Zachary Holden
Staff Writer
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — From the moment he stepped onto the court until the final buzzer, whenever Melvin Johnson was on the court, the crowd at the Barclay’s center seemed a bit louder. It could’ve been the massive amount of VCU fans that traveled up to support their team, or it could’ve been the 50-plus people from the surrounding area who came to support their homegrown Ram.
Regardless of the reason, Bronx native Johnson made his long awaited return to New York City and played a pivotal part in VCU’s opening game success over St. Joseph’s.
“It was relieving,” said Johnson. “I just wanted to come out and play my best and perform as well as I possibly can and just get a team win. I think we did that tonight and I feel proud of myself.”
Pride is a feeling Johnson is entitled to feeling after the game he had. Finishing with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal, Johnson had yet another great game. Keep in mind he’s still just a freshman and has a lot of room to grow.
“I didn’t anticipate that. I just tried to come in and do whatever the team needs,” said Johnson. “I didn’t want to try to do too much extra to impress anybody in the crowd, but coach just [gave me] a green light to attack at all times.”Early in the first half when the game was close, Johnson decided to put on a show for his Brooklyn fans and went on a 6-0 run to stretch the Rams lead to eight. It seemed as if he was trying to show his hometown what they’ve missed since he made the move to Richmond.
All throughout his time on the court, Johnson never seemed to tire and he was playing true VCU basketball – something VCU head coach Shaka Smart was expecting – which directly led to his solid offensive outing.
“We always want Melvin to be aggressive whether we’re playing in New York or Timbuktu,” said Smart. “He’s as gifted a scorer as we have on our team. He had 12 points, but there were some balls that he typically makes that didn’t go in.”
Johnson’s infamous floater wasn’t as automatic as it usually is. St. Joseph’s did a good job of not allowing him the easy, open looks he’s used to. Had they not, it wouldn’t have been as close of a game as it ended.
Another factor that played a role in the game ending with Rams fans biting their nails on the edge of their seats was a few questionable decisions made by Troy Daniels late in the second half. On two straight possessions, VCU had a fast break with Daniels and Johnson against one St. Joseph’s player. Both times Daniels elected to pull up from behind the arc, albeit a wide open Johnson under the hoop, both times he missed. Smart defended his senior guard though.
“If you’ve got a wide open three for Troy Daniels I’m taking that. I’ve seen that guy make too many shots,” said Smart. “On some of the possessions [however], it didn’t go our way because we missed and they got the rebound and not as much time came off the clock. But, that’s a gamble I’m willing to take because that’s going to pay off most of the time.”
The decision to pass could have led to two easy Johnson layups that would’ve brought his total on the night to 16 points – second best on the season. Alas it didn’t happen and the Rams won a tight one by three points.
Johnson’s abilities this season have grown tremendously and Smart knows the potential his young guard has. He and the Rams will play again Saturday against the University of Massachusetts at 4 p.m.
Who knows, maybe Johnson will shine even brighter than he did in his first postseason performance.