Then & Now: Jamar Johnson

Then & Now: Jamar Johnson

Compiled By Dave Brandon

(Photo Courtesy Jamar Johnson)

Jamar Johnson played at Nebraska

from 1992-1994, and was the starting point-guard on

three NCAA Tournament teams. Individually, Johnson

finished his Nebraska career in the top ten of several

categories, including assists, three-point field goals

made, and free-throw percentage.

Johnson recently joined HHC for

this Sunday’s version of “Then & Now." 

HHC: Hey JJ, welcome

to Husker Hoops Central, and thanks for taking the time

to chat with us.

JJ: No problem, it’s

a pleasure for me to do this.

HHC: You are one of the most heralded

recruits in Nebraska basketball history, as you came to

NU after finishing runner up for Mr. Basketball in the

state of Indiana to former Indiana Hoosier star Damon

Bailey. What brought you clear to Nebraska from “God’s

Country?”

JJ: You know, at the

time, I had a really good relationship with one of the

assistant coaches, Len Mitchem. He was from South Bend,

Indiana, so basically my hometown. So I knew that if I

came to Nebraska, I would have a good opportunity to

play early on. Coach Nee and I also had a good

relationship, and still do to this day, although we

don’t talk as much as we used to. But, I’ll still talk

to him every now and again, and he sure was one of a

kind, what can I say; He was a New Yorker, man. (Laughs)

HHC: We love that guy. So tell us, is high

school basketball really as big in the state of Indiana

as Hoosiers portrays it? 

JJ: When I was in

high school, it definitely was. But now, they went to a

different class system, and I think that it kind of took

some of the Hoosier hysteria away from Indiana

basketball. So, from talking to people back home, it’s

not the same as it was when I was growing up.

HHC: Your first season at Nebraska was

during that amazing run in 1990-1991, but you took a

redshirt. Was it difficult having to sit and watch that

year, or did you take it as more of a learning

experience and a chance to just sit back and enjoy the

ride like the rest of us?

JJ: Both, actually,

because as a player, it’s always difficult when you have

to sit out and watch. You want to be in there and be a

part of the team and play, and do all the things

everybody else is doing. Not only that, but it was the

best year the University has ever had, team wise, in

basketball. I mean, talk about pure talent, you had Beau

Reid, Rich King, Tony Farmer, Cliff Scales, Keith Moody,

Carl Hayes, Dapreis Owens… Those guys took a beating for

like three, four, five years, and that year was my first

on campus, and those guys were just flat out tired of

losing. And for me, coming from Indiana basketball, that

was exactly the attitude that I was accustomed to be

being around, so it was a great experience for me.

I think that as a freshman, it’s

always important to have good seniors, because they set

the tone as far as leadership goes. I just thought that

Beau Reid’s toughness, along with Scales and King, were

just great - they were ballplayers that physically had

it all, but also mentally were totally there.

HHC: Your first

season on the court at Nebraska was 1991-1992, and you

guys won 19 games and made a second straight NCAA

tournament. But, the most memorable part of that year

was “the shot.” Walk us through the buzzer beater you

hit to beat then #3 Kansas in the overtime game in

Lincoln, which might go down as the biggest shot in

Nebraska basketball history.

JJ: You know, what

can I say about it…It is not only the biggest shot in

Nebraska history, but probably the biggest shot in my

history, too. It’s definitely the shot as a kid, in the

park or driveway, you dream of, with doing the

countdown…It was just the dream shot.

The thing about it I remember the

most, and that people don’t realize, is that that whole

play was a broken down play. The play was actually

designed for Eric Piatkowski, but I think everybody in

the Devaney Center and on the Kansas bench knew where

the ball was going. So, I saw a seam, and saw an opening

in the corner, and I broke for it, and Carl Hayes threw

me the ball, and I just let it go.

HHC: Did you know it

was in?

JJ: You know what,

when I released it, it felt good. I just remember

getting off a real jump shot, and everybody thought that

I just threw it up there, but when you go back, as I

have many times, (laughs) it was a real jump shot. I

think there was .7 seconds on the clock, and it was just

an awesome shot.

Every time I talk about that shot,

I remind myself of this, too, and too mention it. But,

there was a guy years ago that sent me a picture of that

shot, which you have here on my profile. It’s just an

amazing, amazing picture. At the time I got it, I was

playing with the Omaha Racers, and the guy actually came

up and introduced himself to me and told me he sent me

that picture. And, I didn’t have time to talk to him, as

I had to get on the bus, but every time I talk about the

shot, I have to thank him.

And, to this day, I want to meet

him again, and I’m hoping that someday we’ll have the

opportunity to meet each other, and talk about the

picture and the good old days. But, that’s a thank you

to him.

HHC: Do a lot of

people still ask you about “the shot” to this day?

JJ: Every time I’m in Nebraska, I hear

about it. My last visit was four or five months ago, and

I was at the airport waiting for my luggage. A gentleman

walked up and asked if I was Jamar, and said, “I

remember that shot that you hit against Kansas.” So,

that is definitely what I’m known for in the state of

Nebraska.

HHC: 1992-1993 saw

you guys make the NCAA Tournament again, although things

ended on a sour note against New Mexico State. Before we

talk about that game, we’d like to reminisce with you

about the big road win that season at Missouri, which

ended a six game losing streak in Columbia for Danny

Nee. With 5 seconds left, you stole an inbounds pass and

ended up getting fouled, before hitting the game winning

free throw with 2 seconds left. Tell us how that felt,

and how does it rank compared to the Kansas shot the

previous year?

