Cheyenne puts faith in Johnson for tourney

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1999 | 9:39 a.m.

Think of Cheyenne's top-ranked boys basketball team and what's the first thing that comes to mind? Guards, of course.

It's only natural. After all, no team in the state boasts a three-guard rotation like the Desert Shields' Demetrius Hunter, Larry Graves and Eddie Shelby.

But when Cheyenne begins its quest to capture this year's 4A state title Wednesday at Reno's Lawlor Events Center, the key player on the squad's roster likely won't be a member of the highly touted backcourt.

More likely, if the Desert Shields (26-5) are to fulfill what many believe is their destiny this season, they'll need a major contribution from senior center Jason Johnson. Cheyenne's first-round opponent, South Tahoe, is expected to slow the tempo in the hopes of turning the game into a half-court affair. If the Vikings are successful, Johnson's low-post offense becomes critical for the Shields.

And if Cheyenne gets past Tahoe Wednesday night, the southern zone champs could find themselves matched up against a much taller Reed squad in the semifinals, putting a premium on Johnson's interior defense.

"He'll be a big factor up there," Cheyenne coach Larry Johnson said. "We'll try to pound the ball in to him whenever we can."

That's exactly what the Desert Shields did last weekend in the Southern Zone tournament, and the 6-5 center responded, coming up with his two best games of the season in come-from-behind wins over Cimarron-Memorial and Durango.

"I don't think we could have won without him," Hunter said.

"He's played great late in the season," agreed Shelby. "That's when you've got to step up and he has."

Before the season started, Hunter, Shelby & Co. expected to be playing against Johnson, who spent his first three years of high school at rival Cimarron-Memorial.

But when Jason's brother, Anthony, fell from a 30-foot lift and tragically ended up in a coma over the summer, the senior-to-be moved in with his father to offer support.

"My dad was in a real bad state," said Jason, whose brother remains in a coma seven months later. "My mom thought I needed to stay with my dad."

To overcome his own sadness, Jason poured his energy into basketball. That meant adjusting to his new teammates, a process that became smoother after he and Graves were teammates on the Las Vegas Heat summer squad.

"I knew that my brother would want me to concentrate on the now and not worry about the bad things," Johnson said. "The team immediately showed me love. They all welcomed me with open arms."

Nevertheless, it took time for the Shields' new big man to adjust to their up-tempo offense and pressure-oriented defense.

"It took him longer to get acclimated to the system and to the guys than we thought it would," coach Larry Johnson said. "But he picked the right time to step up."

Johnson credits his improvement in part to his coaching staff's emphasis on conditioning, which has been giving the Shields a big edge in fourth quarters lately.

Now Jason Johnson hopes to help his team get hot in Reno.

"We've just got to keep doing what we've been doing," he said. "If we do, I'm confident we can win this thing."