Degree in hand, Michael Johnson emerges in his fifth year

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis-Gazette-Times

Michael Johnson never gave up on his goal and endured the setbacks over the years, but it was worth the wait.

The senior walk-on on the Oregon State men’s basketball team didn’t need this season, especially with no promise of extended playing time. After four years in the program he graduated with an ethnic studies degree and was ready for the real world.

But he worried about leaving behind his last season of eligibility while harboring the belief he could make a difference. Those concerns brought him back for a fifth season, after he took out one more student loan.

“I didn’t want to take out another loan and incur more debt,” Johnson said. “When I talked with my parents, they just told me the money shouldn’t be a problem. I can work that money off. It’s not a big deal. My big thing was I didn’t want to have any regrets.”

Johnson’s final attempt at playing has turned into a boon in terms of minutes. He’s played 120 minutes, averaging 10.9 a game. He’s usually the first inside player off the bench, so those are not courtesy minutes.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound forward from Portland has scored 16 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in 11 games. His numbers have surpassed his totals from the first three seasons, with 84 minutes, nine points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s everything I expected it to be,” Johnson said. “Coach (Jay) John gave me a chance to pick up where I left off, and that’s all I can ask for. Every day I wake up it’s exciting. I have a chance to play basketball again. I didn’t play for a few years. And now that I am, I’m realizing it’s fun again.”

Johnson has been an important part of the team all along, but as a member of the scout team. Players ahead of him needed someone to go hard every practice to prepare them. It wasn’t glamorous, but Johnson took to that task.

This year the Beavers have gone with a younger roster, and once the starters need a rest he’s a steady option off the bench. Freshmen such as Calvin Hampton and Roeland Schaftenaar have a greater upside, but Johnson plays the game faster because of experience and confidence in the system.

“As time goes on, people get better,” assistant coach Jeff Reinert said. “Mike has a familiarity of what we are doing, so he’s ahead of everyone else. So he’s a great leader for us. I didn’t think he was going to contribute this much for us, but he sure has.”

Johnson played at City Christian High as a shooting guard. He was third-team all-state in his small school’s division, averaging 20.3 points and 13 rebounds.

His bulk led to a position change to forward, which put him behind, learning and physically. It took three seasons before he was ready to contribute on a regular basis.

“Mike has come so far from where he was five years ago,” Reinert said. “He’s developed, and found a niche where he can help this team. He’s a terrific defender and he’s strong. He’s a little bit quicker than most inside guys. His disadvantage is his height. He constantly has to battle that, but he’s beaten people with hustle and unselfishness. And those things, we need on this team a lot.”

Johnson began to play more late last season, making his first career start in the Pacific-10 Conference tournament.

He could have contributed more but a broken foot after the third game of the season kept him out of 19 games.

“I’ve never been a quitter,” Johnson said. “The reason I came here instead of going to a small school was I came from a small high school. I was successful there, but I told myself that it didn’t matter because it wasn’t against the best people. I still wanted to see what I can do against the top level. The Pac-10 on the West Coast is as big as you can get. This is what I worked for, to prove I can play at this level.”

As Johnson relishes his opportunity, he knows his playing career ends after this season. However, he’s not done with the game.

His plan is to become a coach. He’ll start at the high school level and work his way up.

“I just want to help my teammates how I can,” Johnson said. “Right now it’s a backup role and I think that’s the way it’s going to be the rest of the year. I still push the starters all the time in practice. I’m happy with my role right now. And we’ll see what happens after the season.”

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MICHAEL JOHNSON

• WHO: Backup forward on the Oregon State men’s basketball team.

• SIZE: 6-foot-5, 235 pounds

• HOMETOWN: Portland

• EDUCATION: Graduated from Portland’s City Christian High; already has an ethnic studies degree.

• FAMILY: Son of Steven and Janice Johnson. He has two brothers, Marques and Christin, and a sister, Allison. His father was a three-time All-American for the Beavers (1977, 79-81).

• STATS: Averages 1.5 points and 1.9 rebounds a game in 11 games this season.

• ECT: Born in Kansas City. ... The walk-on is one of two seniors on the team. ... Is considered one of the leaders.