Frequent flier Dior Johnson, a former Saugerties High boys’ basketball star, has decided on his next stop – his 14th high school or college since 2018.

And it’s a familiar one.

Johnson, who averaged 24 points per game at Division I Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, this season, has transferred to Central Florida. He came off the bench for Central Florida during the 2024-25 season. Johnson, a senior guard, had a breakout year at Tarleton State.

He was named Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Sixth Man of the Year and was an All-WAC second-team selection. Johnson scored in double figures in 17 of his 20 appearances, including 14 games with at least 20 points, five with 30 or more, and two 40-plus point performances.

One of four Division I players with multiple 40-point games, Johnson averaged 24.7 points in conference play, scored in double figures in 10 of 11 WAC games, and posted four consecutive 30-point outings to start conference action from Jan. 1-15, before struggling with injury for the remainder of the season.

Although Johnson missed 12 games due to injury, he still earned WAC Newcomer of the Week five times and WAC Player of the Week three times, winning both awards in the same week on three separate occasions. His 24-point scoring average would have ranked second in Division I, though he fell four games short of the minimum requirement.

However, Johnson ended the season on a high note, returning from an eight-game absence to close with four straight 20-point performances.  He began playing varsity basketball as a seventh grader at Saugerties High School. As an eighth grader, he broke the New York boys’ basketball state record as the youngest player to reach 1,000 career points.

During his freshman year, Johnson attended both IMG Academy and Saugerties High School. He played his sophomore season at Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, where he averaged 23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game and was named a MaxPreps Second Team Sophomore All-American.

Johnson, 21, spent his junior season at Oak Hill Academy. As a senior, he played at Prolific Prep and Santa Clarita Valley International. He was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. He initially committed to Syracuse in February 2020 but decommitted nine months later. He then committed to Oregon, before decommitting a year later, and ultimately committed to Pittsburgh.

Johnson redshirted the 2022–23 season. After his August 2023 arrest and probation sentence, the University of Pittsburgh announced he was no longer enrolled. He then enrolled at Clarendon College in Texas, where he averaged 29.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. The top-rated JUCO transfer, Johnson, committed to UCF in July of 2024, before transferring to Tarleton State a year later