Marcus Johnson Leaves

Wow. This is an utter surprise. Marcus Johnson has asked permission to talk to other schools. His time here at Uconn has been anything but frustrating for him. He could never find his role on the team. He shined when on the fast break but never found the confidence in his jumper and never felt comfortable in the offense.

With his departure, Uconn is stuck with only one small forward which is a big problem. This forces Calhoun to either go big or go small when Robinson is on the bench. Shutting down teams that have two or more small forwards on a team, like Louisville, are now going to give Uconn a tougher time matching up.

Johnson had sat out the Bryant game with an elbow injury and was scheduled to undergo an MRI. Marcus will finish out the fall semester at Uconn but will no longer be a member of the team. There must be more to this story. If he had trepidations about his willingness to be a member of this squad, then he would have pulled the trigger earlier in the summer. Something happened in October practice or the elbow injury is more severe then imagined.

Calhoun’s response to Marcus’s departure, “Marcus came to see me today and told me that he felt it was in his best interests to find another school to attend and to play basketball. I know he has a desire to maximize his playing time and also to get closer to home, so he felt this was the best decision for him at this time. I wish him nothing but the best as a person and as a basketball player.”

Marcus will do better without being under the microscope and the ire of Calhoun. Its hard to produce and be effective when you get your minutes in crumbs. He’ll find a place closer to home and contribute more to a team then he will this year or next. We wish him the best of luck.