Jan. 2, 2008

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Of all the things James Johnson has learned from his father, including the discipline of martial arts, one lesson stands out.

"If you try something, keep your mind to it and try your best."

Johnson currently applies that principle to playing basketball at Wake Forest. The 6-foot-8 freshman from Cheyenne, Wyo., has made a significant impact on the Deacons' 9-3 start. Heading into Wednesday's game against Presbyterian, Johnson was leading the team in scoring (13.2) and rebounding (9.1).

It's not that he dominates games, although he can bring fans to their feet with a spectacular play. He's just so smooth and fluid that, at the end of a game, it's sometimes surprising to look at his stat line.

"We want him to continue to be a double-double guy," said head coach Dino Gaudio. "As we get into ACC play, we want to see his production continue and I think he will be able to maintain it.

"He's very talented. He can shoot, put the ball on the floor and he's a very good rebounder, especially on the offensive board. He has a knack for those because he watches the ball to see which side it will come off and he gives multiple efforts."

Gaudio is also struck by Johnson's poise, confidence and body control, all of which the coach believes probably came from the player's martial arts background. Johnson himself really isn't sure how that background translates onto the basketball court.

But Willie Johnson, James' father, sees a direct connection.

"I think it helps a ton," Willie Johnson said. "Most guys 6-8 or 6-9 don't have the ability to move so gracefully and effortlessly. You can see it in his timing, the way he can pivot and turn, how he can stretch and stay limber."

That comes from someone who should know. Willie Johnson, 51, is a former world champion kickboxer who competed until neck and back injuries from an auto accident curtailed his career a year ago. He's an expert in several martial arts who teaches the disciplines back in Cheyenne. (For the avid martial arts fans out there, he is not Willie "The Bam" Johnson, another champion and expert who teaches in Maryland.)

His nine children include seven boys. While Willie never pushed them into the martial arts, he was happy to teach them - with one condition.

"I told them `I can be your friend and your father, but in this school I'm your teacher,'" Willie said. "You say `yes, sir' and `no, sir' and everything is by the rules."

James Johnson, who at age 20 is in the middle of the children chronologically, was eager to learn. He earned his black belt in karate and was a natural in kickboxing, where he won world championships at ages 17 and 18.

"I never lost a match in the cage or the ring," Johnson said.

He played several sports growing up but never tried organized basketball until the 8th grade. At Cheyenne East High School, he made the varsity as a freshman. He was a 6-2 guard when he started and played that position most of his career, even while he grew. That, and his body control, might explain his ball-handling and passing ability.

Late in a game against South Florida, Johnson made a pass that brought down the house. After clearing a rebound and taking the ball to midcourt, he spotted teammate Jeff Teague streaking toward the basket. As a defender moved over, Johnson jumped, turned his back and fired a pass that hit Teague in stride for an easy layup.

It was all instinct, Johnson said.

"I went up to give (Teague) a jump pass," Johnson said. "The (defender) was getting ready to block it, so I just did a turnaround back pass. I do those all the time when I'm just playing around in the gym with some of the fellows. It looked a lot cooler than what it was. Coach didn't say anything about it."

While Gaudio said "I wish he wouldn't do that," he also recognized the kind of ability it took.

"He has tremendous hand-eye coordination, footwork and balance," Gaudio said. "Most young big kids don't have that."

As good as he has been so far, Johnson realizes he's far from a finished product. Although he has 3-point range, he's shooting just 20 percent from there. He is second on the team in 3-point attempts (45), but only fifth in 3-pointers made (nine). Inside the arc, he's hitting 56.8 percent.

Gaudio would like Johnson to blow past defenders more often instead of just settling for jump shots. Defensively, Johnson needs improvement in all areas, particularly guarding on the perimeter.

"In high school I was always stronger or faster or taller and I just used my athleticism," Johnson said. "As soon as I got here, I found everyone is strong, talented, athletic and quick. Now I have to use a team concept instead of a `me' concept."

As important as he has been, Wake can win without Johnson. Against Virginia Tech, the Deacons mounted a furious comeback to pull out a win despite the fact that Johnson fouled out. But that's not the kind of circumstance Gaudio wants to see on a regular basis.

With Harvey Hale and Cameron Stanley as the only upperclassmen, the Deacons are relying on young players. Johnson and Teague, a fellow freshman, and sophomores L.D. Williams, Ish Smith, Jamie Skeen and Chas McFarland are striving to help Wake return to the top of the ACC standings after going 8-24 in league play the past two seasons.

Johnson's role varies. Primarily a wing player, he can also slide to power forward and center. When a combination of an injury, an ejection and foul trouble decimated Wake's corps of post players in a game against Air Force, Johnson logged significant minutes there and finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.

"Whatever I can do to help Wake Forest out, that's what I'm going to do," he said.

Two of the first things anyone notices about Johnson are his big smile and outgoing personality, which he says run in his family.

"Someone can be having a horrible day and he can go up to them and change that," Willie Johnson said. "All of us are like that."

That trait doesn't hinder the competitive desire that burns within James Johnson. But he doesn't flip a switch and become another person during a kickboxing match or a basketball game either.

"It's really a winning personality and it's in everybody," he said. "No one likes to lose and you're going to do everything you can to win, so that's what you do. You fight."

Among the other things Willie Johnson has taught his children are always to look toward the future instead of the past and make sure they put in the work to be the best. James Johnson has taken all those messages to heart.

"If I'm going to try something, I try my best," he said. "If I post up, I'm going to post up my strongest. We always learned 'Don't be afraid of anything, and if you're going to attack something, attack it first and hard.' That's what he always taught us, so I try to use that.

"He never let us live in his shadow. He would never allow that; he's too disciplined for that. What he accomplished, he set as his goals. We have to set our own goals and I'm living one of my goals right now."

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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