JJ: It doesn’t rank

up there with the Kansas shot, but again, that was

another big win for us as a team, because it’d been a

long time, as you said, since we went down there and

won. So, it was a huge win for us, and a great

confidence builder, as we knew that if we could play in

Missouri and win, we could go anywhere in the Big 8 and

win, or anywhere in the country, for that matter. So it

was a huge confidence win for us.

HHC: And the New Mexico State game…what

the heck happened?

JJ: I think one of

the things that used to happen with our teams is that at

the end of the year, we would just kind of have melt

downs. It would be the time of the year where the other

parts of the student body were going on spring break,

and we would be going through a season of pounding out

and trying to play ball, school, etc. I think at the

end, it just wore on us, because we always had teams

that were really good, but I felt like there were times

and years where we should have gone a little further

than we did.

HHC: Your senior season of 1993-1994 saw

yet another NCAA Tournament appearance, as you guys won

20 games and played against Penn. Talk about that season

and what you remember?

JJ: Well, your senior

season always has some good highlights. But, what I

remember most is coming together at the end of the year

and in the Big 8 tournament and just really making a run

for the NCAA tournament. Those were just such fun times.

As a player, and as myself looking

back, the games and all of that stuff were good, but the

best thing about your senior year is the stuff you

remember about your teammates and things off the court,

such as things in the locker room. As a player, that’s

probably what I miss most.

HHC: How many of those NCAA Tournament

losses would you say that you guys lost to a better team

than you?

JJ: I don’t think in

any of those games, we ever lost to a team that was

better than us. I think we always beat ourselves, and we

kind of just melted down. Maybe there was a little bit

of complacency that took place in some of those seasons,

but I don’t think there was ever a time that we played

against somebody flat out better than us.

That will probably always be the

let down, that even though we made the tourney, we never

won a game.

HHC: Before we get to today, we have to

get a couple funny Danny Nee stories out of you, since

we ask every player who played for him to add to the

never-ending list. What do you have for us?

JJ: (Laughs) Oh, man, lets see… I’ll give

you a couple, with the first being a little more

serious.

I think it was my junior year, and

we were playing Iowa State in Ames, and it was the year

we had a lot of chatter going on about the fab four of

Strickland, Badgett, Boone, and Woolridge. And, I think

coach Nee was getting a lot of heat because of how he

was or wasn’t playing them, and you’ve got other people

outside getting involved. So, I remember him making a

point against ISU down in Ames, we were playing and we

were pretty much in the game, but then he put the

freshman in. And, it was kind of like that “now I’m

going to baptize you in the fire” type of thing.

Gosh, those guys kind of got out

there, and being young and inexperienced, just melted

down and fell apart. And unfortunately, he put the

starters back in and we were able to recoup, but we

weren’t able to come out with a “W.”

Now, I don’t think it was his

intent to lose, but did he make a point? Yes. He went

into the locker room and I remember it being dead

silent, and I think everybody, including the freshman,

understood what he was saying, and I don’t think he said

a word.

The other story is pure comical.

(Laughs) I think it was my sophomore year against

Michigan State, and this was kind of my introduction

into what Nee was going to be like the next three years.

But, I remember at halftime against Michigan State, we

were getting it handed to us bad. And, man, I never saw

any man’s face get so red or so upset without having a

heart attack, stroke, or any other medical

complications. (Laughs) I was flat out frightened and

scared, and the thing about it was that Pike, Bruce, and

Dapreis never warned me. (Laughs)

So when that happened, I was just

terrified man. I was more afraid of him than I was of

going out and playing. I was like, “Hey, if we don’t win

this game, I don’t know what this guy is going to do.”

(Laughs)

HHC: That’s hilarious. Hey, where is Jamar

Johnson these days, and what have you been up to since

1994?

JJ: Oh man… Well, I

played in a few exhibition games for the Racers right

after I finished, but they wanted me to go on IR for a

couple of years without getting paid, so that didn’t

last long. I came back to Lincoln and worked as an

administrative assistant from 1995-1996, so I was around

when those guys won the NIT, which was awesome.

After that, I worked with West

Corporation in Omaha as a compensation analyst. And, I

enjoyed it because I love working with people. I’m

always trying to be the best teammate that I can

continue to be.

And today, Jamar Johnson is working

in Sports HR out in Phoenix, with my own business. We

work with professional athletes doing human resource and

management. Pretty much, I’ve worked in the human

resource field my entire working career.

HHC: Are you cool with taking some reader

e-mails at

[email protected] ?

JJ: Yeah definitely

man, I always enjoy talking about the glory days of my

Husker years.  

HHC: Thanks a lot for

joining us. It’s been a pleasure talking.

JJ: No problem, and

hey wait, I want to say one more thing. Everyday since

Erick Strickland called me and let me know about this

site, I hit the site everyday, man. I just want to thank

you for giving former players like myself the chance to

now actually follow the program, and get real in depth

knowledge of what’s going on with the program. That’s

always been important to a lot of us, and now we have

the means to be able to do that, so I just want to say

thank you for doing this and what you do with Husker

Hoops Central, and to everybody that’s involved with it,

from Beau, Bruce, Cary, Grant, Darren, and everyone

else. Thank you.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">