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Unheralded Journeyman Kyle Johnson Returns To Canada With Something To Prove
July 13, 2020
CEBL Team
Johnson and the Bandits tip-off against the Edmonton Stingers on July 26 at the CEBL Summer Series.
Kyle Johnson remembers the rush he felt as he prepared to walk through the tunnel at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Years of practice and months of anticipation had added up to a single climactic moment as he braced himself for his chance to take centre stage in the eyes of thousands at Olympic Stadium and millions more watching at home around the world.
Wearing his white and gold-collared Great Britain uniform, Johnson scanned the packed crowd as the host-nation and its athletes made their entrance. Team Great Britain reached skywards and waved as the audience roared back. Those sitting at the opposite end glimmered in camera flashes under the shadowy gradient of a dark blue light. Seven-billion bits of confetti rained from the ceiling, showering Johnson and his team as they walked to David Bowie's Heroes playing in the background.
The emotional impact was overwhelming. Still, Johnson could not help but smile through it all.
"The whole experience was crazy. It kind of went so fast," Johnson said. "Everybody was messaging (me) after because a lot of family and friends all over the world are watching that stuff. It's kind of a surreal moment."
Although the 10-year journeyman holds both Canadian and British dual-citizenship, Johnson has never had the chance to play for the Canadian national men's team.
"I chose the British national team route and that's okay," Johnson said.
As a member of Great Britain's 2011 U-23 basketball team, an opportunity arose for two players from Johnson's squad to attend the British national team training camp in Houston, TX, later that summer.
After playing well enough during a tournament in Germany, Nick Nurse, who was then the assistant coach of Britain’s men's team and now head coach of the Toronto Raptors, chose the Scarborough, Ont., native as one of the invitees.
Near the end of camp, the coaching staff called Johnson into a room for an exit meeting where he sat in front of head coach Chris Finch. They gave him the news. Johnson made the 12-man roster and was going to the Olympics. At the time, he was the second-youngest player on a team that featured NBA All-Star Luol Deng and former Toronto Raptor Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
“I kind of had to ask a few guys again like, 'Are you sure?'" Johnson said. "It was a stressful camp, man. It was tough."
Following his four seasons playing NCAA Division I basketball at Long Island University (LIU) in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he ranks 13th in program history for career points, Johnson has enjoyed a prolific career competing in Europe and Canada. Most notably playing in France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Iceland.
As an international player, knowing your job could be taken away at any time, Johnson found travelling to be a blessing in disguise. It offered an escape from the reality faced by prominent Canadian professional basketball players who prior to the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), had the sole option of competing overseas for a club in a domestic league of a country that was not their own. Their task was simple.
Produce, or be replaced.
Typically, domestic professional leagues outside of the NBA have a small number of 'import' roster slots dedicated to international players who aren't from the country of a particular domestic pro league. This means that if you occupy one of the coveted import roster spots, you better perform. Otherwise, management might swap you out for the next player waiting to fill the void.
"There's a lot of guys that I know that – and I used to do this when I was younger – when you travel you just stay in your hotel room and you don't really get to experience the city or the culture of some of these countries. So, I definitely, especially as I got older, try to take advantage of that more," Johnson said.
Former Marquette Golden Eagle and current Bandits teammate Junior Cadougan shares a hometown connection with Johnson. The two friends grew up in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and spent the 2017 summer playing together for team M.A.D.E. in the Nike Crown League. Over the years, Johnson earned the nickname 'Smooth KJ' due to his laid back, low key personality.
Growing up, they found themselves playing against each other during summer and rep leagues – Johnson with the Scarborough Roadrunners and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Toronto Mission and Cadougan with Grassroots Canada and the Toronto Five-O, a fellow AAU program.
"He always had the IQ and the sharpshooting abilities, so it was always tough playing against him," Cadougan said. "But then, when I got to play with him, now I understand why the games were close all the way growing up."
In 2016, Johnson was hesitant about making the jump over to the NBLC. It took some convincing from Cadougan, who signed with the London Lightning that same season.
"I was telling him to come play with me. But he was kind of iffy about it," Cadougan said. "And then he came. So that was the first time really playing high-level professional basketball together. And that was one of our best seasons in both of our careers. It was crazy."
Johnson appeared in 46 games during the Lightning's 2016-17 championship-winning season, earning first-team all-Canadian NBLC honours and setting a team record for points in a game with 51 points against the Moncton Miracles on February 4, 2017.
After signing with the Fraser Valley Bandits of the CEBL this past February, Johnson is ready to lead by example. He has a history of being depended on by his coaches. In particular, by current Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius, who coached Johnson and Cadougan to the NBLC title in 2017.
"I still think I'm underrated, but I don't really care," Johnson said. "I'm just going to come and do my business and go under the radar."
Johnson was told he would have to stay in Canada to play post-secondary basketball when he was a high school player at West Hill Collegiate Institute in Scarborough. Skeptics said that he wasn't good enough to get an NCAA scholarship or to play professionally abroad.
History has proven otherwise. The CEBL Summer Series will be another source of motivation for Johnson to show he can still win against some of the best players in Canada.
Summer Series action begins on July 25, with the Bandits playing their first game on July 26 against the Edmonton Stingers. All games will be available on CBC Sports’ live-stream, with the Bandits’ matchup against the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Saturday, Aug. 1 set to be available on CBC TV as a national broadcast.