Dave Jones:
[John] Johnson was spectacular in his Penn State debut during a 92-82 defeat of Mount St. Mary’s that played out quite a lot more anxiously than anticipated. After practicing with the team throughout the first semester, Sunday was his first game of eligibility, per NCAA transfer rules.
That Johnson scored 20 points off the bench isn’t the half of it. The greater revelation was that he looked like a man out there. Considering that Johnson is 21 years old and has played a season of serious D-I ball at Pitt (all 39 games in 2011-12), you wouldn’t expect him to be timid. But there was more to it than that.
During a second half in which Penn State unexpectedly found itself in a lay-it-down Philadelphia schoolyard scramble, Johnson looked totally comfortable. He played not just with supreme confidence but aggressiveness. He was exactly what the Nittany Lions needed when they needed it.
Combined with the added size of the 7-foot [Jordan] Dickerson, the Lions (9-4) suddenly appear to have some legit prospects as the non-con season ends and Michigan State awaits on Dec. 31 (5 p.m.) at the Jordan Center to start the Big Ten.
via Pitt transfer John Johnson makes big splash in first dive into Penn State men’s hoops | PennLive.com.