Johnson contributing at a high level earlier than expected

CHAMPAIGN The long-term relationship that developed between the Illinois coaching staff and Morez Johnson Jr.

has become a rarity in college basketball.

Recruitments are done in a hurry.

The growth of the transfer portal and its role in roster building has made the type of progressive connection Johnson established with Brad Underwood and Co.

a thing of the past.

Johnson committed to Illinois when he was just a sophomore at St.

Rita.

A full two years passed before he even had the opportunity to sign his national letter of intent.

Then it was another six months before he made what had become a familiar trip from Chicago to Champaign for good.

Johnson was a constant presence at State Farm Center during his final three years of high school.

But always as a spectator, usually spotted up in the front row of Section 117 to witness his share of Illinois wins.

Now, Johnson is playing a pivotal role in more of the same for the Illini (12-3, 4-1 Big Ten).

The 6-foot-9 freshman forward heads into an 11 a.m.

Big Ten game on Saturday against Southern Cal (9-6, 1-3) fresh off his first Big Ten double-double and second overall of his still young career with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Illinois blowout victory against Penn State.

Johnson called posting a double-double in the Illinis 39-point win against the Nittany Lions a surreal moment.

Being on Lou Henson court, putting together a performance like that in an Illinois win, was something he envisioned throughout his time at St.

Rita and then Thornton.

My role here is a little different from high school, Johnson said.

Ive just kept my head down.

I know its a process things will go good, things will go bad.

Im just making sure Im ready when the time comes.

That Johnsons time is clearly now is maybe the only part of his progression thats surprised Underwood.

There were some expectations for the 2024 News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year (and Illinois Mr.

Basketball) given what Underwood and the Illinois staff knew about his skill, athleticism and work ethic.

But the totality of it all coalescing as it has through the first 15 games of his freshman season was still quicker than expected.

I dont know if I envisioned him doing it this early in his career, Underwood said.

Hes pretty doggone good, and hes not talked about very much by what hes doing.

He just went out and had a double-double with 20 and 11 in a Big Ten game.

Maybe one or two of our other freshmen have a little to do with the fact he doesnt probably get talked about enough.

What Johnson has accomplished in the first half of his freshman season is notable.

Hes averaging 6.1 points and 6.5 rebounds despite playing just 14.3 minutes per game in a timeshare situation with 7-foot-1 sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic.

And it means a little more to Underwood given how long hes known Johnson and how much hes seen him progress from high school sophomore to trusted contributor on a top-15 team in the country.

It was fun to watch him grow, Underwood said.

It was fun to go watch him play in high school games.

Youre there with the struggles in a game he fouls out and hardly plays.

Youre there when he has the big win.

Youre there when he has the big games.

Yet, all along you see and know how hard hes working to prepare himself for these moments at this level.

There was so much invested by him and there was so much invested by us in terms of just that growth.

We dont get to do that anymore.

Its very rare anyway.

I say this all the time, the best part about Morez is he hasnt touched his ceiling and hes a way better human being than he is player.

That speaks volumes, and I dont say that very often.

Especially with freshmen.

Johnson said he was grateful to have moved from his front-row seat at State Farm Center into the Illinois rotation.

That being a part of a winning program contributing to that winning was what he wanted.

I didnt know how much I was going to play before the season, Johnson said.

Turns out, Im playing a lot good minutes as a freshman.

When I got here, (assistant coaches Geoff Alexander, Orlando Antigua and Tim Anderson), during the summer, all helped me get better, become a better big and teach me things about the game..

This article has been shared from the original article on newsgazette, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.news-gazette.com/newsletter/content/sports/illini_basketball/johnson-contributing-at-a-high-level-earlier-than-expected/article_c6b7e920-cfa2-11ef-85fa-bf38780396d9.html