Diminutive Dynamo: Short Subject Johnson Flies High with Winthrop Eagles

By any measure, it's more difficult for smaller athletes to score big in the Land of the Giants. The only NCAA Division I players shorter than 6-0 to score more than 2,500 career points are 5-10 Calvin Murphy (2,548 for Niagara from 1967-68 through 1969-70) and 5-10 Keydren Clark (3,058 for Saint Peter's from 2002-03 through 2005-06).

Shortening the subject matter even more, Winthrop junior playmaker Keon Johnson (5-7) averaged just over 20 points per game in three non-league road games against power conference members (North Carolina State, Georgia and Alabama). He was averaging a comparable figure overall this year after contributing 10 three-point field goals against Charleston Southern and 32 points against Radford. If Johnson maintains his Big South Conference scoring pace, he'll join the following short list of major-college players shorter than 5-8 who averaged in excess of 20 ppg in a single season:

Diminutive Player Ht. DI School Avg. Season
David Holston 5-7 Chicago State 25.9 2008-09
Earl Boykins 5-6 Eastern Michigan 25.7 1997-98
David Holston 5-7 Chicago State 23.1 2007-08
Chuck Rolles 5-6 Cornell 23.0 1955-56
Dick Hickox 5-6 Miami (Fla.) 22.1 1959-60
Marques Green 5-7 St. Bonaventure 21.3 2002-03
Billy Pappas 5-6 New Hampshire 21.0 1953-54
Shawnta Rogers 5-4 George Washington 20.7 1998-99
Keith "Mister" Jennings 5-7 East Tennessee State 20.1 1990-91