Oaks Christian basketball player headed to Ivy League

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Matt Johnson, a 6-foot-6 senior basketball player from Westlake Village Oaks Christian, missed most of last season with a broken wrist. But hard work during the summer has paid off. He committed Tuesday to Columbia, turning down Harvard, Portland and UC Davis.

‘The injury was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to work on other facets of my game over the summer, and I think that caught the attention of the schools out there,’ he told Sean Ceglinsky of The Times.

Johnson was averaging 11.2 points and 7.3 rebounds until he was injured in the ninth game. He’s expected to play point guard this season, and his height should be helpful in the college ranks.

- Eric Sondheimer