Prize catch for San Miguel - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

Only two free agents were invited by Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson to attend the team’s training camp last summer. In all, there were 18 players – including Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant – whom Jackson summoned to prepare for the preseason exhibitions.

The undrafted invitees were Andy Panko and Nate Johnson. Neither survived the tryouts but the fact that they were handpicked to attend the camp was an indication of their worth. Obviously, Jackson – who has a keen eye for talent – saw something in Panko and Johnson. To give them a shot at joining the Lakers was Jackson’s way of paying tribute to their potentials.

Of course, Johnson would’ve preferred to stay with the Lakers and play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. But he’s not giving up hope. Johnson is still young and at 23, has a lot of playing years ahead. His consolation is in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Second Conference, he’ll be playing for the local version of the Lakers – San Miguel Beer who like L.A., is the defending champion.

Johnson, whose father Fred played for New Mexico in the NCAA, comes with solid credentials. He was a four-year starter at Louisville under highly-respected coach Denny Crum and finished 15th on the Cardinals’ career scoring ladder with over 1,500 points in 125 games. Johnson was only the 10th freshman to start an opening game in Crum’s 27 years at Louisville.

At the Portsmouth Invitationals last year, Johnson averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds to earn All-Tournament honors. The showing probably led to Jackson’s invitation to attend the Lakers camp.

Johnson was recruited by Michigan, Syracuse, and Massachusetts, among others, after a storybook career at Camden High School in New Jersey. He once scored 81 points in a prep game and was ranked among the US’ top 50 prospects by recruiting analyst Clark Francis. Johnson was the first freshman to start for Camden High in 25 years. Incidentally, Camden High also produced Louisville stars like Billy Thompson (an ex-PBA import) and Milt Wagner.

"He’s such a versatile kid," marveled Crum. "He’s a great athlete (with) a great work ethic (and) a real burning desire to be the best he can be. He’s got all the talent to be a great basketball player."

Writer Mike DeCourcy chimed in: "There aren’t many players like Johnson in college basketball anymore, with so many guys his size focused on making jumpers. He is a classic slasher, able to use his ballhandling and strength to blow past defenders and get to the goal. Johnson has a great frame... knows how to score, is a solid free throw shooter and can bring the ball off the boards. (He) has significant one-on-one scoring ability. He can break a defender down along the baseline and, on occasion, will hit the three-point shot. Johnson does not play as intently on defense... but when he concentrates, he can be very good. Creighton’s Rodney Buford shot 6-of-21 against Louisville and Galen Young was 4-of-12."

Johnson had his share of stars whom he covered in college. Among those he dueled were Vince Carter, now a rising NBA phenom, and Charles O’Bannon of UCLA.

Johnson never averaged less than double figures in scoring throughout his Louisville career. He hit at a 10.1 clip as a freshman, 12.3 in both his sophomore and junior years, and finally, 13.9 as a senior. Johnson shot .488 from the field and .729 from the line. From three-point distance, he raised his norm from .219 as a freshman to .451 as a senior. Johnson fired his career-high 35 points against Houston in his senior season. In Johnson’s four years, Louisville posted a combined 76-52 record.

Intelligence and coachability are two of Johnson’s biggest assets, noted DeCourcy. He hardly played outside of Crum’s system at Louisville and was often credited for his discipline.

At San Miguel, Johnson is expected to play with that same kind of discipline. Coach Joseph Uichico hopes Johnson will follow in the footsteps of Terquin Mott and Stephen Howard who powered the Beermen to the last two Second Conference plums. Johnson, a 2-3 swingman, isn’t as big as Mott or Howard but his versatility should more than compensate for his size handicap. Uichico says he plans to use the 215-pound Johnson in various spots, including power forward, depending on the mismatch.

Johnson’s baptism of fire will be against Purefoods tomorrow night at the PhilSports Arena. He’ll be facing the season’s most celebrated import David Wood in his PBA debut.