The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Squeaky Johnson C-USA's Defensive Player Of The Year
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2006
IRVING, Texas -- One day after becoming a first team All-Conference USA selection, UAB's Squeaky Johnson was named 2005-06 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year by a vote of league coaches and media. Johnson is the first such UAB player honored with the award.
"I think Squeaky Johnson is probably one of the better defenders in the country," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said. "This is big honor for him and deservedly so. He has a tremendous affect on a game and that's without even scoring a point. Not many players can do that."
Johnson, a finalist for the 2006 Bob Cousy Award given to the nation's top point guard, averages 7.6 points, 6.4 assists, 2.8 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game while recording a league-leading assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.37. He is second in the league in steals per game and ranks in the top 10 nationally in that category as well. He is just 17 steals away from becoming UAB's all-time steals leader despite playing just three seasons for the Blazers.
Johnson was named Conference USA Player of the Week twice this season, the first time after setting league and UAB records by swiping 12 steals against South Carolina State. That number fell just one shy of the NCAA record of 13 established on two occasions by Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock.
"Squeaky leads our team in charges taken and in steals," Anderson added "He just does a lot of things to help you. Squeaky is one of the better on-ball defenders out there and then can also come from anywhere and make things happen defensively. I'm very happy for him in being honored with this award because he takes a lot of pride, and as a team we take a lot of pride, in defense."
Johnson is also in the top-10 nationally in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio. He also leads Conference USA in three-point field goal percentage.
On Monday, Johnson became the first Blazer named first-team All-Conference USA since Carlos Williams in 1997. The league's player and coach of the year awards will be announced Wednesday.
The Blazers arrived in Memphis Tuesday afternoon to begin preparations for Thursday's quarterfinal contest in the 2006 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championships presented by Aeropostale. UAB faces the winner of Wednesday's SMU-Rice first-round contest in a noon CT contest Thursday to be televised live by CSTV.
