Player Profile - Arthur Johnson
1/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2001
By MU Media Relations
Missouri's game against Texas-Pan American on Dec. 2 might not have seemed to be an important contest when one looked at the schedule at the start of the season but it has become an important one as the year has gone on though.
It's importance keeps rising in value because it was the first collegiate start for Arthur Johnson. A 6-foot-9 freshman from Detroit, Johnson had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Tigers' 78-57 victory over the Broncs.
Since that contest, Johnson has snared 48 rebounds - an average of 9.6 rebounds per game - and has recorded three other double-doubles. He posted back-to-back double-doubles against Indiana and Illinois.
However, Johnson is not completely pleased with his play this season.
"It's about a six," said Johnson when rating his season. "That would be in terms of playing hard and I'm still learning parts. I go out there and do my best. I'd like to get to a nine or 10 as soon as possible.
"What will get me there quickly? Going out there, not making mistakes, getting every rebound, blocking every shot and playing great "D" all of the time."
While getting every rebound and blocking every shot will be impossible, Johnson's rise in play has him getting closer to that level of play.
An indication of his abilities came during a 33-6 run against Rhode Island in the Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 22. Johnson scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and all 12 of those points came during the Tigers' rally.
But that game would just be an indication of things to come for Johnson, who was named to the all-state dream team by the Detroit Free Press and was an honorable mention All-USA pick by USA Today.
He would snare nine offensive rebounds (10 total) and score a career-high 16 points in the win over DePaul.
Johnson enjoyed the games against DePaul and Saint Louis - two games which featured rowdy crowds at the Hearnes Center.
"Those games helped us because it taught us what we needed to do against better competition," he said. "As the competition gets better, you have to get better."
And so has Johnson.
"I've been getting better every game," he said. "I've been getting better every day in practice and that's been carrying over to the games."
But that improvement is just a small part of a bigger plan.
"I just want to help the team win as many ballgames as we can," said Johnson. "We want to send BG (Brian Grawer), TJ (Tajudeen Soyoye) and JP (Johnnie Parker) off with a bang. And that would be winning some games in the NCAA (tournament)."
But there are quite a few games between now and when NCAA berths are announced.
However, playing in a NCAA Tournament was one of the reasons why Johnson chose Missouri.
"It's a great place to play, has great coaching staff and great players around you. And you get a great education, too," said Johnson, breaking into a smile, commenting on how he's glad to put his first effort at finals behind him. "There was a lot pressure to stay home (in Michigan). You have your friends and family talking to you every day, wanting you to stay at home. But there really wasn't any pressure. They knew it was my decision and stood behind me when I made it."
It has become a decision which Missouri and its fans are grateful.
