There was a new name on the whiteboard in PSA basketball coach Tom Espinosa’s office toward the end of summer, at the bottom of the list of others who were already committed to the school and seen as potential Prep-level players.
An interested party noticed it there, pointed to it, and said, “Justin Johnson…what’s his deal?”
Associate head coach Josh Scraba, in the office with Espinosa at the time, answered: “Could be the kid who helps us win another national championship. Or he could be the kid who blows the whole thing up and craters the season. We’ll find out.”
Justin Johnson knew what everyone knew about him. Or what they thought they knew about him. He had heard the labels, unsure really of where they had come from, that were stuck to him like a proverbial scarlet letter: Bad kid. Bad teammate. Disrespectful. Doesn’t work. Hot head. Stuck in his own ways. Uncoachable. Whether they started back home in Miami or at his previous school in Arizona or somewhere else, they affected Johnson.
“It’s hard, especially at first. These things are not me,” he said recently, about three months into a postgrad year at Putnam Science Academy, which covered about one-third of his basketball season. “I’m not a bad guy. I’m not perfect, I know that. I have made mistakes. But the word that was put out on me is not the truth at all.”
Johnson grew up in a notorious area of Miami, the son of Kim Hicks – a former basketball standout at Florida Atlantic who played professionally overseas – and Melvin Johnson – also a former basketball standout at Charlotte who played professionally overseas. His parents divorced when he was in fifth grade, and while Johnson has a relationship with his dad, he says that his focus is on his mom, older brother (Kameron), and younger sister (Ariel).
“My mom, that’s my queen. She did it all on her own, she made it work,” he said. “She made sure we had a roof over our head, no matter what the situation was. We were evicted, had to move in with my auntie, she slept on the couch, my sister and I were sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
“It was tough, but that’s life. My mom would just get up every day and find a way. Take three kids to three different schools and then get herself to work on time. Every day. I just want to bless my momma one day, give her the spotlight she deserves, bless my family.”
Johnson was the driver when he got into a serious car accident two years ago, totaling his mom’s car. He still has the key though, as it serves as a reminder of a promise he made to her to one day replace the car. He has dreams of making that happen by playing in the NBA, and Espinosa and Scraba both say that he has a chance, and group him among the most talented players the school has ever had, guys like Hamidou Diallo, Tyson Etienne, and Scoochie Smith, who have all either been in the league or on the fringe of it.
His fallback plan is to pursue something in his other passion – fashion, perhaps even having his own clothing line.
First though, there’s the matter of college. And his recruitment. And dealing with all those labels. They have undoubtedly hurt his recruitment, as college coaches are skeptical to spend time and energy on someone whom they have heard could destroy a season, a team, a coach.
But Johnson’s not a bad kid. One PSA staff member tells a story of taking videos at practices and games that are posted to social media. Johnson will text the staff member and politely ask for the videos.
“He’ll write, ‘Hi, I saw those videos posted, could you please send them to me?’” the staff member said. “In the past, kids would just text or come up to me and say, ‘You’ve got to send me those videos,’ or ‘I need those, send them to me.’ I didn’t think they were being disrespectful, but Justin is being outwardly and noticeably respectful. And then after I send them, he’ll respond with ‘thank you’ or ‘I appreciate you.’ Every time.”
Johnson credits his mom for teaching him respect. That’s why those related labels bother him.
“Disrespectful and bad attitude?” he said. “That’s never been me. My mom would never let me be like that. She played the mom role and the dad role in my life. She taught me respect, on and off the court.”
His reputation as a bad teammate has missed the mark at PSA as well. To a man, his teammates speak well of him. Good dude. Chill dude. Funny. Supportive. Wants to win. Wants to help the team win. Humble. Quiet.
At a recent home game in which another PSA team was playing, most of the Prep players in attendance were sitting or standing along the stage on one baseline. Johnson though was sitting by himself along the sideline near midcourt.
The tag of being uncoachable is what bothers him the most though.
Johnson loves the game, in part because of the confidence it instills in him. “I just love the game of basketball,” he said. “It brings me joy. It’s something I’m good at and can improve on and continue to be good at. I just love to see myself be consistent with something in life. “So for people to say that I’m uncoachable…if someone is teaching me the game, especially a better version of the game, I always love to pick up and learn that. I’m not perfect, on or off the court. I can do things better, I know that. But I want people to know that I have a strong love and strong drive for this game and I plan on taking myself far with it.”
Johnson played his first three years of high school at Miami Dade, then transferred to Donda Academy in Los Angeles.  When Donda closed down before the season even started, Johnson had to move on, ending up at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona. He’s at PSA now for a postgrad year.
“He wasn’t bouncing around. But I think it added to the perception that he couldn’t be coached,” said PSA  assistant coach Andy Lemoine.
  “I’m not saying there aren’t things he could do better. But I don’t think his transgressions are the end of the world, certainly not to the point where college coaches should be hearing ‘Don’t touch him.’ It’s a growing process, and the growth that I’ve seen in him has been astronomical.”
The names of all the players are still on the white board in Espinosa’s office, but it’s a depth chart now as opposed to just a list of names.
PSA has struggled to find its collective footing while losing eight of its first 19 games (having lost three all of last season and none the year before), and Johnson’s performance has been a bit of a microcosm of those struggles. His numbers are good; he’s averaging 17.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. His shot has been more inconsistent, as he’s making just 43.4 percent from the floor, 35.5 percent on 3s, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
“He wasn’t our Number 1 recruit,” Espinosa said. “He was our last one. We did our research on him and heard all these negative things about him. But we had a spot left and we figured that if he comes in and it works out, he would make us a lot better. If he doesn’t, he’d be gone. That was our thinking.
“When he committed to us, my phone was blowing up saying ‘good luck with him,’ ‘he’ll never make it,’ ‘he’s a bad kid,’ all that stuff. And these were adults talking about a kid, which doesn’t sit well with me. Is he perfect? No. Does he need to work harder defensively and be more consistent? Yes, but that’s pretty much every kid.
“But those things that we heard about him, our initial outlook of him…they’re wrong. And we have been wrong. He’s a good kid, he is very coachable, he’s respectful, he’s grateful, he’s been a good teammate. Justin Johnson has been the least of our problems, I can tell you that.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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