Not Underrated Anymore

UIC Guard Andy Johnson

(St. Louis, MO) – While Andy Johnson was the seventh-rated basketball player coming out of tradition rich state of Kentucky, most people didn’t take much stock in the young man from Union, Kentucky. Johnson ranks among the Valley’s top scorers and is not underrated anymore.

Johnson leads his Flames’ team in minutes played and is second on the team in scoring. His 12.5 points-per-game average is good for fifteenth in the Valley and second among the league’s first-year players. He is an elite free throw shooter (.901) and is supremely confident in his game.

Johnson is one of three UIC freshmen making big impact on the Flames’ success. Redshirt freshman Jayce Nathaniel and ‘true’ freshman Rashund Washington are each averaging over seven points per game. Coach Rob Ehsan hasn’t been afraid to use the rookies in high leverage situations and his trust has paid off.

The Flames have won three straight games and Johnson says there are several key factors to their recent success. Guarding for forty minutes is one of those keys while the return of Elijah Crawford is another. The Brigham Young transfer played two games in November and returned to the lineup on January 4. During Tuesday’s win Crawford scored 14 points and handed out NINE assists!

Abdul Momoh making 21 of his twenty-three field goal attempts hasn’t hurt either!

We discussed why he wears the number 14 and how he ended up in the Windy City. Johnson reached double figures in scoring during his first five Division 1 games and then in ten of his first 13. Andy Johnson is not underrated anymore.

Watch our entire interview or head to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts for an audio-only version.

Our Full Interview with Andy Johnson

 

The Flames (8-10, 3-4) host Drake (9-9, 3-4) Saturday at 2:00 pm. The two teams are tied for sixth place and additionally are one game out of fourth. The Valley has never been more competitive. Nearly 78 percent of the games have been won by ten or fewer points.

Road teams are winning an astronomical 45 percent of the league contests.

UIC is an outstanding free throw shooting team. Rob Ehsan wants his players to crash the offensive glass where they lead the Valley in offensive rebounds per game (13.5). Ehsan wants ‘toughness’ from his players. So they block shots (tied for first) and also get steals (second in the Valley).

The Valley’s top three scoring freshmen are Murray State’s Roman Domon (12.7 ppg), Johnson and Valparaiso’s J.T. Pettigrew (11.7), but the whole league is loaded with impact rookies. Domon’s teammate Mathis Courbon in addition to Pettigrew’s side-kick Rakim Chaney are outstanding. Bradley’s Montana Wheeler and Belmont’s Jack Smiley are contributing greatly. Evansville’s Leif Moeller is producing a very solid rookie campaign.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo of Andy Johnson, courtesy of uicflames.com.