Johnson Signs Overseas
August 20, 2011 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Albany Legends News Release
Albany, New York -
The Albany Legends professional basketball franchise has announced tonight that Lloyd Johnson, reserve point guard, has acquired an overseas contract to play basketball this fall. Johnson, the team's sixth man and back-up point guard, led all players on the Legends roster with 20.2 ppg in the 2011 season.
Johnson secured a contract with U.S. Basket Lucera in Italy. The team plays in the Italian C-League, a developmental league for upper-level teams. "Lloyd will do well in this (Italian) league, and will likely vie for the league lead in scoring come winter." Legends Coach Ben Smith beamed. "It was a goal for us to bring Lloyd forward this season into a situation that would be a good fit for him to flourish, and I am happy to say that he got himself a shot."
Johnson, the team's reserve point guard, excited crowds with his ever-present offense and his flair for the dramatic. He led the team in back-court steals, and was also known throughout the season for his individual scoring runs of 8-12 points that he could drum up at any time. Johnson even added a 40-foot buzzer-beater to his resume in Edmonton on June 25th of this past season.
"It feels good to see the hard work finally start to pay off. It's been a long time, and a tough road that I had to take to get here... but I see this as a stepping stone for me." Johnson said in an interview Saturday night. "I would like to use basketball as a vehicle to make sure that my family and myself will be set in the future. My motivation is my daughter, and with her behind me, and continuing to work for her, I feel as though I can do good things."
Johnson joins a growing list of signings coming from the Legends' 2011 roster, including EJ Gallup(Germany), Deandre Thomas(Thailand), and Will Harris(Denmark). Several of the other players on the roster are currently in conversation with teams abroad as well. "It's kind of a whirlwind time for us right now as an organization, " Smith added. "As great news as it is for these guys recently, we'd like to have 100% of our employees moving up the ladder this fall. We will continue to work for them all, it's just the name of the game."
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International Basketball League Stories from August 20, 2011
- Johnson Signs Overseas - Albany Legends
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