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Kalvin Johnson was born on July 20, 1974 to Carter and Grace Johnson. Kalvin exhibited a gift for basketball at a young age and loved to hear the ball go swish. He would often tell his father, "make the ball go swish". Kalvin's father began calling him SWISH. Kalvin had an advantage the most aspiring basketball player did not have. He had a father who had played and coached pro-basketball. Kalvin's father, Carter Johnson, played for the Hardaway Hurricanes from 1961-1968. He coached the Hardaway Hurricanes from 1969-1975. Kalvin's father molded and nurtured his son's basketball skills so well, that Kalvin started on the Varsity team of his high school basketball team during his freshman year. Kalvin was a good-ball handler with a finesse that was unmatched in Maddocha. He also had a jump shot so pretty that his opponents would often stop and watch his shots. Kalvin was hard to defend because he was quick and moved with such grace, that he could not be touched. During his sophomore year in high school, Kalvin become cocky and his grades began to slip. His coach got him a tutor, but Kalvin grades continued to drop. Kalvin also began acting mean and disrespectful to other people. Kalvin's father told him that he would not be able to play basketball for his sophomore season in high school. Kalvin's coach tried to talk Carter Johnson out of his discussion, but Carter held fast. Kalvin Johnson sat out his sophomore season of high school. During the summer, Carter got his son a job on a farm. This was a humbling experience for Kalvin. He has been quoted as saying… The following year that Kalvin went back to high school, he was a changed young man. His father told him that he could rejoin the basketball team, but he could not be start. During his junior year of high school, Kalvin was a reserve coming off the bench, playing no more than 10 minutes a game. This frustrated Kalvin in the beginning, but Kalvin knew that his father's mind could not be changed. Kalvin's senior year of high school, was the best year of his high school career. Kalvin had improved all of his skills with the help of Turner Binderman, a star point guard for the Hardaway Hurricanes. Kalvin was allowed to be a starter that year. He broke every record that a high school basketball player could break in Maddocha. He was one of the most sought after high school basketball player in Maddocha that year. Kalvin choose to go to Bruce Ledbetter University in Dorinda with the promise of being the starting point guard for the university, but that was not the case. The current point guard of the college team continued to be the starting point guard. Kalvin rode the bench most of his first year of college. After his first year, Kalvin wanted to quit college and go pro. Again, his father sent Kalvin to the same farm that he had sent Kalvin to during his high school career. This time, Kalvin learned a different lesson. Kalvin's father worked with him the whole summer on the farm. Kalvin kept wondering why he his father was out there farming with his son when he could have been coaching any professional, college, or high school basketball team in Maddocha. Carter Johnson told his son, "If I had not had a college education, this is how you would see me every day." With that one phrase, Kalvin knew he had to continue his college education. Kalvin dropped out of Bruce Ledbetter University and enrolled in Conway Jones College in Rysar, Maddocha. This would have been a fatal error if any other basketball player had done this. Conway was known for neither its basketball program nor its athletic program. Conway Jones College was just what Kalvin Johnson needed and Kalvin Johnson was just what Conway Jones College needed. Carter Johnson was hired at the college as the Director of Student Athletics two years before Kalvin went to the school. Three of the top high school basketball players in Maddocha choose to come to Conway Jones College because Kalvin Johnson was playing at the college. These three players were Daymon Taylor of the Kanard Lions, Eldringe George of the Scotchburg Orioles, and DC Walker of the Pentel Stallions. That year, Conway Jones College went from obscurity to being nationally known. It has often been rumored that there were some impropriety involved in the recruitment of these four players, but it was not so. As Director of Student Athletics at Conway, Carter Johnson made sure that the basketball program was above reproach. None of the newly recruited players, including his son, received scholarships from the college. Each student was awarded scholarships based on the merit by outside foundations. The players lived in the dorms with the rest of the students and the young men received no preferential treatment. DC Walker got a job during the off season to help pay for his education because he was not able to receive a full scholarship for college. The Conway Jones College basketball program was on the rise. The first and second years that Kalvin attended Conway, the team was in the conference semi-finals of the Maddocha College Championship Games. The final year of Kalvin's college career, the team made it to the conference finals. Kalvin Johnson was chosen as first in the Maddocha Basketball League draft by the DaBuckette Spiders. Kalvin's professional career took off. He became the starting point guard for the Scotchburg Orioles midway through the season. He has not looked back since. One reporter remarked of Kalvin Johnson, "That's a good wholesome guy. He's nice, down to earth, and he works hard. Those kinds of guys are rare, very rare, and that's a shame." |
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