Canada’s high school dunk of the year? Nova Scotia’s Johneil Johnson completes backboard alley-oop (VIDEO)

High school basketball season is barely underway across Canada, but there is already an early leader for dunk of the year at that level. Apparently, the choicest hops in Nova Scotia belong to Johneil Johnson, a 16-year-old combo guard who plays for the Auburn Drive Eagles in the Halifax area.

On a fast break, Auburn Drive's Levi Smith made an alley-oop pass off the backboard, a play that's more liable than not to backfire. Johnson skied over two defenders to catch it one-handed and slam it down, like a scale-model equivalent to the NBA's Blake Griffin.

To think within the past two decades yours truly was on a high school team that openly laughed at the idea of entering anyone in the dunk contest during tournaments, yet was sound enough on the fundamentals to make the Ontario AA championship. High school has changed a lot.

I feel a little bit like Father Pat in the final reel of the Will Ferrell basketball comedy Semi-Pro.

Also, to think Johneil Johnson is only in Grade 11 and has another full season left of high school hoops before progressing to the next level in either Canadian Interuniversity Sport or the NCAA. The Echo Lake, N.S., native, who's said to have a solid midrange game and an awareness of how to involve his teammates, represented his province at the Canada Summer Games earlier this year in Sherbrooke, Que.

Johnson also competed for Auburn Drive at the Nova Scotia high school track and field championships, finishing in the top 10 in high jump. You don't say.

(Fist bump: North Pole Hoops.)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.