Johnson Ready To Go Down Under

AMES, Iowa- Iowa State sophomore Wesley Johnson wasted little time in making an important decision in the offseason. When asked to play on an All-Star tour of Australia with Athletes In Action (AIA), Johnson quickly jumped on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I'm very excited about playing on this team,” Johnson said. “I've never been to Australia. I'm not thinking that it's going to be a vacation. I am looking at it as a chance to work on my game while I'm over there. I am looking forward to playing with people from Australia and seeing what their game is like and bringing it back over to the Big 12.”

Johnson's incredible rookie season in 2006-07 without a doubt earned him the chance to be on this trip. Johnson posted outstanding numbers for a Big 12 yearling, averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. Johnson, who hails from Corsicana, Texas, ranked second in the Big 12 in double-doubles (11). He will no longer be overlooked on an opponent's scouting report.

“Coach McDermott is talking to me about going back out to the wing more,” Johnson said. “I have been working on my perimeter game. I have been shooting more and working on taking people off the dribble and creating my own shot. Coach has also been stressing how important it is for me to take it to the hole and drawing a foul. It's all about me being more aggressive, a lot more aggressive than I was last year.”

The AIA has been sponsoring basketball teams and tours for over 40 years while “building spiritual movements everywhere through the platform of sport.” Johnson and his 10 teammates will train at the AIA headquarters (Xenia, Ohio) from Aug. 5-8 before heading to Sydney on Aug. 9. The squad will play 6-8 games against Australia's NBL professional teams for two weeks before returning home on Aug. 23. Johnson will be joined on the tour by two other Big 12 players. Jay-R Strowbridge from Nebraska and Josh Carter from Texas A&M are also on the roster. Like Johnson, Carter is also from the Dallas area.

Even though Johnson is only a sophomore, he has been instantly pushed into the role of a savvy veteran on the young Cyclone team. Johnson is one of three starters returning for ISU next season. He knows the importance of guiding the eight newcomers when the season begins and he likes what he has seen out of them this summer.

“It's been great having them (the newcomers) here all summer,” Johnson said. “Last year we didn't really have anybody help guide us since we were all new or learning a different system. Now they have someone to look up to with myself, Rahshon (Clark) and Jiri (Hubalek). But talent wise, they're just incredible. All of the guards and forwards we have coming in, they're going to have a big impact on the game. I'm just ready to play and they are too. We just tell them to watch us and listen to Coach Mac and everything will be alright.”

Players Mentioned

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics