Dior Johnson leads all of Division I basketball in scoring.
If you had told someone who watched Johnson play in his scholastic days, that wouldn't have been shocking. He's always had special talent.
But not a single one of those folks would've guessed it was happening at Tarleton State, a school that only became a Division I program in 2020.
That's where the path has taken Johnson, though.
He's putting up 25 points per game, coming off a 40-point outing.
Leading scorer in the country Dior Johnson with another electric display of scoring for @TarletonMBB in a tight contest against Southern Utah
— Workin It Hoops (@workinithoops) January 16, 2026
• 40 PTS
• 5 REB
• 13/22 FG
• 4/4 3PT and 10/12 FT
The junior guard posted his 7th game with 30+ points and his 2nd of 40 or more.… pic.twitter.com/oHOjbSewZt
Tarleton State is 11-7, currently fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference at 2-3.
It's a long way from the start of Johnson's journey.
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How Dior Johnson ended up at Tarleton State
Johnson's basketball career never really went in a straight line, even before college.
He was one of the most promising basketball players in New York state history, dominating varsity games as a seventh- and eighth-grader for Saugerties High School.
He briefly attended IMG Academy as a freshman, then went to Findlay Prep in Nevada.
After Findlay Prep closed, Johnson went to Hillcrest Prep in Arizona, which he left before his sophomore season began.
Johnson was expected to play at Fairfax in Los Angeles, but ended up at Mayfair High School in that area instead.
After that, Johnson went to Oak Hill Academy but didn't play because of a leg injury. He went to Centennial High School in Corona, California, but didn't play at all as a junior.
As a senior, Johnson started his season at Prolific Prep in Napa before transferring to SoCal Academy.
All the while, college coaches wanted Johnson. He committed to Syracuse in Feb. 2020 but decommitted nine months later.
In June 2021, Johnson picked Oregon.
A year later, he decommitted again and instead chose Pittsburgh.
Johnson redshirted at Pitt, then was arrested for simple assault and strangulation and announced as no longer enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh.
He went to Clarendon College, a junior college in Texas, where he averaged 29.7 points per game.
Johnson was considered the top JuCo transfer and ended up at UCF.
For the Golden Knights in 2024-25, Johnson played only 7.4 minutes per game and scored 2.5 points per night.
And after that season at Central Florida, Johnson went into the transfer portal.
That's how he got to Tarleton State, where he's now the country's leading scorer.
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