Geron Marquis Johnson (born August 9, 1992) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for
Al Mouttahed Tripoli of the
Lebanese Basketball League
The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB).
Currently, the leagu ...
. He played two seasons of college basketball for the
University of Memphis
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The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...
after playing for two community colleges.
Early life and high school career
Johnson's father is not in his life and his mother, Duana Hancock, raised him and his brother as a single parent. He attended
Dunbar High School in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
. After his sophomore season, Johnson's mother asked former NBA player
Sedric Toney to mentor him.
As a junior in 2008–09, he averaged 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game as he earned Dayton City League Player of the Year honors. As a senior in 2009–10, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in helping lead Dunbar to a 25-3 overall record. He subsequently earned ''Dayton Daily News'' Division 2 Player of the Year honors.
A top 100 recruit in the class of 2010, Johnson led Dunbar to a state title as a senior.
However, poor grades and disciplinary issues, including an attempted burglary arrest as a junior, derailed his basketball career and forced him to pay in junior college instead of immediately enrolling in an
NCAA Division 1
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
school.
College career
As a freshman at
Chipola College
Chipola College is a public college in Marianna, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
History
The school was founded in 1947 as Chipola Junior College; its name was changed in 2003 after the college developed several bachelor's ...
in 2010–11, Johnson averaged 10.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, as he helped lead the Indians to a 25-6 overall record and the Panhandle Conference championship.
He was dismissed from the team due to possessing marijuana.
[
As a sophomore at ]Garden City Community College
Garden City Community College (Garden City CC or GCCC) is a public community college in Garden City, Kansas. It was established in 1919 to provide a means for post-secondary education for area residents. The school initially shared facilities i ...
in 2011–12, Johnson averaged 19.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 25 games, as he led the Broncbusters to a 17-12 overall record. On February 22, 2012, he was expelled from the college after being arrested for theft and criminal trespassing. “After Garden City, I thought I wasn’t going to have an opportunity to bounce another basketball collegiately,” Johnson said. “That frustrated me mentally and I’m glad God has given me the opportunity to make a way and keep striving at my goals, my dreams, and my aspirations.”[
On April 14, 2012, Johnson signed a National Letter of Intent to play ]college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the University of Memphis
}
The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...
. Coach Josh Pastner
Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach, and the current head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball national championship team, ...
recruited Johnson as a replacement for Will Barton after it became clear that Barton would leave early for the professional ranks. Johnson was considered to be one of the best junior college players in the nation but a risky recruit due to his criminal record. As a result, Pastner set a unique midnight curfew and routine academic monitoring.[
Coming into his junior season, Johnson was suspended for three games by the NCAA for receiving impermissible benefits.][ As a junior at ]Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
in 2012–13, Johnson saw action in 33 games and made 26 starts while averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He subsequently earned third-team All- Conference USA and NABC Division I All-District 11 second team honors. He had a career-high 21 points in an 84-58 victory over Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.[ In the team's season-ending loss to ]Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Johnson had a team-high 16 points. Off the court, Johnson volunteered in the community by reading to small children and was honored for his academic achievement. He was one of the 19 players invited to the Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
Skills Academy over the summer after his junior year.[
As a senior in 2013–14, Johnson started 33 of 34 games and averaged 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In doing so, he helped Memphis to a 24-10 overall record and a 12-6 conference mark in the program's first season in the ]American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
in 2013–14. In May 2014, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft
The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...
, Johnson joined the Houston Rockets for the 2014 NBA Summer League
The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...
. On October 23, 2014, he signed with the Rockets, only to be waived two days later prior to the start of the 2014–15 NBA season
The 2014–15 NBA season was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA draft took place on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Andrew Wiggins was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The re ...
. On November 2, 2014, he was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...
of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player. In 33 games for the Vipers in 2014–15, he averaged 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
In July 2015, Johnson joined the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
for the 2015 NBA Summer League
The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.
Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League at ...
.
On May 26, 2018, Johnson signed with Halcones de Ciudad Obregón of the Mexican CIBACOPA. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in 25 games as Halcones made it to the CIBACOPA final.
Johnson signed with Al Rayyan SC
Al-Rayyan Sports Club () is a Qatari multi-sports club fielding teams in a number of sports such as football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics, table tennis, and swimming. It is based at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Umm Al ...
of the Qatari Basketball League
The Qatari Basketball League () is the top-tier men's basketball league operating in Qatar. The winning team obtains the participation right to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. The first official season took place in 1981/82. There is a second divis ...
on December 15, 2018. On August 9, 2019, he signed with Al Mouttahed Tripoli of the Lebanese Basketball League
The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB).
Currently, the leagu ...
.
References
External links
NBA D-League profile
Memphis Tigers bio
Los Angeles Clippers bio
Washington Post college stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Geron
1992 births
Living people
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon
American expatriate basketball people in Mexico
American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
American expatriate basketball people in Qatar
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Dayton, Ohio
Chipola Indians men's basketball players
Garden City Broncbusters men's basketball players
Halcones de Ciudad Obregón players
Memphis Tigers men's basketball players
Philippine Basketball Association imports
Rio Grande Valley Vipers players
Shooting guards
Sioux Falls Skyforce players
Terrafirma Dyip players