LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- Bellarmine University and men's basketball coach
Scott Davenport have announced the transfer of guard Jelani Johnson to join next year's team.
The 6-4 guard has spent the past two seasons at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., where he averaged 5.8 points and shot 46.3 percent from behind the arc as a sophomore. He posted career highs of 14 points and seven rebounds in a 67-62 win over North Dakota State on Jan. 15, 2011.
“We're extremely excited to have Jelani join our program,” said Davenport. “He brings two years of Division I experience and a tremendous overall background in basketball. Plus, he's a stellar young man on and off the court and we look forward to having him join the team in the fall.”
Johnson was familiar with Bellarmine from its run to the national title last season. “I saw (Bellarmine's) highlights on CBS Sports,” adding that “I was a little surprised when they called.” Johnson, who will be a pre-physical therapy major at Bellarmine, said he made the visit and “liked everything” he saw.
A menace on defense, Johnson led the Leathernecks and was second in the Summit League with 43 steals last season. He had six games of at least three steals and posted a career high five steals against Centenary on Feb. 24. As a freshman, Johnson was a key member of a Western Illinois defense that ranked 10th nationally, holding opponents to just 59.6 points per game.
Originally from Aurora, Ill. Johnson played his prep ball at Waubonsie Valley where he finished his career eighth on the school's all-time scoring list with 820 points. He earned first team All-Area by both the Beacon News and Naperville SunDaily as well as honorable mention All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
“I appreciate Bellarmine giving me this opportunity,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, I can continue to play hard and grow as a basketball player there.”
Johnson will be the third member of the 2011-12 recruiting class for the Knights and will join University of Louisville transfer Richie Phares and Ryan Burton from Bedford-North Lawrence High School.
