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 |