In summer 2001, right after relinquishing Northwestern’s purple and white for Minnesota’s gold and maroon, Ben Johnson told The Daily, “I have no idea what kind of reception to expect back at NU.”
Johnson’s long-awaited return came Saturday, as the Golden Gophers visited Welsh-Ryan Arena. Not surprisingly, the Wildcats’ former leading scorer was greeted with boos and hisses from the NU fans as his name was announced during the starting lineup.
No need to boo, NU — Johnson’s departure hasn’t hurt one bit.
That’s because the Cats have Johnson’s former teammate and friend Jitim Young, who put up a career-high 31 points in NU’s 61-48 win. Young became the first NU player since to crack the 30-point mark since Evan Eschmeyer did so against Michigan State in 1999 Big Ten tournament.
Johnson, on the other hand, had an unimpressive eight-point performance (including a basket in garbage time) and shot 0 for 4 from the perimeter.
NU’s student section taunte d Johnson with chants like “drop-out” and “tiny Johnson”. But Young had nothing but good things to say about his former mentor after their first on-court meeting since Johnson’s transfer.
“Ben — that’s my boy,” Young said following Saturday’s game. “That’s just like a brother to me.”
Young’s game certainly hasn’t suffered in Johnson’s absence.
NU’s senior captain averages 18.5 points per game and has the spotlight almost all to himself. Johnson, in contrast, contributes just 11.1 points per game for Minnesota and plays in the shadow of freshman Kris Humphries.
It doesn’t seem as though Johnson’s found the success he was searching for in moving back to Minnesota.
Part of the reason Johnson made the move in the first place was because, during his sophomore season at NU, he had to take a back seat to Young. Johnson also was looking to be on a better team — but if this season is any indication, the plan backfired.
The Gophers are last in the Big Ten and still searching for their first conference victory.
So while Young is smiling, Johnson doesn’t have much reason to grin in his current situation. Young actually had good reason to hold hard feelings against Johnson after he left NU. But he doesn’t. He still seems to be gleaming.
Those watching closely Saturday could see a little extra sparkle in Young’s eyes during the second half, when he scored 26 of his 31 points. His fastbreaks, his three steals, his three-pointer as the shot clock wound down — all textbook.
“He was playing with emotion, which he usually does, but he had a little extra fire there,” NU coach Bill Carmody said.
Johnson had little flare in his return to Evanston, but he insists that making the move north was the right call for him.
“I’m happy where I am,” Johnson said. “That’s where I’m from. I’m going to make a lot of connections there hopefully.”
And NU fans should wish him the best. Johnson might have disappointed them by transferring, but on the court, the Cats aren’t suffering from his decision.
Think about it. Minnesota has Johnson and NU has Young.
I think the winner is clear.
Ariel Alexovich is a Medill junior. She can be reached at [email protected].
