Tuesday, February 3, 2009

USC's Marcus Johnson Questionable vs bRuins

(photo: SCPlaybook.com)
Just when the Trojan basketball team appears to be getting healthy and playing its best basketball, news came Monday that senior guard/forward Marcus Johnson's status is questionable for Wednesday's big showdown in Westwood. The former UConn transfer has seen his minutes increase with each game since becoming eligible in December and has been a key contributor for a USC team that has won 5 of its last 6 games and 10 of its last 13. Johnson is being treated for a right shoulder injury, so hopefully it is not serious and he can get back as soon as possible. The Trojans currently sit in third place in the Pac-10, just one game behind conference leading Washington and fucla, but need a full squad to be able to pull of the upset. More after the jump!

After a handful of games, Marcus has become my favorite player on the team. The former Westchester High star brings some of the same toughness that his old high school teammates like USC's own Gabe Pruitt and the Lakers' Trevor Ariza provide. Like Pruitt and Ariza, Johnson is an outstanding defender and electrifying in the open court. We've all seen his amazing dunks by now (check the previous post), so maybe his shoulder is sore from dunking on people. Or maybe he injured himself on this play, where he blocked a dunk attempt by Cal's Jordan Wilkes...

(photo: LATimes.com)
He also has a quiet, but confident demeanor that I like about him. Check out this short interview with Marcus following the Cal game last Saturday.



Get healthy soon Marcus.

Fight On! Beat the bRuins!

1 comment:

PCbestever said...

Westchester is gross. The best high school program I've ever seen. Fight On Polee!