Diminutive Dynamo: Short Subject Johnson Flying High For Winthrop Eagles

By any measure, it's more difficult for smaller athletes to score big in the Land of the Giants despite Central Michigan's Marcus Keene (5-9) leading the nation in scoring this season and Campbell's Chris Clemons (5-9) finishing runner-up. 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 senior playmaker Keon Johnson (listed at 5-7 but probably closer to 5-4) exploded for 38 points in an overtime victory at Illinois before supplying back-to-back league outings with at least 39. This wasn't exactly virgin territory for Johnson, who averaged more than 20 ppg in three non-league road games last season against power conference members (North Carolina State, Georgia and Alabama) en route to finishing with an 18.7 mark. If Johnson maintains such a scoring pace in Big South Conference competition, 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: