Holiday Memories: HoopsHD interviews former San Diego star Brandon Johnson

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Brandon Johnson has had quite a rollercoaster of a decade.  In 2006 he was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team after leading USD in AST, and in the 2008 NCAA tourney he scored 18 PTS in a 1-PT OT upset of #4-seed UConn.  That fall he only played 8 games before an Achilles tendon tear ended his season, but after being granted a 5th year of eligibility he scored a career-high 31 PTS against Mississippi State on New Year’s Eve 2009 before graduating as the Toreros’ all-time leader in PTS/AST.  During the 2010-11 season when he was no longer at the school he tried and failed to solicit a USD player to influence the outcome of a game, and after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge in 2012 he was sentenced to 6 six months in prison.  Through the assistance of Brandon’s attorney Oliver Cleary, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to correspond with Brandon at the Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex Low in Yazoo City, MS, about his great New Year’s Eve game and the crime he was charged with committing.

Why did you decide to go to San Diego for college? I thought the city and the college were so beautiful and USD seemed the most interested out of all the schools that were recruiting me. After practicing with some of their players I felt that I could be a good fit to the puzzle, and there were plenty of minutes to be played as a freshman.

What are your memories of the 2006 WCC tourney semifinals (you scored 19 PTS in a 4-PT OT loss to Gonzaga)? It was amazing for a few reasons. That game helped establish me around the country as an official college basketball player. I felt like I made the right decision in life by picking basketball over football as my chosen sport. I remember Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison cursing me out, which I thought was so cool because it acknowledged that I was playing well enough for the best player in the country to pay me some attention/respect. Even though we lost I looked at the faces of our seniors and saw that they had finished their careers by making a statement in their final game. I had the best senior leaders ever so it was great to be a part of that. I recall the Zags having the longest home winning streak in school history at the time and I felt that the refs did not want to be the ones who gave them a loss. The calls were so 1-sided that night: 1 of our best players fouled out and Gonzaga shot an amazing amount of FTs. However, as a whole it was everything I could imagine from a college basketball game. It was so amped because of the battle between offensive player of the year Morrison and defensive player of the year Corey Belser: great game, great atmosphere, great day!

You became a father while in college: what impact did that have on you either on or off the court? Fatherhood was a challenge. The mother of my child was such a blessing to me and very understanding during my journey. She was not in favor of me being away at USD but she knew it was my dream. There was pressure at times but God played a huge part in that situation and I relied heavily on his strength. I developed as a better father as time went on, but if I could have those college years back I would most definitely be there more for my son than I was. Having a son gave me a great deal of motivation to continue to go harder in the gym, in the game, and in life. I knew this was an opportunity to get my family into a more stable situation, so when I thought about taking a day off or taking a break I knew that I had to keep going strong for my son’s future. Just like my new life now it is bigger than me.

Take me through the 2008 NCAA tourney: The tourney was a huge success: the students, the community, the alumni, and the whole city shared a moment that will be with us forever. What made the trip most special was flying back from Florida and arriving in San Diego after midnight to a huge crowd waiting there for us. They all gave us so much love and support while letting us know that they appreciated all of us and the way we represented our school. That whole season was exciting: I had some of the best guys playing along with me, which made the success even sweeter. It is great when the guys you go to war with are all on the same page: it makes the journey a little bit easier. The tourney was extraordinary and will always be a part of my greatest memories. I would sit at home during high school watching the tourney and wish that I could play in March Madness someday. When I got to USD I figured we would be okay but making the tourney seemed surreal, like a dream. That is what makes college basketball amazing: it gives the unthinkable an opportunity to become reality.

You had 18 PTS/3 STL before fouling out and De’Jon Jackson made a 15-foot jumper with 1.2 seconds left in a 1-PT OT win over UConn: did you think that Jackson’s shot was going in, and what was the reaction like in your locker room afterward? To get a historic program like UConn on a neutral floor set the stage for a great battle. It was perfect, like David vs. Goliath. Nobody thought that we would win except us. I remember sitting in the TV room on campus with my teammates and to hear our name get called on Selection Sunday was just unreal: all of our dreams and prayers were finally coming true. The school was supportive and excited because the team had never had that kind of success before. We had beaten a pair of ranked teams in St. Mary’s/Gonzaga so we were on the ultimate high and could feel the vibe throughout the city: that is when the mission was complete. USD was established completely now in basketball: to be a part of history was a special feeling. When De’Jon’s shot went in I was speechless: the truth is that I did not even know that we had won. If you watch the film you can see the expression on my face of “Oh my God: I cannot believe it!” De’Jon used to call himself “Bron Bron” (as in LeBron): I guess he lived up to his character because that shot was the best in school history and no doubt the biggest. The reaction started way before we got to the locker room: we went crazy on the court. It was a long journey from beating St. Mary’s after overcoming a 20-PT deficit, to finally beating a powerhouse team like Gonzaga, then winning against 1 of the most respected programs at the time. That group of Huskies were all NBA prospects: Hasheem Thabeet/AJ Price/Jerome Dyson/Jeff Adrien.

