Above photo from the UMHB Athletics Department
BELTON, Texas- ASC West Division Player of the Year. ASC Academic All-Conference honoree. D3hoops.com All-Region selection. D3hoops.com All-American. And now, 2020-21 ASC Male Athlete of the Year.
It seems that Josiah Johnson did it all in his first season as a Crusader this past year, leading the UMHB men’s basketball team to an undefeated conference mark, while setting or tying five ASC records. Not to mention the multitude of postseason honors he received, which are listed above.
The Big Sandy, Texas native added one more award to his already-large list of accolades on Thursday morning, as he was named the conference’s Male Athlete of the Year.
“Josiah embodies all of the things that we strive to be here at UMHB,” UMHB head coach Clif Carroll said in a press release. “Josiah has a work ethic that is second to none and inspires everyone around him to be better. He is a tremendous person with an infectious smile. Most of all, Josiah is an incredible man of God. I am proud of Josiah’s achievements and I am extremely excited about his future as Josiah will continue to grow in his faith and as a student athlete.”
A sophomore guard, Johnson broke both the UMHB and ASC record for scoring average in a season, tallying 29.3 points per game. He ranked second in the nation in that category (min. 10 games played), just behind Linfield’s Dempsey Roggenbuck (29.6 PPG).
Perhaps his most memorable performance of the season came on February 27 against Concordia (TX) in which he barely missed from anywhere on the floor, scoring 53 points as the Cru won 105-76.
In addition to his scoring, he averaged 7.9 rebounds per game, and led the Cru in both steals (54) and assists (59).
The ASC named him West Division Player of the Week on seven occasions during the year, setting a new conference record for most weekly honors in a season.
UMHB finished the year with a 16-4 overall record, and went 13-0 in ASC play. The Cru reached the semifinals of the conference tournament, before falling to Louisiana College 89-72.
Johnson is the 12th Crusader to have earned the ASC’s Athlete of the Year honor. UMHB leads the ASC in Athlete of the Year award winners.
