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"Weasel" Johnson


Cooley

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No video from the mid-seventies. I've been extremely critical of the watered down Hall of Fame candidates lately. They got this one right (as well as Leonard Dunlap)

Johnson was the dynamic point guard for the most prolific scoring and entertaining teams in school history. He set the school record for assists in a single season in 1976-77 with 208 as he averaged 7.7 assists per game. In his first season with NT in 1975-76, he dished out 142 assists as the Mean Green scored 96 points a game and won a then school-record 22 games. In 1976-77, NT won 21 games and averaged 87.5 points a game. Johnson quarterbacked the Mean Green to wins over Baylor, Arizona State, SMU, Kansas State, TCU, Tulsa and Creighton.

http://www.meangreensports.com/

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He was fun to watch. Back then, week day games usually had the lower bowl completely full with the crowd in the upper depending on whom we were playing. I remember walking down Maple from Kerr with large crowds of students as going to the game was the prime mid-week entertainment. Players like Weasel really did help draw in the crowd. Coach Blakley, the Walrus, was entertaining as well.

I didn't know he'd become a principal.

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I go back to Harriss Gymnasium in the late 40s and Weasel Johnson was the best I can remember. We may have had a few point guards that were better shooters but none were quicker, better dribblers, or had better vision than Weasel. They just don't make any better point guards. Congratulations Weasel! It should have happened years ago.

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I go back to Harriss Gymnasium in the late 40s and Weasel Johnson was the best I can remember. We may have had a few point guards that were better shooters but none were quicker, better dribblers, or had better vision than Weasel. They just don't make any better point guards. Congratulations Weasel! It should have happened years ago.

Weasel was nowhere close to Joe Hamilton. However, he was the catalyst of those great, at least in terms of NT, early Blakeley teams, and well deserving of the honor. Is he the fourth or fifth of that team that is now in the HOF. Fred Mitchell, MelviDavis and Kenneth Williams are all in, can't remember if Terry Bailey is. In any case, he is the only one on those twenty game winning Blakeley teams in the HOF that was recruited by Blakeley.

Edited by GrandGreen
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Hamilton was before my time. I did, however, watch him weekly on TV in the Dallas area. (Most NTSU games were broadcast live on Channel 21)

Hamilton was a smallish combo guard that could really score. Very exciting as well. Weasel was a pure point guard. And, as I stated, the best since 1975. It is always tough to compare players that play different positions. Weasel was as good a point guard as the other guys were at their position. I agree that that team (75) was loaded with legit Hall of Famers. Along with West Texas State (Maurice Cheeks) we were clearly the best program in Texas.

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Hamilton was before my time. I did, however, watch him weekly on TV in the Dallas area. (Most NTSU games were broadcast live on Channel 21)

Hamilton was a smallish combo guard that could really score. Very exciting as well. Weasel was a pure point guard. And, as I stated, the best since 1975. It is always tough to compare players that play different positions. Weasel was as good a point guard as the other guys were at their position. I agree that that team (75) was loaded with legit Hall of Famers. Along with West Texas State (Maurice Cheeks) we were clearly the best program in Texas.

For fun nostalgia, I would love to hear what 2 year run you think was an all-time best for the men's bball program.

For example, how were those two years with Weasel? Sounds like they were fun.

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For fun nostalgia, I would love to hear what 2 year run you think was an all-time best for the men's bball program.

For example, how were those two years with Weasel? Sounds like they were fun.

I only go back to 1975. As some older alums have posted previously, there may have been a better era while in the Missouri Valley (at the Snake Pit). The best 2 year run for me was clearly the 75-76 & 76-77 seasons. As mentioned by Meangreensports, we averaged over 95 points a game during the 75-76 season. (Highest or 2nd highest in the nation. We had the best record in the history of the program (22-4) We avenged 2 of the losses (I believe) later in the year. Attendance was at an all-time high; with only 17k students and a population of only 40k in Denton. Our center (Kenneth Williams) led the nation in rebounds

76-77 brought the first (and only) standing room sellout of 10,500 (SMU) Many opponents didn't want to play us. The top recruits in the state wanted to play for NTSU. Maybe a few years later, the NCAA regional tournament was held in Denton, in part because of the success of our teams in prior years.

As pointed out by GrandGreen, 4-5 guys on the roster became NT Hall of Famers. 3 of our coaches joined the Hall. (Blakeley, Gales and Billy Tubbs @ TCU, Lamar and/or OU) . Danny Kasper (player) has been a Hall of Fame coach. Weasel, along with the style of Bill Blakely was the main difference in turning around a 6 win team to a 22 win team. I personally didn't miss a home game during those two years.

I don't care to follow the Rival's rating stuff today but had it been around, All of our guys would have been 3-4 stars. Many of our bench guys would have been Hall of Fame candidates and/or All-Conference candidates the last 10 -15 years.

I'm sure I'm missing several other key points but these easily come to mind.

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I stand by my choice of Weasel Johnson as the best point guard that I have seen at North Texas. Little Joe was a better shooter but Weasel really knew how to get everyone involved. He was incredibly hard to guard because he was so quick. He could drive to the basket with the best of them. Well deserving of the honor.

Blakeley may not have recruited the best talent but he sure coached the best.

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