A New York native, Johnson found his stride this past season at Tarleton State, earning Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Sixth Man of the Year honors and a spot on the All-WAC Second Team, after averaging 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per outing. He appeared in 20 games for the Texan Riders, earning two starts, both coming at the end of the season.
Impressively, Johnson scored in double figures in 17 of his 20 appearances, including 14 games with at least 20 points, five with 30 or more, and two 40-plus point performances. A career-high 42-point outing against Baylor on Nov. 14 highlighted his season, followed by an impressive 33 points against Angelo State just three days later, which included a WAC season-high of 18 made free throws.
One of four Division I players with multiple 40-point games, Johnson averaged 24.7 points in conference play, scored in double figures in 10 of 11 WAC games, and posted four consecutive 30-point outings to start conference action from Jan. 1-15, before struggling with injury for the remainder of the season.
Although Johnson missed 12 games due to injury, he still earned WAC Newcomer of the Week five times and WAC Player of the Week three times, winning both awards in the same week on three separate occasions. His 24-point scoring average would have ranked second in Division I, though he fell four games short of the minimum requirement. But, Johnson ended the season on a high note, returning from an eight-game absence to close with four straight 20-point performances.
