By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

When he was a child, Kareem Johnson's father, Daniel George, used to tell him that he had to learn to stand on his own.

"I'm not going to be with you all the time," he said. "You have to grow up some time."

But Johnson, a junior center for the University of Cincinnati basketball team, didn't think his father would leave him so soon. Two years ago, George died of a brain tumor at age 51.

Johnson was devastated.

"I remember when I took him to the hospital and I was crying," Johnson said. "He told me, 'Don't cry. Just pray.'"

George underwent surgery to have the tumor removed but never regained consciousness. He was in a coma for a year.

Eventually, George was sent home to receive hospice care. Johnson, who was playing at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College at the time, visited him whenever he could get home.

"I would just sit with him and talk with him," Johnson said. "He was a religious man. He went to church every Sunday."

Even though he's gone, Johnson still relies on his father for support when things aren't going well, like this winter when he was trying to carve out a niche on the UC basketball team.

It took awhile, but it appears Johnson has finally settled in as the Bearcats' starting center. He has grabbed nine rebounds in each of UC's last two games and has started the last four. He averaged 2.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game.

Yes, Johnson said, it has been difficult enduring the criticism and the yelling from coach Bob Huggins, going from being a high school and junior college star to a role player, from starter to bench warmer and back to starter again.

But through it all, Johnson kept plugging away.

"I've been having adversity all my life," Johnson said. "You just have to deal with it. You keep your head up. That's what my dad told me before he died. Never hang your head. Keep working hard."

Johnson's mother, Randee, named him after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because she was a Los Angeles Lakers fan. She could give her son the name, but she couldn't give him the skyhook.

That's not to say Johnson hasn't had his time as an offensive threat. He averaged 24.6 points per game at Eufaula (Ala.) High School as a junior, and 13.2 points per game last year at Chipola College, where he was a second-team All-American.

At UC, though, Johnson's duties are rebounding and playing defense.

"We still have to get him to rebound better offensively," Huggins said. "If he could get three or four offensive rebounds and finish them, that would really be a big boost."

Recruiting coordinator Andy Kennedy convinced Johnson to attend UC last March after Donald Little's legal problems left the Bearcats without a center.

Johnson, 22, didn't play basketball as a high school senior because he was too old to maintain his eligibility under Alabama rules, having been held back for one year in grade school. So he quit school, got his GED and went to junior college.

Kennedy, a former Alabama-Birmingham assistant, remembered Johnson as a prime prospect and had a good relationship with Chipola College coach Ryan Cross.

Johnson chose Cincinnati over Auburn, Illinois, Oklahoma State and Charlotte.

"He was the best available player," Kennedy said. "We had to have a big body and we knew he'd rebound.

"I think he's a better scorer than he's shown. A lot of times, he's just nervous. He doesn't get many opportunities, and when he gets them, he has no rhythm and he doesn't have any confidence. But he's a better scorer than he's showing."

Johnson, known among his teammates as "Jabber" because of both the way he mumbles and his namesake, goes about his business with a sleepy-eyed, almost expressionless face. He responds to questions from reporters with brief answers.

But he's one of the most popular players on the team, armed with a wicked sense of humor.

"When he first came here, he didn't say two words," said Bearcats senior forward Leonard Stokes. "But when you get to know him, he's a real comedian."

The jokes are fine, but what UC really needs from Johnson are rebounds and an occasional basket.

Lately, he's been delivering the rebounds.

"I'm just playing with passion and a sense of urgency," Johnson said.His father would be proud.

---

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com