The Garden City Telegram

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Johnson could make leap from Garden City to KU

Published 12/31/2011 in Sports

By ADAM HOLT and BRETT MARSHALL

sports@gctelegram.com

Geron Johnson is a long way from home. And that might not be a bad thing.

Johnson, the 6-3 point guard for the Garden City Community College's men's basketball team, took a long, bumpy road to the state of Kansas. But if all goes well, that road might continue from Garden City to Lawrence.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Johnson transferred to GCCC after his freshman season at Chipola (Fla.) Community College. Legal problems led to him being dismissed from the team at Chipola and the former prep standout ended up in Garden City — and on Kansas coach Bill Self's radar.

The sophomore is being recruited by KU and other NCAA Division I schools, according to Broncbuster coach Kris Baumann. He's averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season for the Broncbusters (12-2).

Johnson made an official visit to the University of Kansas on Dec. 10 and watched the Jayhawks beat the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes of Ohio State.

"I just talked to him earlier, and he really enjoyed it, enjoyed the game," Baumann said of Johnson just after the visit. "He had a good visit with coach (Self), and he met coach Weis (Charlie, new KU head football coach)."

According to Baumann, KU assistant coach Danny Manning said that Self hopes to make it to one of Garden City's home games to watch Johnson play.

Johnson himself enjoyed the visit, attending the Jayhawks' pregame shootaround and speaking with KU point guard Tyshawn Taylor one-on-one. And there was that 78-67 Jayhawks win.

"It was a great experience," Johnson said of the visit. "My teammate Bryce Schippers, he told me how it would be. And I won't lie, everything he said was true — it was better than what he said."

Johnson also met with an academic advisor, and Baumann said one important factor for Johnson will be to ensure that his grades are maintained so he can make the transition to a Division I school.

"He's done a good job since he's been here," Baumann said of Johnson. "We've had no problems. The big thing is he needs to take his academics more seriously, make them a higher priority. It's never been a big priority, but it needs to be."

Johnson found his way to Garden City in part because of Baumann's connection at the Florida school where he once coached.

"I knew a few of the people there, did my homework on him and the coaches I talked to all said he was a good kid, who just happened to make a mistake."

According to Baumann, Johnson's problems came from being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people.

Johnson had been arrested on Oct. 7, 2010, in Jackson County, Fla., where Chipola C.C. is located in Marianna. He was charged with possession of marijuana under 20 grams, a misdemeanor under Florida law. Johnson was placed in the Florida State Attorney's program, called Pre Trial Intervention (PTI), a program similar to probation. In this program, if an individual meets the terms of the program, there is no plea and charges will be dropped.

According to Jackson County court records, Johnson was arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his PTI, including being behind on paying supervision fees and fines, failing to show proof of attending substance abuse counseling and failing to check in at the Jackson County Probation Office monthly.

Tim Ham, Johnson's PTI officer, said that Johnson on multiple occasions didn't fulfill the court's directives. He was sentenced to 30 days in county jail, with an April 1 start date. He was able to leave during the week for a few hours to attend classes at Chipola. On April 5, according to court documents, Johnson was given a drug test at the jail and tested positive for marijuana. He then was not allowed to leave to attend classes. Another warrant was filed and he was arrested on charges of violating his PTI.

On April 8, Johnson was sentenced to six months in the Jackson County Correctional Facility. According to officials at the Jackson County Jail, Johnson became a trustee on June 3 and began public works in different areas. As a result, for every day he worked, he was credited with two days toward his six-month sentence. His end of sentence date was June 27, which according to Jackson County Jail officials, meant that Johnson had completed all of his obligations issued by the sentencing judge.

"He's a good kid, but I think he felt like he was owed something," Ham said in a telephone interview with The Telegram. "We told him that he would be treated like any other. I sincerely hope he's getting his life straightened out and I'll be very happy if he's doing good."

Ham also said that Johnson would have received credits for attending anger management and substance abuse seminars.

"When he went to the jail in April, my time with him was over," Ham said. "I think he realized that he would be held accountable for his actions. I certainly hope that he's got things straightened out, because he seemed like a nice kid. But sometimes even good kids make bad decisions. In this case, that's what he did. I wish him well."

GCCC's Baumann said that his familiarity with the Chipola program and his contacts there gave him a comfort level that in the right environment, he felt Johnson could thrive and take advantage of a second chance. He reviewed all the information with GCCC Athletic Director Bob Larson and the decision was made to bring Johnson to Garden City. He arrived in mid-summer and since then Johnson has not had any problems of any type.

"He made a poor decision, ended up in a diversion program and didn't take care of the things he needed to," Baumann said. "There were consequences for his actions, and as a result he was dismissed from school. We checked into everything and felt like in the right situation, we could make things work here with him if he took care of the things he needed to. He's done all we've asked of him."

For Johnson, playing for the Broncbusters might be just the break he needed to get back on track. Even the physical distance from his past is a positive.

"Yes, it is. I am far away from Florida and I'm far away from home, so now I've got a chance to get a fresh start and start off to be whoever I want to be," Johnson said.

Baumann, who said Johnson was being recruited as a combo guard, would give the Jayhawks some added maturity to its guard rotation for next season after they will graduate Taylor at the end of this season.

"It may be that they (KU) need an older, mature player at the guard spot to fit into their rotation," Baumann said. "Whether it's a No. 1 or 2 guard, I don't know."

The Busters' head coach said Johnson also was being recruited by Memphis, Marshall and a number of other schools. For Johnson, the chance to play Division I basketball would be a dream.

"If the opportunity was given to me, it would be a blessing," he said. "It would be overwhelming, for sure."

Getting the chance to play somewhere like Kansas would be a huge step, but Johnson still needs some work. Baumann said the biggest things Johnson needs to improve with his on-court performance would be his assist-to-turnover ratio, which is about 1-to-1 at the moment.

"He's an impulsive player and sometimes doesn't think things through," Baumann said. "Instead of being cautious, he tries to make things happen. He needs to learn to make more sound decisions with the basketball in his hands. But this is his first true point guard experience, and I think by the end of the season, if he and I are on the same page, he's going to be a load to handle."

Whether or not Johnson gets offered at KU or another school remains to be seen. If he does get the chance to make the move, it could lead to a happy ending for what might have been a sad story. Most basketball players' paths to Division I competition don't involve legal trouble and a stop in Garden City. But Johnson wouldn't have it any other way, saying it's made him stronger.

"I know it does. It changes you as a person," he said. "Everything I went through on my road to get here, I don't have any regrets. I did what I did and it made me who I am now. I'm good with it, so I'll keep on going here on out [toward] the future."

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