Call Him What You Will, Damian Johnson has Emerged as a Leader and Star during His Career

When Damian Johnson first arrived at the University of Minnesota, a world away from his hometown of Thibodeaux, La., he was just Damian Johnson. After a redshirt season under then-coach Dan Monson and his staff, Johnson’s saw occasional minutes as a freshman, where he showed glimpses of fantastic athleticism. He was still a mysterious element in the Gopher program when Coach Tubby Smith took over.

Identified by the coaching staff for his athletic ability and given a significant role in the new system, Johnson flourished, providing a little bit of everything for the Gophers ““ points, rebounds, blocks, steals. If they kept a stat on it, odds were, Johnson was among the team leaders. He became something other than the freshman that showed up several years earlier. Now he was DJ, Duck and VIP, an integral component in a much-improved Gopher basketball program.

Now a senior and a team leader, Johnson took a few minutes to talk about what this season holds for him and his team, as well as the future.

GH: Let’s talk about what it means for you to be a senior this year ““ what will it take for you to consider this final season a success?

DJ: I’ll be disappointed with anything less than a bid to the NCAA (tournament) and advancing a couple of rounds. A lot of guys worked really hard this summer and a lot of guys have been working hard since we started. This will be a big year for me. I’m enjoying playing with these guys. We’ve got a lot of new athletes and it’s great.

GH: So do you feel any extra pressure to succeed this year because it’s your senior year and have you been trying to put some of that pressure, our maybe say, motivation, on to some of your teammates?

DJ: I’m a guy that a lot of guys like and I think a lot of guys want to see us win this year. I think a lot of guys want to use this year to start a new dynasty. They’ve got a lot of guys that are coming back next year and guys that are going to be really good for the next couple years. We’ve got freshman like Royce (White) and Rodney (Williams) and Justin (Cobbs), then we got Devoe (Joseph) who’s just a sophomore, so the team really has a strong, young nucleus of guys that could use this year to build the whole program.

GH: Speaking of the young guys, if you could use what you’ve learned in your years at Minnesota and playing Big Ten basketball and give them one piece of advice, what would it be?

DJ: Listen to what Coach says because Coach, most of the time, knows what’s right. Everything he says is going to be right. Even if you don’t agree, just listen to Coach and play no matter what. You can have some times when you’re down but you have to keep it going.

GH: How do you feel like you’ve changed, maybe as a person or a player, during your time here at Minnesota?

DJ: I feel like I’ve matured a lot. My first year I was going through a lot of rough stuff, with off-the-court issues and stuff. Being a freshman, first time getting freedom, I think I grew up a lot. I graduated. I finished by focusing on a lot of school things I wasn’t focusing on at first. That was the biggest thing for me, maturity.

GH: So you’ve already graduated? What did you get your degree in?

DJ: Yeah, I graduated in the spring with a degree in Communications. I’m taking grad classes right now in Sports Management.

GH: I’m sure you took that advice you’d give to the freshmen and listened to Coach Smith when you broke it down after the season. What were some of the things you talked about working on this off-season?

DJ: Ball handling and shooting. Coach really wanted me to focus on making my shot better so when I have open shots I can knock them down. He also said, since I’m going to play three this year, he wanted me to improve my handle. He wanted me to get stronger too, and I think I got stronger. I increased my max by 40 pounds. I think that’s all going to really help.

GH: Not just from you, but from the whole team, what can Gopher fans expect this season when they show up to the Barn to watch Minnesota basketball?

DJ: A lot of excitement. We’ve got a lot of guys who are going to do some really exciting things. We’ve got Rodney Williams, who plays well above the rim, and Trevor Mbakwe, who also plays well above the rim. We’ve got Royce White, who’s one of the strongest guys you’re going to see. He’s very physical and he really moves. And Justin Cobbs is just a speed demon, so you’re going to see a lot of fun things with those new guys and a lot of improvement from the old guys. It’s gonna be great.

GH: After this year, you collegiate career will be finished and you’ll be moving on to the next step. What do you hope your legacy with Gopher fans is, say, 10 years from now?

DJ: I want them to say he was a champion and he help start the whole turnaround with a new program, because I think this program’s about to do great things over the next couple years with Coach and the new guys coming in. I think this is going to be a really great program. I hope they remember me as part of the turnaround.

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