Boys’ basketball: Second time around works for Johnson
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Steve Johnson is back in a second stint as boys’ basketball coach at Eisenhower.
And, yes, his Eagles might be better than ever.
Eisenhower will become the first boys’ team from San Bernardino County to play for a CIF state title Friday night when the Eagles take on Rocklin in the Division II championship game at Arco Arena in Sacramento.
Johnson had coached some heavyweight teams in his first 12 years at Eisenhower before departing in 2004 to become athletic director at Carter and then Eisenhower.
His 2002-03 team featured eventual Boston College standout Sean Marshall and captured the Southern Section Division I-AA title.
His 2001-02 team had high-flying Cory McJimson and Johnny Dukes and reached the state Division I playoffs.
His 2000-01 team included current Clippers swingman Alex Acker and advanced deep in the Division I-AAA playoffs.
This team is a guard-heavy bunch, with forward Bernard Ireland measuring 6 feet 4 and no one else taller than 6-2. The Eagles (31-3) spread the floor and take lots of three-pointers, making as many as 17 earlier this season during a victory over Redlands East Valley.
It was quite a sight watching the mini-Eagles combat Los Angeles Loyola’s 6-9 Carl Hoffman and 6-10 Tony Wroblicky on Saturday during Eisenhower’s 68-62 victory over the Cubs in the Southern California Division II regional championship. Hoffman had 34 points and 12 rebounds and Wroblicky had eight points and 12 rebounds, but Eisenhower grabbed three more offensive rebounds than its counterparts and had only one fewer rebound overall.
‘We’ve played some big teams and done fine against them, so the size doesn’t matter,’ Johnson said.
Senior guard Andrew Bock, who has signed with Creighton, is Eisenhower’s biggest star. He had 21 points and eight rebounds during the triumph over Loyola.
‘He’s the best player we’ve played against all year,’ Loyola guard Miles Cartwright said of Bock. ‘He’s very crafty and has a great handle. He can get in the lane and shoot well.’
Eisenhower’s opponent Friday is a team it already defeated, 77-66, in December. Bock scored 25 points and the Eagles made 14 three-pointers during that victory, but Johnson said his team won’t overlook Rocklin after having to pull out a pair of hard-fought victories over Loyola--first in a section title game and later in the Southern California regional championship--last week.
Johnson returned to coaching at Eisenhower late in the 2006-07 season at the behest of then-school Principal Reginald Thompkins after Johnson’s replacement, James Lindsey, was dismissed. Johnson said he doesn’t foresee leaving anytime soon.
‘It’s kind of worked out,’ Johnson said. ‘I’m not thinking this is my last year.’
--Ben Bolch