A rocky relationship within the Oregon men’s basketball program ended Thursday after its coach announced forward Ivan Johnson has been released from scholarship.
Johnson, a junior college transfer, was suspended before Oregon’s game last season at Stanford for “not living up to personal expectations previously established between Johnson and head coach Ernie Kent,” and he missed five of Oregon’s 33 games this season because of suspension or a coach’s decision. Johnson also showed defiance toward Kent on more than one occasion.
Johnson, who averaged 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds last season, is looking to transfer to a yet-to-be determined Division II school where he would be eligible to play immediately.
“This is my decision,” Kent said. “We just reached a point where we thought it was best for him to move on and get a chance to go to Division II and play right away.”
Attempts to reach Johnson were unsuccessful. However, the Emerald was able to contact Johnson’s mother, Sandra, at her home in San Antonio. She said the situation is “totally unfair.” “It’s just unreal,” she said.
She declined to comment further.Kent said the program intends to continue recruiting and use the vacant scholarship before next season.
“For me, we are not in the business of losing players,” Kent said. “I have not, throughout my coaching career, lost a lot of basketball players in situations like this. We wanted to give it every opportunity to see that it would work. It’s a tough, tough decision for me, and it was not a decision that was made overnight. It was months of looking at it through the course of the season.”
Kent said the program will help Johnson in his search for a new team.
“We’re going to continue to work and help and guide the best that we can and help him where he needs to get to,” Kent said.
The loss of the 6-foot-8, 255-pound Johnson next season comes with the return of 6-foot-10, 275-pound junior Mitch Platt, who redshirted last season after undergoing two foot surgeries. Platt, who averaged 5.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds in 2003-04, said he’s ready to fill the void but certainly will miss Johnson’s inside presence.
“We’re definitely going to miss him,” Platt said. “It’s hard not to miss a 6-foot-8, (255-pound) guy that is as athletic as he is. But there were things that he and coach didn’t see eye to eye on and coach had to do what he felt was best for him and for the team.
“Sometimes he’s an emotional guy and his emotions got the best of him at some times. But deep down, you know he’s got a good heart for the game and he’ll find his way and find a better place for him.”
Many other returning starters are looking forward to the return of Platt.
“I think he’ll be tremendous,” junior-to-be guard Malik Hairston said. “He’s great on the inside, he finishes well with the left and right and has a great feel for the game. So I think he will help us tons.”
The Ducks also will welcome in three high school recruits next season, including 6-foot-6 forward
Joevan Catron (Illinois), 5-foot-6 point guard Tajuan Porter (Michigan) and 6-foot-5 guard LeKendric Longmire (Mississippi).
Longmire, who averaged 25 points and eight rebounds as a senior at Pascagoula High School, will redshirt next season because of the amount of guards currently on the roster, Kent said.
Porter, who was recently invited for a tryout with USA Basketball, comes to Eugene from Hairston’s alma mater, Renaissance High School in Detroit, where he averaged 18 points per game as a junior.
Catron averaged 14 points per game as a junior at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Ill. Both Catron and Porter signed with Oregon in November, and Kent believes both will immediately affect an Oregon lineup that includes nine returning players on a squad that finished 15-18 last season.
“I think the team has matured,” Hairston said. “We understand more things about winning and the passion that it takes.”
Oregon’s offseason consists of two hours of supervised workouts with Kent every Tuesday and Thursday and personal workouts. The Ducks’ offseason also includes a trip the Bahamas where they will play five games from August 20-26 in Nassau versus Bahamian club teams.
“There’s nothing but positives that come out of it,” Kent said of the trip. “This is a good situation to come together … and that’s something we need right now.”