Ray Mernagh, Syracuse News

HELLO WORLD, MEET WESLEY JOHNSON

by RAY MERNAGH

Last year I was all but anointing the 2008-09 Big East title to Georgetown (and Greg Monroe) based on the performance they put on in an early conference win against UConn. I tend to think of myself as someone that learns from lessons like that, that I now clearly see how long the basketball season is and how much a team can improve — or fall apart — as it plays on into December, January and February. Having said that…Wesley Johnson has to already be, based on one game against UNC, on the top-5 transfer list of all time and rising with a bullet. Sound crazy? His coach Jim Boeheim admitted that his performance Friday night all but cemented him as a top-5 pick in the next NBA draft (and I think we can all agree that Jimmy B doesn’t blow smoke when it comes to NBA readiness).

Everybody raves about Johnson’s personality and team-first approach, which is kind of a sad commentary when you consider that’s the way a teammate should be. But tell me you didn’t see the 6-7 forward’s smile and react with a grin of your own — it’s most certainly a nice juxtaposition to the phony scowls we’ve become accustomed to. Johnson displayed a fluidity with his game last night that, frankly, I can’t come up with a comparison for, although the term “smooth” is definitely applicable.

So while it’s certainly too early to proclaim the Syracuse victory anything other than a great win, especially when you smack Carolina like that, it’s also quite clear that this SU team — led by their new star Johnson — has a chance to do some great things if they stay healthy. They share the ball and the vaunted 2/3 zone is so much more effective already than it was last season due to the want-to of the kids playing it, not to mention the length and athleticism out top. Scoop Jardine and Andy Rautins seem to be perfect, and willing, accomplices to Johnson, while Onuaku and Jackson will punish front courts all year long. It shocked me when I heard one of ESPN’s studio guys talk about UNC’s advantage inside prior to the game because I thought it would be exactly the opposite — and it was. Both SU bigs have a physicality that I don’t see any team matching, and the Orange have to remember to keep them a priority offensively despite their free throw woes.

But the biggest shock was the degree to which Johnson was the best player on that court last night. He might have been the best player on that court if the Knicks had been playing the Orange instead of Carolina and all their prospects. Johnson’s the full package and it’s apparent that when the lights go on he rises to the occasion (although I thought he would’ve been better served to not throw Iowa State’s Greg McDermott, his former coach, under the bus in some of his post-game comments).

Wesley Johnson made a statement Friday night. He might as well have issued a press release saying: “I might only be here a year but that year could be something really special!”

Could be…and it will be fun watching.

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