Senior Anthony Johnson scored 16 points, including his 1,000th career point. (Peter Caty/The Mirror).
Last Thursday, Anthony Johnson made history.
According to the stat sheet, history came a tick under twelve minutes into the Stags’ recent win against Marist, when the senior forward recorded the 1,000th point of his Fairfield career, a feat reached by only 37 other men. The accomplishment solidified Johnson’s standing as one of the Stags’ most imposing scoring threats in head coach Ed Cooley’s brief tenure.
But if you ask Cooley when history was made, he doesn’t think of Johnson’s first half lay-in at the 7:56 mark.
“He dove on the floor today,” Cooley joked. “I’ll have to play the lottery. He’s allergic to the floor.”
Here’s hoping Cooley listened to his own advice. In the wake of the Lake Wales, Fla. native’s eighth consecutive double-double of the season, he again dove headfirst onto the floor to secure a loose ball in the Stags’ most recent game against Iona this Sunday, resulting in an Gael turnover.
As if a 25 point, eight-rebound effort wasn’t already enough.
Anyone that follows the Stags knows that this year’s early-season success – despite the team’s recent 68-58 setback to Iona – is an absolute collective effort. Freshman point guard Derek Needham has received a lot of credit for the team’s 14-6 start because of his absurd maturation beyond his years and 15.5 points per game, and rightfully so.
As has junior forward Yorel Hawkins, who has returned from an injury plagued second half of the 2009 campaign to become an ideal compliment on the wing to Needham. Anyone that has seen Hawkins – and that includes a myriad of NBA scouts – knows his immense potential.
Senior Mike Evanovich’s niche as the team’s surrogate sixth man. Sophomore Ryan Olander’s range, length, and continued maturation. Junior Lyndon Jordan, a natural point guard, and his work as a shooting guard. Everyone, in one way or another, has had a hand to play in the success.
But if one man personifies the difference between last winter and the team’s current situation atop the conference standings, it’s Johnson.
A year ago, Johnson was experiencing a series of acute, unexplainable pains in his chest during the season. Eventually, the pain progressed to the point that Johnson consulted with Cooley and Director of Sports Medicine Mark Ayotte. Within the blink of an eye, a trip to the health center led to the discovery of a potentially life-threatening blood clot.
Just like that, Johnson’s basketball career was in jeopardy.
“When I first got hurt, I really didn’t know what was wrong,” Johnson recalled at the outset of the season. “But once they told me what was wrong and I couldn’t play basketball, it was the worst thing in the world.”
Now, less than a year later, Johnson has done more than overcome a devastating situation; he’s cemented his legacy as one of the most inspiring stories in the program’s history.
“The kid really has come a long, long, long, long way — from not being raised by parents, to not knowing who the parents are,” Cooley said. “His story is unbelievable. For him to be on track to graduate — and he’s only a couple of courses away — it truly is a remarkable story.
“I’m just so proud of Fairfield for giving that young man a chance to change his life,” Cooley added.
But Johnson’s story is far from complete.
As evident in his team’s success, Johnson now finds himself the dangerous veteran of a team poised to challenge Siena for conference supremacy come March. If given the chance, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Johnson, a formidable paint presence and the team’s inspirational leader, isn’t just a factor in the team’s postseason hopes; he could be the factor.
Maybe, just maybe, there’s more history to be made.
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