Ivan Johnson

09/20/05: "Ivan Johnson, the 6-8 junior college power forward who was released from his national letter-of-intent last week by the University of Cincinnati, has decided to enroll at Oregon." - Enquirer.com

09/16/05: According to ESPNInsider, Ivan is looking at Oregon.

09/12/05: Johnson was given his release from Cincinnati.
"Mack Cleveland, who was an assistant coach at Southwest last season and serves as Johnson's adviser, said Johnson's decision not to go to UC was not a reflection on UC interim head coach Andy Kennedy.

"The kid was really up and excited about playing for Bob Huggins," Cleveland said. "Who wants to go to Cincinnati without Huggins? That's like going to Syracuse without Jim Boeheim. Without Bob Huggins, there is no Cincinnati." - Enquirer.com


Visited campus, April 15th. Signed on May 3 2005.

05/04/05: "He's an excellent low-post player, big and strong," said junior-college recruiting analyst Rick Ball. "We don't see too many back-to-the-basket bangers anymore."

Mack Cleveland, one of Johnson's junior-college coaches, compared him with former UNLV star Larry Johnson, and although high school and junior-college coaches often exaggerate the talents of their players, Kennedy said the comparison may not be too far-fetched, at least as far as their style of play is concerned.

"He's got a similar game," Kennedy said. "If he can accomplish a third of what Johnson accomplished, we'll have a pretty good player.

"He's a physical presence and he brings versatility to the power forward slot. He can step away from the basket. He does have 3-point range, but he's most effective from 18 feet and in. He's a good passer out of the high post. We can run some offense through him, and he gives us a rebounding presence." - Enquirer.com

05/03/05: "Ivan signed with Cincinnati today," said Los Angeles CC assistant coach Mack Cleveland. "Florida State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Lamar and East Tennessee State were all on him hard." - www.RivalsHoops.com

05/03/05: "the University of Cincinnati on Monday landed an oral commitment from Ivan Johnson, a junior college power forward. Johnson, 6-foot-8, 252 pounds, averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds last season at Southwest Community College in Los Angeles. (snip) Johnson, originally from San Antonio, Texas, visited UC three weeks ago but decided to visit other schools before making his decision. He visited Kansas State and Lamar and turned down visits to Florida State and Oklahoma State, according to Mack Cleveland, an assistant coach at Southwestern. "He's a big-time power player," Cleveland said. "He's probably a reincarnated version of Larry Johnson. He's versatile. He can handle the ball and he can shoot the ball from 15 to 19 feet." - Enquirer.com

04/20/05: "He visits Kansas State this coming weekend and he just got back from Cincinnati this past weekend. The trip to Cincinnati was a good one for Ivan. He enjoyed it and they showed him around the campus and talked to him about their program and how he would fit in with what they are trying to do, but he came home no closer to making a choice than when he left."

Cleveland believes K-State has a good chance at landing the 6-foot-8, 252-pound power forward. "I think they have a good chance to get him. He needs to go see their campus, and who knows what will happen then. They've done a good job of recruiting him and have stayed on top of him all along," Cleveland said.

Johnson holds scholarship offers from both Cincinnati and Kansas State in addition to two other schools still under consideration. "Those two are the top two right now," - Powercat.com (Kansas State)

04/13/05: "Ivan Johnson, a 6-8, 240-pound forward from Los Angeles Southwest Community College, is expected to visit the UC campus this weekend. Johnson averaged 26 points a game last season." - Enquirer.com (3 to 5)

04/06/05: 1 to 3, per tipster.

03/05/05: Season complete. LA Southwest lost to #1 seed San Bernardino Valley by 2. Finished the season with averages 22 pts, 12 rebs and 2.3 steals per game. Shot FG-61% 3FG-32% FT-41%.

02/24/05: Johnson and his LA Southwest team have won five straight, four in blowouts.

02/18/05: "Sophomore forward Ivan Johnson had a big game for L.A. Southwest (14-8, 0-3 SCC South), pounding in 29 points while grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds." - Long Beach Comber

02/16/05: Averaging 21 pts, 11 rebs, 3.5 blocks and 2.6 steals per game. Shooting FG-61% 3FG-35% FT-63%.

02/10/05: In overtime, Cougar center Ivan Johnson helped pulled the team ahead, as he scored eight of their 12 points, including 6-of-8 from the free throw line. He finished the game with 31 points and 13 rebounds.

02/06/05: Listed as the second best center in the California Juco system. - JCHoops.com

02/03/05: The Cougars were led by a dominant 29-point, 19-rebound effort from center Ivan Johnson.

01/26/05: Sophomore forward Ivan Johnson had a big game for L.A. Southwest (14-8, 0-3 SCC South), pounding in 29 points while grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds. He also had 4 blocks, 2 steals, 2 assists and just one turnover in 35 mins of playing time.

01/07/05: LA Southwest (15-4) was paced by Michael Woodard with 26 points. Center Ivan Johnson was also a force with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

12/09/04: "Ctr Ivan Johnson scored 30 pts and grabbed 13 rebs to lead host LA Southwest (7-2) to a decisive win over Orange Coast. Orange Coast led 8-7 in the early going after SG Lance Ortiz nailed a pair of threes, but then Johnson began to assert himself. The 6-8, 240-pounder scored 3 buckets (in a row)"
12/17 FG's, 6/8 FT, 13 Rebs, 2 Asts, 2 Blocks and a steal in a win over Orange Coast. - JCHoops.com