This time, Jarvis Johnson is getting noticed because of his play on the court.
Johnson, a freshman point guard, showed maturity and poise beyond his age, scoring a team-leading 22 points to pace DeLaSalle past Detroit Lakes 65-46 in the Class 3A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena.
Last year Johnson, then a guard for Prairie Seeds Academy in Brooklyn Center, collapsed on the court during practice. Jarvis missed the rest of the season and transferred to DeLaSalle last summer. He is the brother of Tyseanna Johnson, a guard for DeLaSalle’s state-champion girls’ team and nephew of DeLaSalle girls’ coach Faith Johnson Patterson,
Johnson was unshakable Wednesday, making nine of 12 field goal attempts and adding nine rebounds and three assists without a single turnover.
“He’s a special kid,” DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson said. “He’s always one step ahead because he sees the game slower than most people do. And he’s got the world’s best smile. He never gets rattled. I keep pinching myself and saying ‘Ninth grade, ninth grade,’ because he doesn’t seem that young.”
Detroit Lakes made its first appearance in the state tournament since 1918. The Lakers (22-8) were led by Joe Mollberg’s 20 points.
JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune
Jarvis Johnson, DeLaSalle
The speedy guard led the way for the Islanders, scoring 22 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Johnson had a great shooting day for DeLaSalle, going 9-12 from the field and 2-3 from both the free throw and three-point line.
Reid Travis, DeLaSalle
Travis manned the paint for the Islanders. Detroit Lakes did not have the interior defense to contend with Travis inside and he used it to his advantage scoring 20 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. His size will be very tough to contend with for other teams in this tournament.
Joe Mollberg, Detroit Lakes
The Lakers guard gave his best effort to keep the his team in the game, scoring 20 points and down 4 triples. He was consistent throughout, hitting four shots in each half to provide a scoring punch Detroit Lakes.
-Alec Kinsky, MN Basketball Hub Staff