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Meet Jaquan Johnson: The freshman who bullies opposing teams 

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Jaquan Johnson flexing his muscles after and and-one agasint SEMO. Photo via Bradley Athletics.

In Bradley’s first game against Southeast Missouri State this season, the Braves got off to a strong start, leading 15-8, when freshman point guard Jaquan Johnson checked into the game for the first time in his college career. 

Johnson took a few minutes to get his feet wet, but with 10:34 left in the half, he caught the ball, crossed his defender over and bullied his way into the paint for an and-one. 

The bucket set the tone for the game and the guard’s season, as he finished his debut with 15 points. Since that breakout game, “Bully,” as his teammates and coaches affectionately call him, has become an integral part of Bradley’s 18-3 start. 

“That game gave me more confidence,” Johnson said. “The coaches gave me a lot of confidence to do what I do. I knew it would be a way bigger environment and a bigger stage, so playing that well helped me a lot.” 

Bully from the 414

Johnson is called “Bully” because he is a hard-nosed, physical and scrappy guard, who loves to get to the paint and play through contact. 

“My coach in ninth grade gave me the nickname after he watched me drive to the rim,” Johnson said. “After that, it just stuck, and people have called me that since then.” 

The guard plays at 100% every time he touches the floor, and it’s a mentality and playstyle he learned growing up in Milwaukee. 

“It’s not the best place, but it’s not the worst,” Johnson said about his hometown. “Since I was growing up, I [have] just been going to school, hooping and then going home. I’ve made sure that I stand on my work. It can get bad, but my family always made sure I was good every day.” 

Johnson credits his family, specifically his brother Jerome Jr., with getting him involved in basketball early on and keeping him focused. 

“I started young,” Johnson said. “I started in first grade but didn’t begin to take it seriously until I knew I could do something with it. That was probably around fifth grade. I started to play up in eighth grade and used to go to the gym with my brother, where I’d have to play against older guys all the time. It built toughness, and he used to play seriously all the time. It made me a better player skill-wise.” 

The Bradley coaching staff first contacted Johnson when he entered ninth grade. Johnson connected with associate head coach Jimmie Foster, who plays a significant role in recruitment for the Braves and is also from the Milwaukee area. 

“I had a conversation with coach Foster my freshman year,” Johnson said. “We went from there. I kept getting better, and they kept calling.” 

Milwaukee connection 

Johnson is the third Bradley player to be recruited from the Milwaukee area. He joins sophomore guard Demarion Burch and senior forward Darius Hannah. 

“We dogs, all of us,” Burch said. “We all had to get it out of the mud somehow, some way. It’s a grit that we have from Milwaukee and a competitiveness that we all have.”

Before coming to Bradley, Burch and Johnson were somewhat familiar with each other. Burch attended Milwaukee-Hamilton High School, and Johnson attended Pius XI High School. The two teams matched up in the summer of 2022 when Johnson was a junior and Burch was a senior.

“I remember that Quan was a hard worker,” Burch said. “He was the leader of his team and was controlling everybody. He was talking and being a great leader. He gave me a good matchup. It was fun to play against someone like him with such high talent. Kudos to him for making it here to Bradley. It’s a good school, and it’s great to be his teammate now.” 

“At that time, we knew of each other, but we didn’t have the connection we have now,” Johnson added. “I knew he was a good dude because we’d talk a little bit. I knew I’d have to step up and play in that matchup. He’s a great player and a great defensive player. He makes my game better. He won that matchup, but it is what it is.”

Why Bradley? 

After the clash with Burch, Johnson had a dominant finish to his high school career. As a junior, he averaged 27.2 points, six rebounds, six assists and was named third-team all-state. In his senior year, he became the all-time leading scorer in school history and set a school record for points in a game when he scored 49 points in the regional finals. The 5-foot-11-inch guard also added nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists. 

No photo description available.
Johnson with his family as he is recognized for scoring 2000 career points and breaking the all time record for the Pius XI men’s basketball program. Photo via Pius XI Catholic High School Athletics/ Facebook

Johnson’s high school career earned him offers from Grambling State, Kennesaw State, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Bradley. Johnson chose to be a Brave because of the staff’s commitment to him early in his high school career. 

“The coaching staff really showed that they wanted me,” Johnson said. “I had a lot of phone calls with coach Wardle and he came to a few of my games. Coach Foster did a lot to make sure that I was able to actually come here. He came to my school to check my grades, made sure I had drills to work on to grow my game and called me after almost every game. The main reason I committed was because the effort he put in to make sure I got here was great.” 

Rising star

Since arriving on campus and stepping into Carver Arena, Johnson has made an impact coming off the bench. As the season has progressed, so has Johnson, and he’s begun to earn a bigger role and show why coach Wardle and the rest of the coaching staff wanted to bring him to Peoria. 

“I thought he would be an impact freshman even though he’s behind some vets,” Wardle said. “I thought he could come and impact us right away. He’s so physical, so I knew the physicality of this game would not bother him. I got him for a few months and got a feel for his desire, work ethic and IQ. Quanny is going to keep getting better and better because he has a great IQ and a great feel. Those are the two things I usually look at.”   

Johnson and Deen celebrate after a bucket. Photo via Bradley Athletics.

Johnson has come off the bench this season behind the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason player of the year, Duke Deen, who has witnessed his younger teammate’s potential. 

“That’s my youngin,” Deen said. “When we watched his film in the offseason I knew he was going to come in and impact right away. I just try to keep him confident. I don’t try to change anything about him because he has a great game. I just try to help him when I feel like he might try to do a little bit extra when he doesn’t have to. He’s very receptive. He wants to learn. He wants to get better and we’re always in the gym together.” 

“It’s crazy because he’s not even showing his full bag,” Deen added. “He has a lot more in the tank. I’m not going to say anything because I don’t want to get him scouted early, but I know what he can do. I feel like everyone in this program knows what he can do. It’s going to be on him to keep working on it. I feel like the sky is the limit. He’s going to be a problem.” 

Johnson showed how much of a problem he can be on Jan. 15 against Indiana State when he dropped a career-high 17 points and earned himself MVC freshman of the week. The rising star will need to have similar performances in order for the Braves to reach their potential this season. 

Fortunately, Johnson is up for it. 

“I’m ready for anything, honestly,” Johnson said after his career night. “Put me in, and I’m going to be ready to hoop.”

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