New Pitt basketball recruit John Johnson is not a household name in college recruiting circles, but when it's all said and done, there are those who believe that he will be one of the finest players in the country.

Johnson, a 6-foot combo guard from Girard College High in Philadelphia, gave Pitt coach Jamie Dixon a verbal commitment yesterday morning. He is a junior and Pitt's first commitment for the class of 2011.

"He is a real good get for Pitt," said Allen Rubin, a recruiting analyst for HoopScoop. "In his class, he's the best point guard in the state. He has that Pitt toughness. At the end of the game he wants the ball.

"He can get to the basket and dish or finish, and he has a good 3-point shot. He's also a good defender.

"But the big thing is he knows how to win. He won a state championship on a team that wasn't loaded with a lot of other players."

Johnson is not on the national recruiting radar because his AAU team, the Hunting Park Warriors, does not play many games in the big national AAU tournaments, where many of the top recruits make their names and their rankings. Rivals.com and Scout.com do not list him among their top 150 players.

But in Philadelphia circles, he is considered the second-best player in his class behind Rakeem Christmas of Philadelphia North Catholic. He averaged 21 points, 5 assists and 3 steals per game as a sophomore last season. He scored 30 in the PIAA Class A championship game victory against Kennedy Catholic.

"His heart is his biggest asset," said Jonathan Stewart, an assistant coach at Girard. "When he steps onto the floor he's going to bring it 150 percent. He has that constant aggression."

Johnson chose Pitt over Saint Joseph's, Virginia Tech, Penn State and Georgia Tech. All had offered scholarships.

After concentrating on forwards and centers in the 2009 recruiting class, Dixon and his staff continue to stockpile guards in the 2010 and '11 class. The Panthers previously received verbal commitments from Isiah Epps and Cameron Wright.

Epps is considered to be one of the top senior point guards in the country.