Marcus Johnson Class: Junior Hometown: Cleveland, OH High School: St. Vincent-St. Mary's Height / Weight: 6-3 / 196 Position: G

An athletic guard with shutdown defender talent, Marcus Johnson hopes the strong finish he had last season will propel him into the 2008-09 campaign.

Johnson has developed into a superior athlete, finisher and rebounder. He's built a reputation as a slashing scorer who loves to take it to the rim. Johnson also possesses the ability to score in transition and knock down jump shots.

What fans might not see on a game-to-game basis is Johnson's tremendous amount of energy on the defensive end. Johnson has developed into one of the better defenders in the Atlantic 10 with the ability to get to loose balls, rebound and block shots off the ball.

2007-08
Johnson put together a solid sophomore campaign, averaging 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He had a team-high three double-doubles last year, including a 15-point, 11-rebound performance in UD's 80-55 win over then-sixth-ranked Pitt. One of the best rebounding guards in the nation, he also was second on the team in blocked shots (14), third in steals (23) and third in FT% (.760, 98-129). From his freshman to his sophomore seasons, Johnson improved his FG% from .420 to .478, his 3-pt. FG% from .311 to .386, and his FT% from .593 to .760. The 6-3 guard scored in double figures 17 times and in 15 of his last 24 games. He made 21-of-27 free throws in the final minute of regulation. In the A-10 quarterfinals, Johnson netted career-highs of 26 points and 13 free throws against Xavier. Johnson scored 16 points versus Loyola and against Akron recorded 16 points and seven rebounds. In the Rhode Island game, Johnson finished with 14 points, five rebounds and hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left. At Saint Louis, Johnson recorded five of his game-high eight rebounds in the final minute of regulation and overtime. At Xavier, Johnson led all UD scorers with 12 points. At Richmond, he netted 10 points and four rebounds. Johnson added 10 points and five boards at Rhode Island. Johnson dished out a career-best four assists at George Washington. In the Temple win, Johnson had 14 points and three rebounds. Johnson added six points and a team-high seven boards in the Xavier rematch. Johnson was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine boards at Fordham. He added 13 points and four rebounds at St. Bonaventure. He finished the regular season with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds over Saint Joseph's. Johnson scored eight of his team-high 16 points in overtime in UD's win over Saint Louis in the A-10 opening round. In the NIT opening round over Cleveland State, Johnson tallied 11 points and six rebounds. Johnson hit 5-of-6 free throws in a win at Illinois State. In the month of March, Johnson averaged 12.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and was 39-of-47 at the free throw line. Johnson shot 26-of-45 from the field, 10-of-16 from 3-point range and reached double figures five times. He capped the year by earning the Uhl Family Endowed Scholarship.

2006-07
Johnson played in the season's first 30 games in 2006-07, and only an ankle injury suffered in the Flyers' A-10 tournament win over Charlotte kept him from making all 31 contests. Johnson earned Dayton's top freshman award, the Thomas Luppe Memorial Award, after averaging 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds a game. Johnson scored in double figures seven times in 2006-07, including 23 points in his first game as a Flyer, the most by a Dayton player in his debut game. He also had 11 at Temple, 13 (and a game-high eight rebounds) at St. Bonaventure and 14 at No. 1 North Carolina. He had his first career double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) in the Yale win. In the win over Western Carolina, Johnson scored 13 points hitting 5-of-6 field goals and grabbed six rebounds. Johnson was one of five Flyers who averaged more than six points a game, and one of six with at least three boards a game. He was tied for second on the team in steals (23).

High School
Johnson came to University of Dayton basketball with his name linked to two great basketball names. In high school, he finished his career as Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School's second-leading scorer, behind only LeBron James. While no one is saying that Johnson is the next "LeBron," if you are going to finish second to someone, LeBron James would be one of the first players you might pick. Closer to home, the high-flying Johnson has been described as the most athletic guard to come to Dayton since Johnny Davis, a 10-year NBA veteran who is a member of the UD Athletic Hall of Fame and UD's All-Century Team.

Johnson was a freshman on the varsity team at St. Vincent-St. Mary's when LeBron James led SVSM to the 2003 Division II state championship. After averaging 5.0 points as a rookie, Johnson moved into the starting lineup and helped his team win three more district titles, advancing to the 2004 and 2005 regional finals and the 2006 state semifinals. SVSM lost to the eventual state champion in each of those years. After averaging 12.8 points a game as a sophomore, he exploded for a great junior year, averaging 23.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. He was named Third Team Division II All-Ohio. The summer before his senior year, he was named one of the top six shooting guards at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis, and scored 17 points in that event's all-star game.

Personal Data
Son of Felicia Jefferies
Birthday - December 16, 1987
Major - General Studies
Marcus has one sister, Asia (23)
High School Coach - Dru Joyce
AAU Team - King James Shooting Stars

Career Statistics

Dayton Career Highs
Points: 26, Xavier (3/13/08)
Rebounds: 13, Massachusetts (1/16/08)
Assists: 4, Three Times
Steals: 4, at North Carolina (12/31/06)
FGs Made: 8, Austin Peay (11/11/06)
Blocks: 3, Duquesne (2/13/08)
FT Made: 13, Xavier (3/13/08)
Minutes: 44, Akron (1/2/08)

Flyer 32's...
Don Donoher (1951-52), Tom Frericks (1952-53), Pat Allen (1958-61), Dennis Papp (1963-66), Jerry Francis (1967-68), Jack Keehan (1968-71), Dan Herling (1972-75), Mike Wilson (1975-76), George Morrison (1978-82), Negele Knight (1985-90), Maurice Beyina (1993-97), Sammy Smith (2000-02), Chris Alvarez (2004-06)