Biography:

Chris Johnson finished up one of the best careers ever in a Dayton uniform and in the NCAA over the last 20 years. The versatile forward is the only college basketball player in the last 20 seasons to have 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 300 offensive rebounds and 200 three-pointers while shooting at least 80% from the line.

Johnson played in 138 career games for the Flyers, which is the most in the program’s history. He scored a total of 1,467 points to place him 21st in at UD. He ranks fifth on Dayton’s all-time list for three-pointers made (236) and free throw accuracy (.829, 295-of-356). Johnson is also 11th in career rebounding (846) and ranks fourth in career offensive rebounds (312). He averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for his career.

Johnson was the 2010 NIT Most Valuable Player and was a four-time Atlantic 10 honoree during his career. He was on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team as a freshman. He was the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player as a sophomore and earned A-10 Honorable Mention honors as a junior and senior. In 2011-12, Johnson was the co-winner, along with Kevin Dillard, for the team’s White-Allen Most Valuable Player Award, and captured the “Shorty” Sharpenter Memorial Rebounding Trophy as the team’s top rebounder. He also was named the first four-time winner of the Alex Schoen Memorial Free Throw Trophy as UD’s top free throw shooter all four of his seasons.

Johnson joined the Flyer recruiting class of 2008 from Columbus Brookhaven High School as an unheralded recruit, but quickly earned a reputation as a high-flying, explosive scorer and a rebounder with a non-stop motor.

The athletic 6-foot-6 forward with an 82.5-inch wingspan saved his best play for BCS opponents. In 16 career starts, he scored in double-figures 13 times as the Flyers were 14-6 versus BCS opponents over his career. One of the best rebounders of his size in the country, he was one of just three players to have a 20-point-20 rebound game in 2009-10. Johnson had 15 career double-doubles.

Johnson is part of the second-winningest class in UD basketball history. The class of 2012 accounted for 94 victories, just short of the 2011 class’s school-record 95 wins. The 2012 class advanced to the postseason every season (1 NCAA, 3 NIT) and won at least 20 games each season. The 2012 class won the Chicago Invitational in 2008, advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round (round of 32) in 2009, won the 2010 NIT Championship, and won the 2011 Old Spice Classic.

2011-2012
Johnson closed out his Flyer career with another great season, which earned him a spot on the Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention Team. The smooth left-handed forward averaged career-high 12.4 points per game to go along with a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game while starting all 32 games he played in. He played a total of 950 minutes, scored 398 points and hauled in 204 rebounds.

Johnson led the team in three-pointers made (69), three-point percentage (.397), free throw percentage (.859) and blocks (19). Johnson’s .859 free throw percentage during his senior season ranks as the 10th best in school-history for a single season.

By his standards, Johnson had a slow start to his senior season, but he saved the best play of his career for the final stretch. Johnson averaged 10.5 points per game during non-conference games, but averaged 14.3 points during Atlantic 10 conference regular season games, including a 19.0 points per game average over the final eight Atlantic 10 regular season games.

Johnson had his first double-figure scoring game of the season against UNC-Wilmington as he shot 5-of-7 from the three en route to a 19-point, six-rebound effort. In the first round of the Old Spice Classic against Wake Forest, Johnson 12 points and eight rebounds. With UD down 75-74 with 38 seconds left, Johnson drilled the go-ahead three from the corner to give UD a 77-75 lead that it would not relinquish. The Flyers went on to win 80-76

In the Old Spice Championship game victory over Minnesota, Johnson shot 4-of-8 from the three as he scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists. In the victory over No.16 Alabama, Johnson shot 8-of-9 from the field as he scored 20 points. Against Seton Hall, he scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. In the non-conference finale versus Ole Miss, Johnson scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, grabbed five rebounds and tied a career-high with five assists.

