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| Kyle Johnson |
The former J. Clarke Richardson Storm shooting guard burst onto the scene in high school with his wide array of offensive moves and production to catch the attention of scouts. Looking for more exposure, Johnson transferred to West Hill in Toronto to hone his skills and further develop his game.
After his productive tenure in West Hill and consistent summer play for the AAU Toronto Mission, which is a select team for the nation's top players, Division-I schools in America began making offers to the Toronto native. The sudden attention didn't faze Johnson, who was looking to pick the right Division-I school.
"I played against the best of the best, West Hill is known for basketball and a lot of great players went there like Rowan Barrett and Denham Brown," he said alluding to the former NBA duo. "We were playing in front of scouts right away so the exposure and attention was really good."
After careful consideration, Johnson took a Division-I offer from Long island University in New York.
"They were the one school that showed the most interest and I have so much family in New York," he said.
"I liked being in the city and my cousin ran track in Long Island, so I felt really comfortable with the school."
Johnson went to a school that had struggled throughout the years and posted a 9-21 record the year before he arrived. Along with three other freshmen, Johnson helped turn the program around. This year they won the NEC tournament championship and conference title after posting a 27-5 regular season record. Their stellar play earned them a berth in the NCAA March Madness tournament as the 15th seed. They were pitted against the No. 2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels, and ultimately lost 102-87 to the NCAA powerhouse.
Through it all, Johnson was thrilled with the once-in-a-lifetime experience to compete against a program with so much history and potential NBA prospects.
"A lot of people dream of going to North Carolina growing up," he said. "It was great to see how you match up against those guys because they are looked at as one of the top teams in the country."
Johnson was also surprised at the skill level of talented Tar Heel freshman Harrison Barnes, who figures to be a top NBA prospect next year.
"Harrison Barnes is big and very skilled," said Johnson. "I was very shocked that he was that skilled, playing him in person."
Although Johnson was disappointed with the loss to the Tar Heels he was proud of his accomplishments and how far he has come.
"I wasn't always on the radar like some of the other Canadian prospects," he said. "I'm one of those guys that put in the work, and people can look back and see I accomplished a lot being a four-year starter for my school, having a chance to win a conference title, and going to the NCAA tournament and actually getting a chance to play a lot."
Johnson, who is graduating this year, leaves the school with many impressive accolades including scoring more than 1,000 career points, which places him in the top 10 for the school's all-time scoring list.
The former Blackbird is currently training and looking to hire an agent to get a job as a professional basketball player overseas or wherever his talents lead him. He also has aspirations of playing with team Canada in the future.
With his journey still incomplete, Johnson hopes to leave a legacy.
"I just want to be known as a player that's hard working, and a winner."
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