Know Your Team: Marlon Johnson

Forward

6'10

From Chicago, Illinois

Marlon Johnson may be a newcomer to the NBL Canada in 2019-20, but he is no stranger to the basketball courts - having taken shown his skills on them the world over.

His journey in the sport began in Joliet Township West, after which he played two years with JUCO’s Tallahassee Eagles. His career averages of 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game saw him named one of the top ten junior college prospects, and in 2014 he was recruited to the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys in NCAA Division 2.

Johnson started in every game in his two seasons with the Cowboys and ended his tenure with an average 14.7 points scored per game as well as 9.8 rebounds and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honours both years.

He turned professional in 2017 and signed with Juventud in the Spanish second division. He played 41 games and averaged 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in his debut season, where his team finished second but missed out on promotion to the top flight in the post-season playoffs.

The 2018-19 season turned out to be a busy one for Johnson: the first part was split between Caceras in the same league and later Albuferia in Portugal, before he made the move to Canada, joining the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Posting career-best 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, he would help take the team to the inaugural CEBL championship.

Johnson began the 2019-20 season in Libya, before moving back to Canada, where he was welcomed by the Sudbury Five, who would be his first NBLC team.

Only nine games in and he has already made a big impact on the league: 20.1 points per game and a league-leading 10.7 total boards - and the good news is, at time of going to press, there's still plenty of time for him to do so much more.