three steals. He racked up 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-8 effort from 3 and handed out seven assists against McLennan Community College on Feb. 14.

He finished the season with nine double-doubles, with Hill College going 8-1 in those games. He totaled 29 points, 10 assists and two steals against Weatherford College on Jan. 10. Four days later, he posted a line of 19 points, 12 assists and three steals at Southwestern Christian College.

Johnson ranked among the top-100 players nationally with 65 made 3-pointers last season. He connected on multiple treys in 17 games, making a season-high five on three occasions.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Johnson played prep ball under the direction of head coach Michael Wright at Evelyn Mack Academy.