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WHAT'S MY NAME?
WORDS. Arie Stark PHOTO. JC Ridley
Reggie Johnson
Size? Check. Soft touch? Check. Footwork honed by the practice of ballet? Check. Reggie Johnson isn't your typical college center and nor is he trying to be. As a relative latecomer to the game of basketball, the 6-10, 305-pound Miami Hurricane has overcome, and continues to overcome, all hurdles thrown in his way. But it's the intangible aspects of his game and character that will push the rising junior to his ultimate goal.
"The only thing in my head was, knock 'em down. I'm in my hometown, I gotta knock 'em down."
This is what Johnson told me a day after sinking the winning free throws with four seconds left against Wake Forest in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. "It was special," adds Johnson. "I had a lot people there for me. People from my church, friends, middle school teachers who all came out to watch me." And finishing with a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, leading the Hurricanes to their first-ever win at Wake For- est, he did not disappoint.
In fact, Johnson himself almost became a Demon Deacon if not for unforeseen circumstances. "When I was a sophomore I wanted to stay home and be a Deacon as much as anyone," says Johnson. "But we went our separate ways when coach died."
That coach was the late Skip Prosser who fell to a heart attack the sum- mer before Johnson's senior year of high school. While Wake Forest halted their recruitment of Johnson after Prosser passed, he managed to find a home with the Hurricanes. That is, not before leaving a lasting impression at Winston-Salem Prep.
Leading the Phoenix to the North Carolina 1-A state championship, Johnson finished his senior year with beastly averages of 24.1 points, 16.1 rebounds and 7.1 blocks per game. You'd think the Carolina-na- tive came out of the womb clutch- ing a basketball. Not so.
"I got into the game late and I only started playing in my sophomore year of high school," he says. "I never went to camps or anything like that beforehand. The game just came to me I guess."
Despite his strong showing in high school, transitioning to the college game wasn't easy for the big man. Though there were other aspects of his game that needed polishing, there was one glaring problem that took precedence over everything else – his weight. Coming out of high school a heaping 350 pounds, "Big Reg" – as his teammates called him – needed to shrink in order to improve his
mobility and stamina. Mission eventually accomplished. Within his first year at Coral Gables, Reggie managed to shed almost 50 pounds with help from coaches, teammates and trainers alike.
"It was tough! Coach made me stay after practice, use the elliptical and treadmill a lot," says Johnson. "I couldn't eat after 8 p.m. I've limited my sugars. I have no fruit punch and I limit my Gatorade. I'm still learning what not to eat sometimes. I love chicken nug- gets and Hot Pockets, so I still gotta work at it. Some of the guys on the team help me out too, but they can eat all that junk food and not gain weight."
After redshirting his first year at Mi- ami, Johnson began to get minutes backing senior star Dwayne Collins the following season. With a highly efficient game, a soft touch at the line and a special proficiency on the offensive glass, it was only a matter of time before Reggie busted out.
Johnson exhibited this strong play as a sophomore, where his minutes – and almost every other major statistical category – would see a huge boost from the previous year now as starting center. On the season, he averaged 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 59.1 percent from the floor, helping the 'Canes reach the quarterfinals of the 2011 ACC Tournament and NIT, while receiv- ing an All-ACC Honorable Mention in the process. Johnson also tallied a career-high 20 rebounds against FAU in the first round of the NIT – the first 20-rebound game for a Miami player in 26 years.
Just as everything seemed to be falling into place for the big man
– even going so far as flirting with the idea of entering the 2011 NBA Draft – Johnson suffered a major setback in the form of a torn meniscus during a pickup game this offseason and will miss five to six months.
Despite the hardships he has encountered in his young career, it is becoming more and more apparent that "Big Reg" will get through it all and won't let anything derail his "plus-sized" dreams.
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