The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Aaron Johnson Named AP Honorable Mention All-American
3/28/2011 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
March 28, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB senior guard Aaron Johnson was named as an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press on Monday.
He becomes the fourth men's basketball player in program history to earn the honor, joining Oliver Robinson (1981-82), Steve Mitchell (1984-85) and Jerome Mincy (1985-86).
Johnson earned the nod after earning 2011 Conference USA Player of the Year honors, becoming the first Blazer to garner the award in school history.
"It was a surprise, but it's also a great feeling to know that I was honored as one of best in the country by the national media," Johnson said. "It's humbling honor to have my name among some of the best in college basketball.
"I think the best feeling for me is to know that I'm in elite company with former UAB greats Steve Mitchell, Jerome Mincy and Oliver Robinson. I feel this award is a result from the hard work and dedication I put in during my career."
Johnson, who was also named as a C-USA first-team all-conference and all-defensive team performer, had a sensational season, lifting the Blazers to the program's first outright conference championship in 21 years. The Chicago, Ill. native led the country with an average of 7.7 assists per contest, while also contributing 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game.
Johnson had a record-breaking campaign during the 2010-11 season. The UAB record holder in career assists (664), set the school records for single-season assists (239), season assist per game average (7.7), single-game assists (14 on two occasions) and most double-digit assist games in a campaign (10).
Johnson's brightest moments came in league play where he helped carry UAB to its first outright Conference USA regular season title in school history. The Chicago, Ill. native shined in the triple overtime victory vs. UTEP (Jan. 8) in the league opener for both teams. In the 100-97 Blazer victory, Johnson recorded 26 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in 54 minutes of action.
Furthermore, his 39 points against East Carolina in the C-USA Tournament quarterfinals were not only a career high, but also marked the most points scored by a UAB player on a neutral court and the third-most points in a game in school history.
Below is a list of the 2011 AP All-America Team:
FIRST TEAM
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Nolan Smith, Duke
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
SECOND TEAM
Marcus Morris, Kansas
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State
THIRD TEAM
Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
Tu Holloway, Xavier
Marshon Brooks, Providence
HONORABLE MENTION
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Talor Battle, Penn State
Devon Beitzel, Northern Colorado
Keith Benson, Oakland
Solomon Bozeman, UALR
Alec Burks, Colorado
Gilberto Clavell, Sam Houston State
Norris Cole, Cleveland State
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
Justin Greene, Kent State
Dwight Hardy, St. John's
John Holland, Boston U.
Ken Horton, Central Connecticut State
Reggie Jackson, Boston College
Rick Jackson, Syracuse
Charles Jenkins, Hofstra
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
Aaron Johnson, UAB
Terrence Jones, Kentucky
Trevele Jones, Texas Southern
Brandon Knight, Kentucky
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
Mickey McConnell, Saint Mary's
E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
Markieff Morris, Kansas
Mike Muscala, Bucknell
Chandler Parsons, Florida
C.J. Reed, Bethune-Cookman
Ryan Rossiter, Siena
Jesse Sanders, Liberty
Kyle Singler, Duke
Mike Smith, East Tennessee State
Isaiah Thomas, Washington
Tristan Thompson, Texas
Nikola Vucevic, Southern California
Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh
Casper Ware, Long Beach State
Kyle Weems, Missouri State
Taj Wesley, Utah State
Jordan Williams, Maryland
Isiah Williams, Utah Valley
Keith Wright, Harvard