Johnson opened the Atlantic 10 conference season with back-to-back double-doubles in victories over Saint Louis and Temple. He had 11 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Louis and 12 points and 10 rebounds at Temple.  At Saint Joseph’s, Johnson had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds. He had his third double-double of the season against Rhode Island with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

In the road match-up against Saint Louis, Johnson’s 16 points started a string of eight consecutive games where he would score at least 13 points. In the next game in the victory at Fordham, Johnson had his fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds.  Against Charlotte, Johnson shot 7-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, for 22 points. At Xavier, he scored 18 points as he shot 7-of-12 from the field. At Duquesne, Johnson netted 13 points and hauled in eight rebounds.

Johnson had the final double-double of his career, and fifth of the season, with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the victory versus UMass. He had 22 points of 6-of-11 shooting at Richmond and closed the regular season with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting against George Washington.

2010-11
Chris Johnson earned himself a spot on the Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention Team after a great junior season. The smooth, left-handed forward, started all 36 games during the season with averages of 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. For the season he compiled a total of 428 points and 215 rebounds while playing a team-leading 1,070 minutes (29.7 mpg).

Johnson also led the Flyers in steals with 31 (.86 spg), free throw percentage (.830) and three-pointers made with 77. He finished second on the team in scoring, rebounds and offensive rebounds with 76. He also tied for second on the team in blocks with 14 and ranked third in three-point percentage (.379). He scored in double-figures in 24 of the Flyers’ 36 games and led the Flyers in scoring 13 times. He also recorded four double-doubles for the season.

In the third game of the season at Ole Miss, Johnson broke out with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds while playing a career-high 43 minutes. Against East Tennessee State, he knocked three treys and netted 15 points. Against Central Connecticut State, Johnson recorded his second double-double of the season with an 18 point and 10 rebound effort. That game started a streak of 12 consecutive games where Johnson would score in double-figures.

At Old Dominion, he scored a season-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and hauled in nine rebounds. Against Winthrop, Johnson scored 16 points and snagged eight rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds. In the following game at Seton Hall, he recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

On New Year’s Day against New Mexico, Johnson shot 4-of-7 from downtown on his way to a 15 point and seven rebound performance.  He opened the Flyers’ Atlantic 10 conference slate with 13 points and six rebounds at Saint Louis. At Xavier, Johnson netted 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

In the following game against Fordham, Johnson scored 12 points, grabbed five boards and dished out a career-high five assists. Johnson produced back to back 14 point games at Charlotte and home to Duquesne then followed that with a 22 point and nine rebound effort against Xavier.

He ended the season on a strong note by netting double-digits points in the final four games. He produced his fourth and final double-double of the season, in the A-10 tournament against Xavier with 12 points and 10 rebounds. In the A-10 semifinal match-up, Johnson reeled off 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Against Richmond in the A-10 Championship game, Johnson netted 11 points and hauled in six rebounds. In the finale at College of Charleston, he scored 14 points and snagged eight rebounds.

2009-10
Chris Johnson enjoyed a great sophomore season for the Flyers, which earned him the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Chris Daniels Most Improved Player Award and the NIT MVP award. 

He broke out with a double-double in the first game of the season against Creighton with 18 points and 15 rebounds. In the opener of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off against #19 Georgia Tech, Johnson contributed a game-high 19 points on 7-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. He also scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals in the win at Miami. He recorded 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting at George Mason, and chipped in 12 points against Boston. Johnson scored in double figures in the first eight games of the season.
 
In the New Year’s Day game at New Mexico, he scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals. In that game, he went 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, including a perfect 3-of-3 in the last minute. Johnson recorded his best game of the season in a home victory over Duquesne with a career-high of 26 points and a career-high of 20 rebounds. He was the first Flyer to record a 20-20 since Ryan Perryman, who also had 26 points and 20 rebounds at home against Duquesne on Feb. 25, 1998. After Johnson’s performance against Duquesne, he was named A-10 Co-Player of the week.

At Xavier, he tallied 10 points and 16 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive. In the home win against Xavier, he went for 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting. In the second match-up of the season against Duquesne, Johnson recorded another 20-point game as he tallied 21 points, including 6-of-13 from three-point range.

