Nashville–Texas freshman Tre Johnson is doing things that almost nobody else in his age bracket do.
Johnson is the SEC’s freshman of the year and is averaging 20.1 points per game as a 19 year old. Almost nobody his age scores like this guy. Nobody his age stuns the entire gym when he doesn’t get the ball late in the game. Nobody his age is like Tre Johnson, not in this league.
“Tre Johnson is as good as any player in the country,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said.
Oftentimes guys like Byington will make an effort to respect their opponent or amplify their strengths for the sake of their team and its rèsumè, but this feels different. This wasn’t a massive declaration that came out of the Vanderbilt coach’s mouth. This was a casual slip in.
You could tell that was something the first-year SEC head coach believed.
At this point why wouldn’t he? Johnson is a top 15 scorer in the country. He’s a consensus lottery pick in every NBA mock draft. He’s a star in every sense of the word. It appears that every coach in the league believes that.
“I’ve watched him grow, he’s become more athletic,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said, “but he has a knack for getting baskets,”
“He’s a special talent,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “We knew that when we signed him, he was the number one player in his class for a better part of his career in high school, until Cooper Flagg reclassified. He’s one of the top players in the league.”
He doesn’t act like it, though. In the best way possible.
Johnson carries himself the way you’d want a college basketball player to. He acts like a player that embodies what the state of Texas should want the face of its basketball program to be like. He’s respectful. He’s humble. He knows that he’s making his hometown of Garland, Texas, proud, but he’d never brag about that out loud.
“God gifted,” Johnson told Southeastern 16 when asked why he feels he’s been able to contribute so much, so quickly, “And then just a lot of the work that I’ve done since I was little, for sure. I feel like those are the main two things; the work, the preparation I put in and having God on my side. Can’t go wrong with that.”
If Johnson’s season is any indicator, his formula works. The 6-foot-6 guard is the SEC’s leading scorer as it stands in early March. He’s above National Player of the Year contender Johni Broome. He’s above Alabama star Mark Sears. He’s above Josh Hubbard and Otega Oweh and…the list goes on and on.
It includes everyone.
An accolade like that puts Johnson in elite company. He’s one of just three freshmen to lead the league in scoring this decade, the other two: Cam Thomas and Brandon Miller. Each of those guys are making more than their fair share of money in the NBA.
What Johnson has done this season is giving him the opportunity to do the same. The freshman knew he’d contribute right away, but he’s done more than just contribute. He’s excelled.
Perhaps that’s because he’s not satisfied with what he’s done thus far. He’s gone for double-figures in every game since February 1, but to him that’s not good enough. That was crystal clear as the freshman sat at his locker after his 20-point performance in a double-overtime win over Texas A&M.
“I hold myself to a high standard,” Johnson said. “I felt like I was gonna contribute right away, but I feel like, especially this game, I took a few steps back.”
True to form, Johnson will keep pushing. He’s going to continue to play his game–which includes some of the best off the bounce scoring ability in college basketball–he’s going to keep attacking the rim despite his age not lining up with the rest of the league. He’s going to keep doing Tre Johnson things.
He’s got to do that in order to make it worth it.
“My family,” Johnson said when asked what drives him. “Me being away from my family I’ve still gotta push through and keep going because [if not] what’s the point?”
The point could be clear if Johnson were to hone in on what he’ll be able to accomplish as the months wane on and he eventually walks across the NBA Draft stage, but unlike many other lottery-caliber guys Johnson is pouring everything into where his feet are.
He’s not passing up the opportunity that awaits at Bridgestone Arena for granted. He’s not skipping out on the time he can spend with his teammates in a place like this. He’s doing everything he can to soak up these last few months.
“I’ve just been taking each day at a time and just keeping on the same path God has for me.”
That path appears to be pretty bright.
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