Syracuse's Johnson thriving at last

There in the darkness, the 6-foot-7 transfer from Iowa State imagined he was on the floor with his teammates, though it would be seven more months before Johnson could finally suit up for the Orange. In retrospect, for Johnson and Syracuse, it was worth the wait.

He has emerged this season as the go-to scoring option for the No. 4 team in the nation as he's averaged 16 points and 8.7 rebounds. A versatile forward who can shoot, block shots, and play above the rim, Johnson will put his talents on display against No. 7 Villanova.

For the 22-year-old junior, the road to tonight's nationally televised Big East game in the Carrier Dome - expected to be played in front of a college basketball-record crowd of more than 35,000 - has been particularly circuitous.

A Texas high school basketball late-bloomer, Johnson nearly attended Louisiana-Monroe, had a two-month stay at a North Carolina prep school, an equally short stop at another prep school in Detroit, and made a two-year detour to Ames, Iowa, before landing in central New York.

Now, after a handful of months playing for the Orange, Johnson is a Big East player of the year candidate.

"He can score anywhere on the court," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said.

His teammates and coaches say they saw the talent throughout practice last season as Johnson, smooth and slender with unusual quickness, would dunk easily and knock down three-pointers.

He seemed the ideal fit for the baseline in Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone. Yet as a transfer, he was forced to sit out the year, in line with NCAA rules.

"Practice was my game," Johnson said of his first year at Syracuse. "Not being able to play, it was killing me. Every time I came out to practice, I thought like I was warming up for a game."

He also tried to make the best of the year away from big-time competition by soaking up every aspect of Syracuse's game plan as he envisioned his role within the team's scheme. He worked out with guard Jonny Flynn daily and in one-on-one games after practice.

"He's a smooth player," Boeheim said. "I think he uses a lot of effort, but he's smooth, and he gets into good positions."

At Iowa State during the 2006-07 season, Johnson led Big Twelve freshmen in rebounding with nearly eight a game. But after his sophomore season with the Cyclones, during which his playing time fell off a bit as he coped with a stress fracture in his foot, his relationship with head coach Greg McDermott deteriorated, and Johnson elected to transfer.

Raised in Corsicana, Texas, Johnson was scarcely recruited as a lanky high school senior. He signed with Louisiana-Monroe because of a relationship with the coach but soon reneged.

He attended a prep school in North Carolina but left after two months, then moved to Detroit with his brother and enrolled at Eldon Academy, which closed its doors two months after Johnson arrived.

Johnson seemed to be out of options. Living in Detroit, he was left to take college entrance exam courses and play pickup basketball. He even applied for a job at a Foot Locker near his home. Only hours after he was hired, he received a call from Jean Prioleau, then a new assistant coach at Iowa State, asking him to come to Ames.

Johnson has said he became disillusioned with the recruiting process.

"It's a dirty process, a dirty business," Johnson said. "Some kids really get caught up in the system and take whatever people are saying and believe in that when they shouldn't."

Johnson arrived at Syracuse skeptical and unsure, but said he was received warmly. And his work in practice spoke volumes.

"He was doing NBA stuff last year," former Syracuse forward John Wallace said. "His athleticism is comparable to Shawn Marion."

In his second game with the Orange this season, Johnson scored 15 points with three blocks and four steals against Robert Morris. Since then, he's been held under double figures in scoring just three times.

"He poses many matchup problems with his length, with his offensive skills, but he's an all-around player," Providence coach Keno Davis said.

And when NCAA tournament time comes around this March, Johnson won't be left playing in the dark.

"I came here not knowing what to expect," Johnson said. "And everybody just welcomed me with open arms. So I really blossomed when I got here."