A once-prized Pitt basketball recruit who ran into legal trouble and redshirted last season, Dior Johnson is “no longer attending the University of Pittsburgh,” a team spokesman said in a statement Friday evening.
The move comes as a surprise after the 6-foot-3 guard joined the Panthers on their preseason trip to Spain, where they played two games earlier this month.
Johnson, 19, played for nine high schools and prep schools in five states and committed to Syracuse and Oregon before ultimately signing with Pitt last summer. Ranked the No. 38 overall prospect and the No. 7 point guard in the Class of 2022 by Rivals.com, Johnson was the Panthers’ highest-rated recruit since Steven Adams in 2012.
Johnson was charged last October for a domestic violence incident that prohibited him from being on campus or participating in any basketball activities.
In late December, Johnson returned to practice, but decided he would redshirt.
Pittsburgh police said a woman with whom Johnson had a relationship reported he slapped her in the face, punched her multiple times and pushed her head into a pillow Sept. 5. Johnson pleaded guilty Dec. 9 to two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and was ordered to serve one year of probation.
“He’s a talented young guy,” Capel said last season when he was reinstated. “He’s good with the ball. He can shoot it. He can handle it. He has some creativity to him. He’s not afraid. He loves to play basketball. He loves to compete.”
Johnson’s departure leaves Pitt thin in the backcourt with senior KJ Marshall, junior transfer Ishmael Leggett and freshmen Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington.