You scored 13 PTS in a 9-PT loss to Western Kentucky: did you consider the tourney to be a success (due to winning a game) or a failure (due to only winning 1 game)? The loss was heartbreaking but we learned a lot of things from that game and we finally got some respect in the college basketball world.

Early in the 2008 season you suffered an Achilles tendon tear: how bad was the injury, and were you worried that you would not be able to come back as good as you were before it happened? It was a significant moment in my life because I had never been injured before. I had to figure out how I was going to get myself going again mentally because the injury took a lot out of me. I recovered pretty well but what people do not know is that it was my 2nd surgery that affected me the most. I trained and did rehab for 6 or 7 months to get back to full strength, but later I got 3 bone spurs that sent me back to ground zero. It was a couple of months before the season and I had not been able to do any training so I knew my season would not go the way I wanted. My confidence was at its lowest point: my skill set was not polished and my conditioning level was my worst ever. I struggled to find my balance in my game but just could not do so. I had so much pressure to have a year like the previous season. I wanted that player to come back ASAP, which affected my play and my body. Both the injury and my emotional outlook needed more time to heal. I never regained my full strength mentally or physically until I reached pro basketball the following year.

On New Year’s Eve 2009 you scored a career-high 31 PTS against Mississippi State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I really did not know I scored that many points. My team did a great job of setting good screens and then finding me for open shots. Coach always did a good job of getting me into the offense: 1 of his strengths was getting the most out of each of his players by pulling out the best of their abilities.

You became the only player in WCC history to become his school’s all-time leader in both PTS and AST: how were you able to balance your scoring with your passing? I give thanks to God for the ability to achieve those records. Coach Sam Scholl was an amazing coach: when I 1st started playing he really believed in me. He cared about us both as players and as people. He actually sat down with me 1 day and told me that I was going to become the all-time leading scorer and passer in school history. When he said that I thought it sounded far-fetched so to achieve this honor was a true blessing. I played mostly PG during my 1st 2 years because our team’s scoring was coming from our seniors. In my junior year we had a new coach who saw that I needed to score more so he moved me to SG, which gave me the opportunity to pass for 2 years and score for 2 years. I did not know that I was the only 1 in WCC history to do that: I thought I was just the only 1 at my school. When I think of other WCC guys like Morrison/Steve Nash, it is an honor.

After college you played for the Dakota Wizards in the D-League: what was the biggest difference between college basketball and pro basketball? For me it was the players and adjusting my game: the speed/change of pace were not really a challenge for me. Most of my time in college I was the go-to guy, but when I got to the next level the athleticism of the other players caught up to me because they were bigger/stronger. I had to adjust certain parts of my game but the experience of facing elite players every day helped the most.

What do you hope to do in the future? My future plans are predicated on God’s will for my life. The experiences I have gone through have given me a lot of internal peace so in many ways I am a better person, which makes me a better player. My passion for basketball has grown more after going through so many things. My journey has been an interesting 1, which I now embrace fully. I can smile today because I see the bigger purpose it has had on my life.

In 2011 you were 1 of 10 people charged with running a sports betting business to affect the outcome of games, and you were later sentenced to 6 months in prison: why did you do it, and do you think this will affect your ability to get a job in basketball or in another field? I was charged under 18 U.S.C. § 371, which involves a conspiracy with 2 or more people to commit any offense against the laws of this land, and I was sentenced along with 9 other people. Some of us (like me) got 6 months, while the leader got 36 months. My role involved an introduction via a phone call, but I never shaved points in a game or even thought about shaving points. I accepted responsibility for my role and served my sentence. I will make the most of this and go forward with my life, hoping to teach others how to learn from their mistakes and make the best of any situation. I think God still has plans for me in the world of basketball. After I was indicted I actually got MORE deals to play overseas! I believe it will have some effect but not to the point of being unable to play basketball anymore.