November 8, 2007

'My own man'
Chicago native Johns chooses to stay in Bakersfield, rather than 'start over'
BY ANDY KEHE, Californian staff writer

Three years ago, Terrence Johns said so long for now to his family and the sometimes mean streets of Chicago's West Side to develop his considerable basketball skills at a California community college. It's never easy to leave family, and the odds of getting into the NBA via the JC route are not good.

But two Western State Conference most valuable player awards later, it's easy to see why the 6-foot-2 former Bakersfield College sharpshooter is happy with his decision. There he was, the lead runner and gunner on two championship Renegade teams that scored at a frenetic pace one of two ways -- by layup or 3-pointer.

That had to have been a blast. He was pouring in more than 22 points a game following coach Jeff Hughes' game plan of invoking shock and awe on BC opponents.

The shock and awe is still there, but in a different context. Johns is a Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner now at a very trying time to be a Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner. The question is will his considerable success at BC translate to a productive two years playing NCAA Division I ball at CSUB?

He could have gone to a more established Division I program -- nothing elite, but NCAA tournament eligible -- but chose CSUB because, he said, he has established a relationship with the city and saw no reason to "start over" somewhere else.

As he battles through the challenges of adapting to coach Keith Brown's far more structured offense and huge upgrade in competition that he has only marginally confronted in two exhibition games against Division II opponents, Johns reflects back on his decision -- not his parents or anybody else's -- to come west and stay out West.

And he smiles.

"I am my own man now and I can't depend on my mom or grandmother to make decisions for me," he said about his decision to accept a scholarship to CSUB. "They told me to make the right choice for myself and I think I did.

"It's been tough, though. It's much more structured now and I'm playing at a higher level. It's much tougher than junior college, much more physical. You have to play hard every point, every minute. At BC, we'd run some plays but mostly it was get the ball and go get a shot. It was either a layup or a three-ball. Here I get the chance to make a ball fake and step in to take a shot. I'm looking forward to doing that."

So is Brown, especially if it's a good shot, coming as a result of him making a good decision with the basketball.

"We lost a lot of offensive production in our (departed) senior class and we needed somebody who was a proven scorer who could make shots," Brown said. "Terrence shot over 40 percent and 42 percent from the three-point line in over 200 attempts. Plus he has the ability to rise up above defenders."

There's more. Lot of upside to this guy Terrence Johns.

"He's a very strong, straight line penetrator to the basket," Brown added. "He's very hard to guard and can shoot free throws. Those are the things we went looking for in a two (shooting guard) or three (small forward)."

Johns, a junior with two years of eligibility remaining, earns the start tonight in the season-opener at Cal State Fullerton at the shooting guard position. In some defensive sets, he will drop down and become a rebounding forward.

"I'm trying not to put too much pressure too soon on him," Brown said. "Terrence is a high volume guard with lots of ability. You have got to have a little patience with him. We know he can make plays and he will make plays."

Johns has returned home to Chicago the past two summers with game tapes in tow. It's the only way his family gets to see him play. He has become an inspiration to his sister and three brothers, not for the way he scores at a prolific pace but for being the first in his family of seven to attend college.

"I think it's been especially influential on my sister," he said. "She's in college now.

"I talk to my family every day. They're happy I'm out here doing well."