Posted January 2nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball
Freshman forward Gary Johnson finally received medical clearance to play Saturday and he’s already been inserted into the starting lineup. Johnson, the Longhorns’ highest rated incoming player, has sat out the entire season with an undisclosed heart ailment but he’ll make his debut as the starting power forward against TCU Wednesday. He replaces Justin Mason who has been in the midst of a horrid shooting slump the last few games.
Head coach Rick Barnes has described Johnson as a more athletic PJ Tucker, a comment that should really excite Texas fans. At 6-foot-7 he’ll play the 4 and Damion James will slide to the 3, giving the Horns a much bigger lineup. Johnson should bring energy, interior defense, and most importantly rebounding to a team that has been lacking all three during the current two game losing streak.
Mason is a good defensive player but his lack of size causes match-up problems at the 3 spot. Now he should be great asset as a defensive stopper off the bench. Hopefully the kid doesn’t get too down on himself about being sent to the bench, he should still see solid minutes and be a valuable member of the team.
Purely from a depth standpoint this team just got a lot better. I can’t wait to see what Johnson can do and how this team will perform in Big 12 play.
reply to #1
Sparky
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:04 pm
all this talk about Johnson, when everybody knows for a fact that MOONEY is the man!