Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders have added American Jason Johnson to their line-up for the 2009/10 season.
The 6'8" New Yorker has just finished at South Carolina State University where he was a star performer in his conference, having been named in the All-MEAC first team. Johnson was also voted as the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
"His record at the collegiate level pretty much speaks for itself," said Coach Rob Paternostro. "Jason was a standout performer in his conference. He led his league in rebounding, he was first team All- Conference and he was the Defensive Player of the Year.
"He is the kind of guy who can score, get rebounds and do a lot of different things for a big man. We feel for a young player he has a lot of ability and he can be very successful with us. I've followed him from before last season ended, I zeroed in on him so we could have a good a chance to bring him to Leicester, because I think he has the potential to be a really good player."
As well as averaging a conference-best 8.5 rebounds per game, he also converted a staggering 62% of his shots, which was not only the best in his conference, but also the third best in America. Johnson also led his team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and blocked shots with (1.6bpg).
"He's tremendous athlete, just the sort of player I am after and the fans of Leicester like to watch. I think our supporters will like what they see with this young man."
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
