Joann Groff
News Editor
Photo courtesy Athletic Dept.
Many students come and go to and from Pepperdine every year. This fall, not just a friend and classmate has gone, but one of the most accomplished athletes the men’s basketball team has boasted over the past few years: senior Terrance Johnson.
Despite his impressive statistics and excellent shooting, what may be missed most of all is Johnson’s ability to ignite the crowd on a single possession.
Many fans will always remember the play where, after being pushed out of bounds, Johnson ran behind the bench, at the feet of hundreds of his fans, and emerged just in time to receive a perfect pass and sink a three-pointer with seemingly no effort.
But all good things must come to an end — perhaps Johnson’s end at Pepperdine was just not expected so soon.
Johnson said that after failing to receive a high enough grade in a class over the summer, which left him unable to maintain the minimum GPA necessary, he has left Pepperdine. He will begin classes at California Baptist University in Riverside on Sept. 7. The team is a member of the NAIA, not the NCAA, so he will avoid sitting out for a year — he will use his last year of eligibility immediately and plans to graduate in 2005.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Johnson said. “I’m sad about it, because I’ve been here for four years. It sucks — it would suck for anybody that had to leave somewhere they really didn’t want to leave. But I’m glad I’m getting a second chance.”
Head Coach Paul Westphal is among the many who are sorry to see Johnson go.
“We are definitely going to miss him,” Westphal said. “He’s an exciting player who’s contributed a lot to our program. It’s really too bad he’s not going to be able to complete his eligibility here, with us.”
His teammates, including sophomore Cody Horning, agreed.
“When I came out to Pepperdine, he was my chaperone in recruiting,” Horning said. “He was a big part. The beginning of last year we knew he might have some problems with eligibility, but it was a big surprise when we found out he wasn’t going to be able to come back. It was a big blow. I looked forward to being with him for another year.”
Sophomore Marvin Lea agreed that Johnson leaving is a hit to the team.
“That’s my boy,” Lea said. “It’s going to be hard to replace a guy like Terrance. Basically, Terrance was our best shooter … we’re going to try our best to fill that void.
“Terrance taught me a lot of stuff on the court and off the court about being a college basketball player.”
Teammate senior Robert Turner said he will miss Johnson on the court, as well as on a personal level.
“He’s like a brother to me to be honest with you,” Turner said. “He was my only roommate I had on campus, he’s a good friend, a family friend … and he was our best shooter, a top athlete and definitely the personality on the court, with the gold teeth and all.”
Westphal said there were many things about Johnson that made him stand out among the players over the past couple years.
“He’s not only a great shooter, but an electrifying player,” Westphal said. “He’s had many exciting, memorable moments here. He’s a terrific athlete.”
Johnson, recalling his 30-point game against San Diego, and as a freshman finding out the team had made it to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, knows what Westphal is talking about.
He said his entire career at Pepperdine, despite its ups and downs, meant a lot to him.
“The first couple of years, we showed everybody that even though we had differences off the court, everyone was cool, and we were one on the court,” Johnson said. “The last couple of years we had some rough times, and we stepped up and showed that we could be leaders in different situations.”
There is a sense of sadness about Johnson when he reflects on lost opportunity.
“I’m going to miss everybody,” Johnson said, adding that he would miss Turner “because I’ve been with him since day one, but really I’m going to miss everybody on the team. I had two rough seasons with them, some only one, but I was really looking forward to turning that around this year with them — now I’m not going to have that opportunity.”
Westphal said junior Alex Acker will take up where Johnson left off on the court, but because of Acker and Johnson’s success in basketball together, it will be quite a different team without one half of the pair.
Horning agreed, but said he knows Johnson will excel wherever he goes.
“Any team would be lucky to have him, for his athletic ability, his shooting from the outside … he will be missed.”
08-30-2004