Wildcats coach Jay Wright said that after Johnson returned to the court, it took a while for him to get over his fears that he would break the bone again if he went all out. He said those fears have vanished.
"I saw him make some explosive moves against DePaul with some speed he hasn't used," Wright said. "I think mentally, the area where he's 100 percent is that he's not playing to get hurt again. He said it took him a while to not fear breaking it again."
Reunion
When St. Joseph's host Fordham on Wednesday, it will be a reunion for Hawks 6-8 forward Halil Kanacevic and Fordham coach Tom Pecora. Kanacevic played his freshman season in 2009-10 at Hofstra where his head coach was Pecora.
Kanacevic sat out last season under the NCAA transfer rules while Pecora began his first season at Fordham.
Pecora remains a big fan of Kanacevic, who is averaging 7.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, and is second on the team in assists (3.1).
"I love him and think the world of him not only as a player but as a kid," Pecora said. "He's a little kooky, but so was I at that stage."
As for Kanacevic's passing, Pecora said he "has a skill set of a guard and he has great toughness, and those are his two biggest traits.
"If you leave him alone in the low or high post, it's like a quarterback not being pressured, and he can pick you apart."
Balanced scoring
One reason for La Salle's 12-4 start has been balanced scoring. Entering Tuesday's game with Penn, four players were averaging better than 12 points per game.
All four are guards - Tyreek Duren, Earl Pettis, Sam Mills, and Ramon Galloway, who was averaging a team-high 15.5 points.
"When you have four guards who are high experienced and all on the same level, you are going to have balance," La Salle coach John Giannini said.
Ruffin it out
