Dustin Johnson (seated center), Braves senior point guard, signs a scholarship on Wednesday, May 27 to play basketball next season for the Sandhills Community College Flyers in Pinehurst. Shown (left-right) are Mike Apple, Sandhills head basketball coach; Winona Duran Johnson, Dustin’s mother; Johnson; Sally Durant, Dustin’s grandmother; and Willis Tullos, Braves head coach. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
ONE FEATHER STAFF
Dustin Johnson, Braves senior point guard, is taking his #22 to the next level. He signed a scholarship on Wednesday, May 27 to play basketball next season for the Sandhills Community College Flyers in Pinehurst. His new Flyers jersey, bearing #22, was unveiled during the signing.
“It feels like I’m up to the challenge,” said Johnson. “I want to better myself, better my game, and I’m excited that I get to go to the next level.”
Johnson, a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, was named All-Conference and second team All-WNC (Citizen-Times) in his senior season. Averaging 22.3 points/game, he helped lead the Braves to the Sectional Final. He was named the MVP of this year’s Blue-White All-Star game, and he scored his 1,000 career point as a Brave on Jan. 6 at Murphy.
“It feels really good,” said Willis Tullos, Braves head coach. “Dustin deserves this. I’ve coached 46 years, and he is one of the best players I’ve coached in all of those years. I’ve had 25 kids sign – all the way from Mississippi State to community college – and Dustin is one of the best. He’s got all the skills it takes. He can shoot three-points. He can penetrate and drive. He can handle the ball. He’s quick, and he picks off a lot of the opponent’s passes. He can do anything that you need done on the basketball court.”
His new coach is also excited to see Johnson coming to Sandhills. “We first learned about Dustin through Coach Tullos,” said Mike Apple, Sandhills head basketball coach. “He gave us a phone call and was very helpful in getting us film on him and letting us evaluate him. We really liked what we saw, and honestly, we feel really fortunate about being able to sign a kid of his caliber. I think he’s going to come in and make an immediate contribution at Sandhills, and we’re excited about it.”
Winona Durant Johnson, Dustin’s mother, commented, “He’s very excited. He feels very honored, and he’s worked really hard to get to this point. He had other options, but he wanted to be close to the community so people could come and watch him. He’s gotten a lot of support from Cherokee, and he’s very appreciative.”
Sandhills won the 2012 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division III national championship in basketball.
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