Fresno State Athletics
Johnson Signs Two-Year Deal with the Miami Heat
2/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Stephen Trembley
strembley@csufresno.edu
www.GoBulldogs.com
MIAMI --- Through good old fashioned hard work and a gritty Bulldog spirit, former Fresno State men's basketball standout Tyler Johnson earned a two-year contract with the Miami Heat, the team announced Sunday.
The journey to the NBA has seen Johnson leverage a strong showing during the NBA Summer League into an invitation to the Heat's training camp, an opportunity with the Heat's Sioux Falls Development League squad, and two 10-day contracts and now the multi-year deal with the NBA team from South Beach.
"I was excited," Johnson said. "All I did was stay the course, keep my head down and keep grinding."
Bulldogs' fourth-year head coach Rodney Terry coached Johnson for the explosive guard's final three seasons at Fresno State in which his development as a player was stark and largely the result of Johnson's relentless work ethic and the strong coaching he received on and off the court. Johnson's athleticism and basketball knowledge were both major factors in separating himself on his journey to the NBA.
"I'm really proud how TJ went about his work to earn this opportunity in the NBA," Terry said. "He really is a self-made player and shows that if you put in the work, that you can give yourself a chance to make it in the league. He was always the first guy in the gym and last guy to leave. He's focused on the details and is a great example for our program."
As a senior, Johnson was an explosive athlete leading the Bulldogs to their first postseason appearance in seven years and reaching the final game of the CBI championship series.
Johnson steadily improved throughout his four-year Fresno State career - increasing his scoring average from 4.4 (freshman) to 9.3 (sophomore) to 12.1 (junior) and 15.9 as a senior. Johnson scored at least 20 points 13 times his career. He appeared in 127 career games (87 starts) and averaged 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.10 steals and 27.9 minutes while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range and 71.6 percent from the foul line.
Johnson finished his collegiate career ranked No. 16 on Fresno State's all-time scoring list (1,346 career points). In his last season, he was named to the All-Mountain West Second Team and shot 43.2 percent from three-point range, the sixth-highest single-season three-point field goal percentage in school history.
Johnson is the 30th Bulldog to play in the NBA.
"Tyler's earned everything he's gotten up to this point," Miami head coach Erik Spolestra said of Johnson. "He's very tough and very competitive. "We think he's a promising young guard prospect that we can develop."
"Be Bold!" --- Mini-plans for the 2014-15 Fresno State men's basketball season are available starting at $36 through the Bulldog Ticket Office at the Save Mart Center, over the phone at 559-278-DOGS and online at www.GoBulldogs.com.
