By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

There is nothing in Alexander Johnson's background that would prevent the University of Cincinnati or any other school from signing the 6-foot-9 forward to a letter of intent, said Whit Lesure, Johnson's coach at Bridgton (Maine) Academy.

Kentucky withdrew from the competition for Johnson earlier this week after Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive issued an edict preventing all SEC schools from recruiting him.

"It's my feeling that there's nothing any NCAA school is going to have to worry about once they get the facts straight," Lesure said.

Johnson, an Albany, Ga., native, originally signed with Georgia out of high school, but when he failed to qualify academically as a freshman, he enrolled at Bridgton.

He's visiting UC this weekend.

Johnson has visited Indiana and Florida State and is scheduled to visit Connecticut next weekend. Lesure said Johnson's plan is to complete all of his visits before making his decision the first weekend in May.

The SEC's concerns apparently stem from Johnson's SAT college entrance exam, Lesure said. It is alleged another student was asked to take the exam for Johnson.

Johnson has proved to be a capable student at Bridgton, according to Lesure, and has achieved the test scores he needs to play next season.

"He's the best calling card I've got," Lesure said. "He's a success story."

Johnson averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots for Bridgton this past season.

"He's a dominant, physical, inside kid," Lesure said, "with the ability to step out to the 3-point line and make plays by scoring, putting it on the floor or passing.

"You could say he was a power forward, but he's such a physical kid he could play center."

Lesure said he has no inkling which school Johnson will choose. This is his second recruiting visit to UC, which also recruited him out of high school.

"(Bob) Huggins has the longest-standing relationship," Lesure said. "That's significant."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com