Nate Schneider
Sports Scene
East Lansing star Brandon Johns was sitting in the stands earlier this month prior to a game at Holt when he was caught off guard by a request from a young kid.
Johns was asked for his autograph by a child wearing University of Michigan colors, alongside his father who was also donning maize and blue.
“I’d never seen that before,” Trojans head coach Steve Finamore said. “I believe that might have been his first autograph request. This poor kid had a nice basketball to sign and was very polite as we were watching the girls game. It shows you how much everyone looks up to Brandon. He is such a great role model for kids. He has a younger brother in fourth grade and he’s so great to him. Aside from everything he does on the basketball court, what also stands out about Brandon is how tremendous he is as a person. He has no ego at all. It makes it pleasurable for a coach to come to practice.”
Johns, a University of Michigan commit, is a four-year varsity performer at East Lansing and has continued his rise each season. This year, he is averaging an astounding 29 points per game along with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
His scoring prowess is well-documented and he’s scored as many as 51 in a game this season, which he accomplished against Lansing Sexton in a 114-82 victory despite sitting out a couple stretches in the contest.
But it is his defensive ability that really sets the tone for the Trojans (8-2).
“He plays both ends of the court at a high level which allows him to impact the game in two different ways,” Finamore said. “His on-ball defense and off-the-ball defense is unbelievable. We put him at the top of our 1-3-1 zone and he’s amazing with his long arms. It makes it difficult for the opposing point guard to do anything.”
Johns has sat out the last couple games with a knee injury, which was a big reason why East Lansing eked out a 52-50 overtime win at Lansing Eastern on Jan. 16 before falling at home to Okemos by a count of 60-55 on Jan. 19.
The 6-foot-8 and 206-pound power forward should be a perfect fit in the scheme that John Beilein runs at Michigan.
“If he would have chose Michigan State, it would have been an outstanding choice,” Finamore said. “But what appealed to Brandon was Coach Beilein and his style of play, where guys his size are allowed to shoot threes. Not to say Michigan State doesn’t allow that, but he just felt comfortable with those two things at Michigan – the coach and the style of play.”
Johns will look to get healthy and back in the lineup as the Trojans have some tough upcoming games as they prepare for the postseason.