A new addition to the men’s basketball team
BY JAMIE KENNEDY
Gerrard Johnson’s impact on the basketball team has been nothing but positive this year. Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophmore transferred here from Corning Community College where he played with seniors Fabian Ferreria, Herley Pellew, and Assistant coach Alphonso Howlet. “Without those guys, I would not be here right now. They introduced me to the program along with head coach Todd Montana, ” Johnson said. He heard about the men’s magnificent run at the NEC independent championship last year and wanted to come in and help to repeat it. “As a player, Gerard has a great upside, and while he is good now, I’m very excited to see the player he can become. He has a world of talent and a great work ethic, and that combination is a recipe for success, as long as he remains humble and hard-working,” Montana said.
Johnson lived in Queens, NY until he was a sophomore in high school. He played varsity ball in ninth and tenth grade in Queens, but he finished his junior and senior year in Binghamton. As a freshmen and sophmore in high school, Johnson averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds, leading his team to the conference finals. As a junior and senior at Binghamton High School, he averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds, and got his school into the state’s Final Four. He was a first-team All-state player, with big hopes for the future.
After high school, Johnson went to Corning Community College for two years, where he was a starter in every game. Although he played a point guard at Corning, his position at GMC is a forward – center. “It’s a big change for me, but I have to play where I am needed to help the team be successful,” Johnson noted. Johnson came to GMC with freshman Travis Debreaux to replace Doug Hammond, who was one of the college’s best players last year. “Doug was a superstar here at GMC and is currently playing overseas, living a dream that every basketball players dreams of,” stated Johnson. “They are very different players. Gerard can do some things that Doug couldn’t and vice-versa. The biggest thing they have in common is their work level. They both work themselves to exhaustion, and refuse to let up or take plays off,” said Montana.
Johnson praised the commitment his teammates put on court and expects that GMC will have another good season. “We have high hopes for the season and each game we plan to get better. By the time the end of the seasons comes around, we want to be ready for our playoff run. Our division is tough this year, but we know what we have to do to bring home another championship trophy,” Johnson concluded.
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