Homeward bound for freshman Melvin Johnson

Zachary Holden
Staff Writer

When New York native Melvin Johnson was a senior in high school, he was recruited heavily by big-name programs like Miami, Georgetown, Villanova and VCU. Initially, he committed to Miami.

After some more consideration, he reopened his recruitment and finally landed in Richmond to don the black and gold under VCU head coach Shaka Smart.

Now he’s returning home to play on one of college basketball’s biggest stages as he and his team prepare for the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Brooklyn.

“I’m really excited. That actually played a factor in me coming here,” Johnson said. “Coach saying the conference tournament would be back where I’m from just pushed me a little bit towards VCU.”

Hailing from the Bronx, he attended Rice High School in Harlem before its closing in 2011. He then attended St. Benedict’s in New Jersey where he caught the eye of college scouts. Along with his high school team, he also played for the Long Island Lightning AAU squad.

Johnson said he’s expecting about 50 former teammates and family members to come support him. He tried to get as many tickets as he could, but couldn’t get enough for everyone. It wasn’t much of an issue, though, as his supporters found a way to see him.

“I’ve got friends that are purchasing tickets (for about) $50,” Johnson said.

It’s not too often the team travels to a player’s hometown, so they try to make the experience memorable for them. Smart knows how important this weekend is to Johnson and hopes he makes the most of it.

“He’s excited about going home,” Smart said. “(Johnson) has had an additional hop in his step for the last three or four weeks. Anytime you go to a player’s hometown to play a game or, hopefully in this case three games, it’s exciting for that young man.”

Johnson has come a long way since the beginning of the season. With his decision to sign for VCU not coming until the latter part of July, he got a late start learning the HAVOC style of play he will have to master over the next few years.

The adjustment to the new style of play was one of the most difficult things Johnson has had to do.

“They may want me to come in and score, but they also want me to play defense at a very high level,” Johnson said. “That was a bit confusing because I wasn’t a great defender and they were so demanding of me, but it was something I just eventually bought in to.”

His coaches and teammates noticed his growth, which led to an increase in playing time and a boost in his confidence. Johnson said he noticed the change in late January when he started doing better in practices and became more comfortable overall.

“My first wind isn’t in the first 30 seconds now, it’s more like the first three minutes,” he said. “That was a big factor; now I’m able to hit the three-ball with a lot of confidence knowing fatigue is not going to play a huge factor.”

“(Johnson’s) got a lot of growth that he can continue to make and if he makes that growth, you’ll see a much more confident Mel as time goes on and certainly in years to come,” Smart said.

Smart even likened Johnson’s potential to reach that of A-10 Player of the Year Khalif Wyatt from Temple.

With Johnson returning home to play in front of his family and friends, there comes added pressure to showcase his new talents and skills.

“I’ve actually been trying to get that out of my system. My mom is the only person I need to please and she’s seen me play a lot this year,” Johnson said. “I just know what I’ve got to do for us to win and for me to play well as an individual.”

Following Sunday’s loss to Temple, Johnson doesn’t think Smart will give the team much free time on Thursday — a day off for the Rams after securing a first round bye with the win over Butler. If they do get free time, though, Johnson said he’ll show his teammates around his old stomping grounds.

Going to New York can be overwhelming for some, and Johnson has noticed some teammates are already getting excited for the Big Apple.

“Me and Justin (Tuoyo) were talking and he’s never been to New York before, so he’s more concerned with the city than anything,” Johnson said.

With the tournament being hosted by the Barclay’s Center where the Brooklyn Nets play, there’s a good chance the games will have some celebrities in the crowd.

One person the Rams expect to be there is Spike Lee, who dropped in on the team during practice when he spoke on campus in February. Smart said VCU has reserved tickets for Lee.

“Playing in front of celebrities and people who are for you coming to see you play is definitely a big deal and I think we’re going to be up for that,”  Johnson said.

The added spotlight of playing in an NBA arena on national television, coupled with the celebrity attendance can be overwhelming and quite distracting for the players. Johnson, however, found a way to relax and control himself before the big games — R&B music.

“For me, I (listen) to mellow music versus hype, just to keep me calm,” he said. “My nerves are always through the roof, especially on game day, so I’ll try to stay as composed as possible.”

For Johnson, he’s just looking forward to heading home to play in front of his mom and hopefully bringing an A-10 Championship home with him Sunday evening. It’s something all Rams fans will be hoping for along with him.