Jaaziel "Jazz" Johnson (born September 26, 1996) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for
Rinascita Basket Rimini of the
Serie A2 Basket
Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian league pyramid, below the first division LBA and above the third division Serie B, with pro ...
. He played college basketball for
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
.
Early life and high school career
In fourth grade, Johnson wrote one of his goals was to play basketball at
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
, his grandfather's favorite team. Growing up, he played baseball, soccer, football and basketball, but ultimately decided to focus on basketball. He did not shoot three-pointers in games until eighth grade.
Johnson attended
Benson Polytechnic High School
Benson Polytechnic High School is a technical public high school in the Portland Public Schools district. It is temporarily located in Portland's Lents neighborhood while a renovation project is underway at its campus in the Central Eastside ...
in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, for his freshman season, earning second-team All-Portland honors. He transferred to
Milwaukie High School
Milwaukie High School is a public high school located in Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. It is one of seven high schools within the North Clackamas School District. The school's mascot is the mustang, and its colors are maroon and gold.
Hist ...
as a sophomore and led the conference in scoring and was named first-team All-Northwest Oregon. Johnson transferred to
Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School (LOHS) is a public high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States.
History
Lake Oswego High School first opened in September 1951 as a six-year school, with an enrollment of 564. In 1956, it became a four-year high sch ...
before his junior season. At the 2014 Les Schwab Invitational, Johnson set the tournament scoring record, averaging 35 points per game.
Johnson earned second-team 6A All-State honors as a senior and led the Three Rivers League in scoring.
He committed to
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, which was the first school to offer him a scholarship, during his sophomore year.
College career
As a freshman at Portland, Johnson made one start and averaged 6.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.
[ Following the season, coach ]Eric Reveno
Eric Wendell Reveno (born March 12, 1966) is an American assistant college basketball coach at Oregon State and the former head men's basketball coach at Portland Pilots men's basketball, Portland. He was named the West Coast Conference coach of th ...
was fired and was replaced by Terry Porter
Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisc ...
. As a sophomore, Johnson averaged 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and was named Honorable Mention All- WCC. Porter told him after the season that he would not receive as many minutes going forward, so Johnson opted to enter the transfer portal. He received interest from Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
and several Big Sky programs. Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
coach Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman (born November 19, 1964) is an American college basketball coach who is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas. He is the former head coach of the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors of the N ...
was undecided about whether to offer Johnson a scholarship due to his height, but his son Matthew convinced him. Johnson signed with the Wolf Pack on May 3, 2017, joining three other transfers.
Due to NCAA regulations, Johnson redshirted the 2017–18 season, practicing with his teammates as Nevada reached the Sweet 16. Coming into his junior season, he was tasked with replacing Kendall Stephens. He missed one game with a shoulder injury. Johnson averaged 11 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and was named Mountain West
The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...
Sixth Man of the Year. After the season, Johnson underwent shoulder surgery and entered the transfer portal after coach Musselman left for Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
. He ultimately opted to return to Nevada. On January 4, 2020, Johnson posted career highs in points (34), rebounds (seven), and three pointers (8-of-12) while contributing two assists in an 83–66 victory over Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
. As a senior, Johnson averaged 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, shooting 41.7 percent from behind the arc. He was named to the Second Team All-Mountain West by the coaches. Johnson scored 1,563 points in his career and made 256 three-pointers.
Professional career
On July 29, 2020, Johnson signed his first professional contract with Pallacanestro Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy. On the European-wide club competition scene, Cantù is second to Real Madrid – again ...
of the Italian Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
. In his debut against Virtus Bologna
Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna.
The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...
on September 27, Johnson scored 12 points in an 84–65 loss. He scored a season-high 26 points against Pallacanestro Brescia
Pallacanestro Brescia S.p.A., known for sponsorship reasons as Germani Brescia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Brescia, Lombardy. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) since the 2016–17 season ...
. Johnson averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game, shooting 42.1 percent from the field.
On August 5, 2021, he signed with Pistoia Basket 2000
A.S. Pistoia Basket 2000, known for sponsorship reasons as OriOra Pistoia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Pistoia, Tuscany.
History
The city of Pistoia was formerly represented in the first division LBA by Olimpia Basket Pist ...
of the Serie A2. During the first two phases of the championship, he played 16 games averaging 18.6 points, 2.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46.4% (39-for-84) on three-point shots. The team finished third in its group and clinched a playoff berth. During the postseason, Johnson averaged 16.1 points, 2.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 10 games.
His experience in the Italian Serie A2 continued with Rinascita Basket Rimini after he signed for the 2022–23 season.
Personal life
Johnson's father Leland played basketball at the College of Alameda
College of Alameda is a public community college in Alameda, California. It is part of the Peralta Community College District and was opened in 1968. Since 1970 the college has held classes on a 62-acre campus at the intersection of Webster Stre ...
. He was shot in the abdomen and head one day and was paralyzed from the waist down for several years. After regaining feeling in his legs, he moved to Oregon, met Shannon, and had a son and daughter. He played football for the indoor Portland Forest Dragons
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
during the 1990s. Leland became a high-level basketball trainer and coached several sports. Johnson's given name, Jaaziel, means "strength of God." Growing up, Johnson was a Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
fan but his favorite player was Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
. A close friend of his, Portland State
Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...
basketball player Deante Strickland, was killed by his sister Tamena in August 2019.
References
External links
Nevada Wolf Pack bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jazz
1996 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Portland, Oregon
Lake Oswego High School alumni
Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball players
Pallacanestro Cantù players
Point guards
Portland Pilots men's basketball players