June 10, 2009
(San Diego, CA) - At the West Coast Conference Executive Committee meetings held in San Diego last week, it was announced that USD men's basketball player Brandon Johnson was granted an additional year of competition. This past season Johnson suffered a season-ending injury when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in a loss at San Diego State (57-46) on December 6th.
Heading into that contest the Toreros were 4-3 and Johnson was leading the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), assists (3.6) and steals (1.6). He scored in double digits in all eight games with highs of 19 points versus Wisconsin, and 18 points against Cal State Bakersfield. The Toreros went on to finish 16-16. Since Johnson hadn't used a redshirt year and did not play in more than 30 percent of the team's games (only 25%), he was able to obtain a medical redshirt year and will now be a fifth-year senior in 2009-10.
"I was pretty confident all along that this was going to happen," said Torero head coach Bill Grier. "This is just having the offical word. It is relief that it is done now. It was a pretty cut and dry case. His number of games played (8) was under the percentage allowed (30%) by the NCAA, so everything pointed to him getting his year back."
Johnson will head into his final year with career averages of 13.2 points per game, 4.0 assists per game and 1.9 steals per game. With 1,385 career points, he ranks 5th all-time on USD's scoring list and is 340 points behind leader and former teammate Gyno Pomare (1,725 points). With 425 career assists, he is just 40 assists shy of all-time leader David Fizdale (1992-96).
Added Grier, "Carolyn Greer (USD Head Athletic Trainer) has done a great job bringing him back after surgery with Dr. Murphy. He's back to the point where he is sprinting, running and shooting. He's still not cleared to go one-on-one and five-one-five, but that's coming. He's had a very mature approach about this. He's done a great job listening to the athletic training staff as to what he can and cannot do to make sure that this thing heals properly so that he is back 100% by the time the season starts."
