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Gus Johnson (December 13, 1938 – April 29, 1987) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A , forward-center,〔(Gus Johnson NBA & ABA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com )〕 he spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets, and his final season was split between the Phoenix Suns and the Indiana Pacers of the ABA. One of the first forwards to frequently play above the rim, Johnson combined an unusual blend of strength, jumping ability, and speed; he was one of the first dunk shot artists in the NBA. His nickname "Honeycomb" was given to him by his college coach. He had a gold star drilled into one of his front teeth and shattered three backboards during his career. As a member of the Baltimore Bullets, Johnson was voted to the All-Rookie Team for 1963–64. He played in five NBA All-Star Games, was named to four All-NBA Second Teams, and was twice named to the All-NBA Defense First Team. His No. 25 jersey was retired by the Bullets franchise. With the Pacers, he was a member of the 1973 ABA championship team. Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. ==High school and college basketball== Johnson attended Central High School in Akron, Ohio, where he was an All-State high school player, and he did reasonably-well in the classroom, too. Among his teammates was Nate Thurmond, a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame center. Despite Johnson's clears talent and athletic ability, he had just a few college athletic scholarship offers, which was fairly common for black high school athletes in the late 1950s. Johnson had enrolled at hometown Akron, but he left before basketball started and joined a nearby AAU club. While playing for the AAU team in 1960–61, he was spotted by a former teammate of first-year Idaho head coach Joe Cipriano, and Johnson accepted Idaho's scholarship offer. He played a year at Boise Junior College (now Boise State University) to get his grades up as a sophomore, and it was at Boise that he averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds a game.〔''(Lewiston Morning Tribune )'' – Vandal basketball prospects for season reviewed by Cipriano – November 15, 1962 – p.12〕 Johnson then transferred up north to the University of Idaho in Moscow in 1962.〔''(Sports Illustrated )'' – Big days in the pea capital – 1963-02-18, p.50-52〕 The Vandals had a .500 season at 13–13 in 1961–62, and the addition of Johnson made an immediate impact as they won their first five games and were 12–2 through January. The Vandals were actually undefeated through January with Johnson playing: due to NCAA rules (junior college transfer originally enrolled at a four-year school) at the time, he was allowed to play regular season games only, not tournaments.〔''(Lewiston Morning Tribune )'' – New hope Johnson could play in Far West Classic squelched – December 20, 1962 – p.12〕 The Vandals went 1–2 without him at the Far West Classic in late December in Portland, and the victory was a one-pointer over WSU.〔''(Lewiston Morning Tribune )'' – Idaho nips WSU in consolation play – December 30, 1962 – p.8〕 A week earlier with Johnson, the Vandals routed the Cougars by 37 points in Moscow.〔''(Spokesman-Review )'' – Idaho delights home crowd with 94–57 rout of Cougars – December 21, 1962 – p.12〕 Johnson became known as "Honeycomb," a nickname Cipriano gave him because of his sweet play. As an experienced junior, Johnson averaged 19.0 points and 20.3 rebounds per game during the 1962–63 season, leading independent Idaho to a 20–6 record, their best in 36 years.〔(Go Vandals.com ) – men's basketball – 2011–12 media guide – p.72,74,75,90,98〕 With Johnson and leading scorer Chuck White, the Vandals were at their best in their main rivalries, 4–0 versus Oregon, 4–1 versus Palouse neighbor Washington State, and 1–1 against Washington. Idaho's primary nemesis was Seattle University, led by guard Eddie Miles, who won all three of its games with the Vandals. Idaho lost its only game with Oregon State at the Far West without Johnson, but won all three with Gonzaga, for a 9–3 record against its four former PCC foes and a collective 12–6 against the six Northwest rivals.〔 Attendance at the Memorial Gym was consistently over-capacity, with an estimated 3,800 for home games in the cramped facility.〔''(Eugene Register-Guard )'' – Idaho five drops Oregon by 88–78 – February 10, 1963 – p.1B〕 Johnson and center Paul Silas of Creighton waged a season-long battle to lead the NCAA in rebounding. Silas claimed this by averaging 20.6 per game, 0.3 per game more than Johnson's average. Johnson also set the UI record with 31 rebounds in a game against Oregon. The Ducks' head coach Steve Belko, a former Vandal, called Johnson a "6'6" Bill Russell," and "the best ball player one of my teams has ever played against..."〔''(Eugene Register-Guard )'' – Oregon faces Johnson again in weekend series at Moscow – 1963-02-07, p.2D〕 * (team photo of 1962–63 Idaho Vandals ) – Gus Johnson #43 Despite their 20–6 () record, the Vandals were not invited to the post-season. The 1963 NCAA Tournament included only 25 teams: Oregon State and Seattle U. were selected from the Northwest. The 1963 NIT invited only twelve teams, with none from the Mountain or Pacific time zones. If the Vandals had been invited, Johnson again would not have been eligible to participate.〔 Johnson turned professional after his only season at Idaho, and Cipriano moved on to coach at Nebraska. Without Johnson (and White), the Vandals fell to 7–19 in 1963–64 and were 4–6 in the new Big Sky Conference, fifth place in the six-team league. They had a dismal 3–14 record through January and lost every game against their Northwest rivals, a collective 0–10 vs UW, WSU, UO, OSU, Seattle U., and Gonzaga.〔 Following his professional career, Johnson returned to Moscow to help commemorate the first basketball game in the newly enclosed Kibbie Dome, held on January 21, 1976.〔''(Lewiston Morning Tribune )'' – Idaho cage great Gus Johnson returns to Palouse – January 20, 1976 – p.1B〕〔''(Lewiston Morning Tribune )'' – Dome opener – January 21, 1976 – p.1B〕 He participated in a pre-game alumni contest between former players of Idaho and Washington State.〔''(Lewiston Morning Tribune )'' – WSU also captures alumni game 74–63 – January 22, 1976 – p.1B〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gus Johnson (basketball)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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