newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MATT SUGAM

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

PISCATAWAY – For Austin Johnson, the remedy to his early season struggles was simple. He needed to get out of his own head.

Thrust into a leadership role for the young team, the junior forward was struggling. As his production dipped, so did his confidence.

In back-to-back games against Florida and USF, Johnson scored a total of two points and pulled down two rebounds in 29 minutes.

Then came what most players would loathe. Johnson lost his starting spot to freshman Derrick Randall.

But for the Elkins Park, PA native, being relegated to the bench was just what he needed.

In the five games since, Johnson has averaged six points in 13.4 minutes a game. His best performance came Monday against Notre Dame, where he notched 10 points in the win.

So what changed?

“I don’t know,” Johnson said after practice on Thursday as his team prepares for Georgetown on Saturday. “Just my perspective and I feel less pressure. Coming off the bench is a lot less pressure. Just going in and playing without thinking too much has been the biggest difference.”

And his head coach Mike Rice agrees. The starting spotlight appears to have been too much for Johnson.

Starting seemed more like a burden than a reward for Johnson. The added stress was increased by the pressures put on him by his second-year head coach.

"He's more comfortable coming off the bench. He's more comfortable not having some pressure put on him by his wackadoodle coach," Rice said. "I don't know, for some reason it's just clicking for him right now." 

But having a player that embraces and enjoys coming off the bench after starting is not something head coach Mike Rice is accustomed to.

“I want greedy human beings. I want ultracompetitive,” Rice said. “He’s competitive, but for some reason he seems more at ease and more comfortable.”

No longer on edge mentally, Johnson is now starting to have the season many expected the 6-foot-8, 255 pounder to have. He’s playing the role of a big body in the middle of the defense who understands Rice’s system and has the ability to score double digits.

So after putting too much pressure on himself, Johnson has begun to alleviate that.

“I definitely feel like I’ve turned a mental corner. I feel like it’s all mental with me, and if I get past all that I’ll be fine,” Johnson said. “I just have to stop thinking so much.”

While he may have stopped overthinking things on the court, his basketball IQ hasn’t faltered. He’s used his two and a half years of Big East basketball experience to help the freshman bigs.

Randall said Johnson is “like a big brother” and credited him for being the main one who helped him adapt to Division-I basketball.

But Johnson’s selflessness when it comes to helping his teammates is a rarity. After all, he’s giving tutelage to guys he knows are trying to steal his minutes.

Although those who really know Johnson aren’t the least bit surprised. That’s just the type of guy he is.

“Unselfish. A great teammate,” Rice said when asked what Johnson’s mentoring says about him. “And that’s him. Would I be telling them? No, to be honest with you. Personally, Mike Rice would not be telling who he was trying to compete with, but he’s different. He’s wired differently.”

Clearly. Which is probably why coming off the bench is what’s best for Johnson.

But that doesn’t mean he won't see the same amount of time on the floor as he did as a starter. In fact, he may see more game action.

“He’s now comfortable and he’s producing for us, so whatever makes him comfortable, I’m happy with,” Rice said. “If he’s going to produce — he doesn’t know it — but I’m going to give him more minutes if he keeps producing.”

For more Rutgers basketball coverage follow Matt Sugam on Twitter @MattSugam and on Facebook.