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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 30, 2006 South post Brent Johnson, left, has been a constant contributor for the top-ranked Panthers, who host North Medford at 7 p.m. on Tuesday to open the second half of the SOC season. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli A shoulder to lean on By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune When it came to developing an inside presence on the basketball court, Brent Johnson really had little choice but to be strong. When you have older brothers coming at you from a young age like Johnson had in his developing years, there’s really no room for the meek. Consider 6-foot-4 older brother Alan, who didn’t even start playing basketball until the ninth grade but showed enough moxie and court awareness that he earned a scholarship to play at Oregon Tech. Then factor in older brother Craig, who was a first-team all-state center at South Medford and is currently lighting it up as a 6-5 sophomore at the Coast Guard Academy to the tune of 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. With that type of competition in the driveway, young Brent was either going to give up on basketball entirely or come away the better for the experience. Advertisement To the top-ranked Panthers’ delight, the 6-7, 230-pound "baby of the bunch" opted for the latter. "I think what’s made me a tough basketball player was going against those guys," says Brent Johnson, 18. "Especially Craig. Craig loved to come in there and beat the tar out of me. "Obviously, when we played there wasn’t a whole lot of outside stuff," he adds, "and he’d come in there and throw those elbows and really make you work for anything you got." Bruises aside, moments like that helped mold him into the player he is today: a sturdy post who can bang with the best of them and who has a keen feel for the game. "Brent is a great person to have on your team," says fellow South senior Kendall Gielow. "He’s always getting the team together when we’re down and has been a good leader for our team. You can always count on him in the long run." As proof of Johnson’s commitment to the overall well-being of the team, he’s South’s fourth-best scorer when it comes to average (11.2) but is among the team leaders in rebounds (7.6 per game) and assists (51). It’s those all-around skills of which Johnson is most proud. "People who do go out there and just try to get their points, everybody in the gym can see that," he says. "And that attitude won’t make the team any better. But if I get the ball and score, and on the next play make a good pass or grab a rebound, that’s being more of a basketball player." "I really care about what other people say about me in regards to my basketball game," he adds, "and being a selfish basketball player is not the reputation I want." That value system has developed over time, especially considering Johnson was an elite-level scorer in his AAU days, pouring in 52 points during one contest. Even as recently as last year, Johnson says he found himself getting frustrated now and then over his amount of basketball touches and total points. But a college scholarship to join brother Alan at Oregon Tech and the knowledge that, with all egos set aside, the current group of Panthers could become something special, Johnson has found a natural ease to his game this season. "I think Brent truly has emotionally matured to the point where he realizes you don’t have to score lots of points to have a good game," says South Medford coach Dennis Murphy. "He’s picked up his rebounding and defense, his passing has gotten tremendously better and, in doing that, I don’t think he’s sacrificed very much offensively." In truth, Johnson’s scoring average is the same as it was last season (11.2 ppg), and his ability to stymie his peers has gone up. "Against the better posts in the state, he’s really done a good job on them," adds Murphy. "He’s won every one of the battles, he really has." Johnson’s goal is to limit each opponent to 10 points or less, while countering with around 10 points and 10 rebounds of his own. He surely doesn’t want to score any less, but if that’s the way the game goes and he’s done his job defensively, you’ll find no one happier in the South locker room than Johnson. "I feel like when there’s a good player in the post, it’s not my job to score, it’s my job to shut him down," he says. "To be honest, I get kind of get a kick out of going hard and trying to shut them down." Whether it’s at the varsity level or in the driveway. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail A shoulder to lean on ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s