His given name is Anthony, but few people know that.
He can also score points on a basketball court, and even fewer people realize that.
They may be about to discover the latter this winter, however, as the Nottingham High boys’ basketball team is counting on senior Anthony “Bam” Johnson to expand on his role as a defensive stopper while stepping into a new position as scorer.
“Bam is a guy who would go maybe four or five games without even shooting the basketball last year,” Northstar coach Chris Raba said. “He definitely has to shoot this year. We want him to shoot. And he is a good defender. When we want to try and shut down the other team’s best offensive player, we’ll look at Bam first.”
Johnson is pretty much known to the world as Bam, a nickname he picked up as a baby when his dad thought he looked like the pro wrestler, Bam Bam Bigelow.
“As he got older it just got cut to Bam,” said older brother and Northstars’ assistant coach Brandon Johnson. “Only people who read his name for the first time call him Anthony.”
He has a “wham bam” approach when it comes to defending on the court, which is something Johnson takes pride in. And though his high school stats may not show it, he is also confident in his scoring abilities.
“I’ve always been a defensive guy because my father and brother stressed defense when I was growing up,” Johnson said. “But in PAL, I used to score the ball a lot. When I went to high school I wanted to be more of a passer and get assists.”
He is going to have to score this year—Raba lost nearly all of his top scorers to graduation, saying “If I added up all my stats coming back it doesn’t add up to 10 points.”
“Bam has improved his shot a lot during the summer,” Raba said. “We’re just looking at him to be more assertive. Last year he didn’t even look to shoot. This year we’re gonna need points from him.”
Johnson said it’s a matter of re-asserting himself.
“It’s something that’s there already; I just have to re-start the fire,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m just here to do whatever the team needs, and I think I’m very capable of doing it. Nobody has seen that yet, and this is the year to show them.”
Brandon Johnson, a 1,000-point scorer under Raba when he played at Hamilton West, feels his little brother just has to know he can do it.
“Bam does have the skill set to be a good offensive player,” he said. “I’ve seen him do it numerous times throughout his life. The biggest thing with him is being confident in himself. His best asset scoring the ball is that he can make open jump shots. He can shoot the ball well when he doesn’t hesitate.”
Johnson’s career started at 5 when he played with Hamilton Little Lads. He eventually moved to PAL and played for his dad—also named Anthony—who still coaches in the league. The two combined for four championships in five years.
While he was growing up, Johnson was a fixture near the Hornets bench when Brandon Johnson was playing.
“(Brandon) wasn’t always the most skilled guy but he always gave it his all, and that’s why he was able to do what he did,” Bam said. “When he played, I always tried to watch him and mimic his game, and I always wanted to be like my brother.”
But Johnson was watching more than just his brother during those days.
“I used to come to all the practices, I loved the way Raba coached,” Johnson said. “I always knew one day I wanted to play for Raba. He’s obviously one of the best coaches I ever met. I will give my last for Coach Raba. I’ll do whatever he wants me to do. I love his attitude.”
Johnson did not play for Raba until last year. As a sophomore he played varsity for Hamilton while Raba was in his first season at Nottingham. Although the Hornets struggled that season before busting out last year, Johnson felt it helped him immeasurably.
“It was a great experience my first time playing varsity and playing with that group of guys I grew up with,” he said. “We didn’t win a lot of games, but it made me more eager to win.”
When he came to Nottingham last season, the Northstars had a slew of seniors who had been around for a while, so Johnson blended into the background. His coach, who praised Johnson’s ability to get into the lane and see the floor when shooting, wants him to emerge this season.
“He has to be a leader, he has to be more vocal,” Raba said. “I think last year, because he was a junior and new to this school, he wasn’t too vocal. He scored a little bit at Hamilton, but when he got here I think he was uncomfortable to do anything offensively.”
And while Johnson is happy to be playing for Raba, the head coach credits Brandon Johnson with much of his development.
“Brandon has been a huge influence,” the coach said. “They were totally different types of players. Brandon was extremely explosive off the dribble. Bam shoots better than Brandon, but Brandon is his biggest influence.”
Johnson, who is seven years younger, is happy to have his brother as a coach.
“He can teach me from his experience and from what he learned,” he said. “He’s kind of our age. I can relate to him more.”
The elder Johnson, though, says he has to tread lightly in order to keep the peace at home.
“I only see two differences from Bam and the rest of the players on the team,” Brandon said. “First, he has to ride with me to and from school every day since we live in the same house. And second, since he is my brother, I am not as quick to give advice or assistance to him as I would another player on the team unless I feel it’s necessary for me at that moment, or unless he asks for my opinion.”
Brandon Johnson saves the advice for Raba and other assistant coach Simon Lapointe.
“That’s the only tough part about having him on the team is that because we live together he might not be as open to my opinions all the time as he would be to our other coaches,” he said.
Either way, Johnson feels he has good coaches telling him what to do. He is also a coach’s dream, as players who actually enjoy playing defense are tough to come by. He relishes the job.
“It’s really just, giving it your all and sliding your feet,” Johnson said. “Don’t gamble. If you keep turning the guy he’s gonna turn the ball over. I love to smother the person I’m guarding.”
He also loves to deflect balls intended for others.
“I love to get in the passing lanes too,” Johnson said. “It’s a little bit of instinct and a little bit studying opponents. I do study my opponents, even when they’re warming up, and from remembering past experiences. I like to see what they do and what they like to do.”
Raba feels Johnson has the right attitude.
“He beats the guy to the spot, he plays defense with angles, he’s a very good anticipator,” the coach said. “He always wants the challenge of guarding the best player. He can guard anybody on the perimeter, and he’s so tough he could guard somebody in the post if we need him to.”
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