Wes Johnson is the big-name transfer Syracuse can’t stop talking about.
On the hill, you can transfer credits, you can transfer funds, you can transfer here to play football, and you can even get a bus transfer. So how does the newest transfer feel?
“Right now I feel like a rookie, so excited,” said Johnson as he posed for pictures and met with members of the media inside the sparkling-new Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.
A two-year starter at Iowa State [9] in the Big 12 Conference, Johnson spent last year just practicing with the Orange (NCAA eligibility rules state scholarship transfer students must sit out one year).
“[Johnson’s] a six-foot-eight guy that can run the court, shoot the basketball and rebound - all good qualities,” said Orange head coach Jim Boeheim. “He’s got a good feel for the game.”
Will the pressure affect Johnson? “I’m really not gonna try to be Superman out there, I just wanna be Wes.”
Many say Johnson was the best player on the team last year—a group that included NBA first-round draft-pick Jonny Flynn [10].
Johnson is long and bouncy, both elements that create matchup problems for the rest of the Big East Conference. If Boeheim puts him at the “3,” or small forward, Johnson can get the ball in the post to exploit the height disadvantage. If Coach Boeheim rolls Johnson into the power forward slot, or “4,” the lanky sophomore will use his speed to pressure the sluggish defenders.
Sounds similar to a certain former SU player who just got a building named after him, doesn’t it?
Video by Pete Stamm [11]. Photos by Andrew Burton [12]
