Demarquise Johnson Update: Checking in with Westwind head coach Adam Desautels

With three visits down and only one remaining, Demarquise Johnson's recruitment is coming to a close.  Gonzaga, Washington, Washington State, and UNLV remain in the hunt for the talented wing's signature.  Johnson has already visited the three Pacific Northwest institutions and only has a trip to Las Vegas left on his schedule.  With that in mind, we were pleased to be able to get in touch with Demarquise's high school coach, Adam Desautels.  Desautels is the head man at Westwind Prep Academy and has been in close contact with Que throughout his recruitment...

Over the past year it seems that Demarquise has really grown and developed as a basketball player. Can you discuss some of the improvements that Demarquise has made to his game and how he has grown as a basketball player?

Coach Desautels: Q has made incredible strides in a lot of areas over the last year. He has become more explosive, improved his first step, and has become a better defender in a lot of areas. The main improvement has been that Q has become a lot stronger, tougher, and more confident in himself. He has always been a good shooter. Now he is a lights out shooter, who can also score in a variety of ways. This is due to his strength and self confidence.

It seems that the Gonzaga coaching staff has been a consistent presence at Westwind since the Spring. What coaches from Gonzaga have been doing the majority of the visits to Westwind and has Gonzaga been the most active in terms of visiting Westwind?

Coach Desautels: Donny Daniels has been the most active in recruiting Q. I asked Donny to stop by one of our games late last January, and he has been constantly here ever since. Coach Few has been on campus as well, but Daniels is the main guy that has been here.

Read on after the jump for a breakdown of his recruitment and what stands out about each program...

With a final four of Gonzaga, Washington St., WSU and UNLV, what are some of the reasons that each of these schools made his final list over some other great offers?

Coach Desautels: Gonzaga because of the successful program they have, and the small class sizes. We have small classes here at Westwind, and that has been important to his parents for a while.
WSU - They've done a good job showing Q their need for him on their roster. That is a place he could come in and play right away.
UW - They have a big need for a scorer like Q, and have done a good job showing him he has a chance to play immediately. They have a successful program, a good track record, and Coach Romar is a strong draw for Q. He also likes their style of play.
UNLV - Its nearby and Q has a good relationship with one of their assistants. He likes their style of play.

Having already visited Gonzaga in early September, can you talk about some of the things that stuck out for Demarquise on his visit to GU?

Coach Desautels: Q enjoyed his visit to Gonzaga a lot. He liked the facilities and the members of the team. He gets along well with the coaching staff, and he liked the campus.

With his ability to score in a variety of ways and play at a high tempo, how do you think Demarquise would fit in with the style of basketball that Gonzaga plays?

Coach Desautels: I think every team needs a guy that can score it like Q can. Gonzaga runs a variety of offenses, including flex, which we've run here in the past. Q will be fine in any offense because of his versatility. He can score inside and out. He has the ability to score when an offense breaks down, or the shot clock runs down. He's a guy you can trust with the ball in his hands at critical times.