Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Wesley Johnson took 39% of his team’s shots
In some future time, that will be the headline from a game like Syracuse’s exhibition loss to Le Moyne on Tuesday. The actual outcome of the contest, while surprising, isn’t terribly significant. Michigan State memorably lost to Grand Valley State in an exhibition two years ago and ended up as a five-seed. Heck, last season Utah lost to Southwest Baptist in a game that counted and also was given a five-seed come March. There’s not much to be learned from early November games against D-II competition.
But it’s worth noting that Johnson’s performance, or more specifically his role in the Orange’s offense, was in every sense of the word, huge. That 39 percent figure doesn’t include four turnovers and seven free throws also credited to him. It’s still early to draw conclusions from this, but it’s conceivable that this season’s battle for highest usage among players on power conference teams will be between Johnson and his former Iowa State teammate Craig Brackins.
Johnson’s reason for leaving ISU was the imminent style change that was expected with the hiring of Greg McDermott after Johnson’s sophomore season. Regardless, it appears that it was a move for the best. Given the incredible appetite for shots that both Johnson and Brackins have demonstrated since their split, it’s difficult to imagine how the two would have continued to happily coexist.