Johnson played his best basketball of the season during the NIT championship run. In the Flyers’ five NIT games, he scored in double figures four times. In the first-round win over Illinois State, Johnson had 13 points to go along with nine rebounds. In the quarterfinal victory at Illinois, he had 18 points and seven rebounds, including 9-of-10 from the foul line. Johnson had perhaps his best game of the tournament when he recorded 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the semi-final victory over Ole Miss. In the NIT championship game victory against defending National Champion, North Carolina, Johnson scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Overall, Johnson finished the season as the second-leading scorer and rebounder for the Flyers with averages of 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. He led the team in free-throw percentage (.848) and three-pointers made (66), was third in minutes played (24.1 per game), third in steals (34), second in double-doubles (3), and scored in double figures in 26 of the Flyers 37 games. 

2008-09
Johnson was perhaps the most under-the-radar member of UD’s 2008-09 freshman class, but he was the one who was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Newcomer Team and earned UD’s Thomas M. Luppe Memorial Award which goes to the team’s top freshman. 

He led the Flyers in FT% (.772, 61-79), was second on the team in rebounding (5.2), and was fifth in scoring (6.3) even though he played just 16.2 minutes a game. 

Johnson broke out with eight points and five rebounds against Delaware State in 13 minutes. He scored in double-figures for the first time in his Flyer career with 14 points over Bethune-Cookman, adding four rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block.

He had his first double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against No. 15 Marquette. Johnson tallied his second double-double of the season with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Coppin State in his first career start. He had 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go with eight boards against UNC Greensboro. Chris scored nine points, eight rebounds and the go-ahead shot with 1:05 to play in the win over George Mason, and hauled in seven rebounds at Toledo. Johnson had 10 points and nine rebounds at Duquesne.
 
Before being named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on January 18 for averaging 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, and shooting .545 (6-11) FG and 1.000 (6-6) from the line for the week, he shot 4-of-5 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the free throw line to finish with 17 points and eight rebounds against St. Bonaventure. He led the Flyers with 13 points and seven rebounds, all coming in the first half, after hitting 4-of-5 shots from the field, both 3-point attempts and all three free throws versus Charlotte. Johnson was just short of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards against Richmond in the A-10 Quarterfinals.    

High School
Following a senior year in which Johnson averaged 26.2 points on 63 percent shooting, he was awarded Columbus All-District First Team and Player of the Year honors. Those numbers also earned Johnson a spot on the AP All-Ohio First Team in Division I and caught the attention of ESPN scouts, who ranked him the 39th best small forward in the nation.  Rated one of the “10 Most Improved” players in Ohio by Prep Spotlight after his junior year, Johnson averaged 24.4 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game for Brookhaven. Johnson was an Associated Press Second Team Division I All-Ohio selection (current Flyer Chris Wright was on the first team).  He stepped up his game as a junior after a solid sophomore season where he was the only player among the team’s top ten players who was not a senior. After he moved into the starting lineup in mid-January, Brookhaven advanced to the OHSAA Sweet Sixteen. A four-year varsity player, he played on teams that were a combined 80-17.

Personal Data
Full Name: Christapher Johnson
Nickname: Jeezy, CJ, Cheese
Son of: Nicole Johnson
Siblings: Ty’onna Parker (15) and Maurice Johnson (13)
Birthday: April 29, 1990
Major: General Studies
High School Coach: Hali Robinson
AAU Team: All-Ohio Red
Career Goal: To be successful in life
Why I Chose UD: UD has a great campus with a good graduation rate. It is also a place where I feel comfortable and can help build a successful basketball program.

Career Statistics

Dayton Career Highs
Points: 26, Duquesne, (1/9/10)
Rebounds: 20, Duquesne, (1/9/10)
Assists: 5, Fordham (1/22/11), Ole Miss (12/30/11)
Steals: 4, at Miami (12/2/09); Ole Miss (3/30/10)
FGs Made: 9, Duquesne, (1/9/10)
Blocks: 4, at Miami (12/2/09)
FT Made: 9, at Illinois (3/24/10); Ole Miss (3/30/10)
Minutes: 43, at Ole Miss (11/20/10)

Flyer 4's...
Scott Gray (1980-81), Ted Harris (1981-85), Reggie Green (1989-90), Darnell Hahn (1993-96), Coby Turner (1997-99), Jeff Penno (2004-06)