Feb. 6, 2012

 

CORAL GABLES, Fla. –  University of Miami junior center Reggie Johnson has been named the ACC Player of the Week after leading Miami to a pair of overtime victories this week, including the Canes’ first-ever win over No. 7/5 Duke at Cameron Indoor, and a double-overtime victory against Maryland.

Johnson, a 6-foot-10 junior from Winston-Salem, N.C., who missed this season’s first nine games while recovering from a knee injury, averaged 20 points, shooting 56.7 percent from the field, and averaged 8.5 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive. He also had a pair of steals, a block and an assist in 30 minutes per game.

Johnson notched 27 points, 12 rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes against No. 7/5 Duke on Sunday. He was 11-of-17 from the field (56.7%) and eight of his 12 boards were offensive. The Hurricanes lost a 16-point second-half lead but regrouped behind the play of Johnson, whose field goal with 3:19 left opened the scoring in overtime and put Miami ahead to stay. Johnson later grabbed an offensive rebound, drew a foul and made both free throws to make it a 73-69 game.

Against Maryland, Johnson scored 13 points and grabbed five boards. He drained his first-career three-point attempt, a shot from the top of the key, and had an assist, a block and a steal against the Terps.

In his 12 games with the Canes this season, Johnson has averaged 11.8 points and 7.0 rebounds, helping the team to a 9-3 record. Miami started the season 5-4 without their big man in the paint.

Catch Johnson and the Canes in action on Thursday night at the BankUnited Center against Virginia Tech at 9 p.m.