by Kevin Farrell
SAN ANTONIO — Sophomore guard Melvin Johnson III has come on to the scene as one of premier shooters in the Southland Conference.
The Dallas native leads the team with 70 3-pointers and ranks second in scoring at 14.5 points per game this year. His accurate shooting touch shows in the stat sheet. He has knocked down 42 percent of his shots, including 39 percent from downtown, and hits at an 89-percent pace from the free-throw line.
Once the top offensive punch off the bench as a freshman and for the first half of this season, he cracked the starting lineup against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 12 and has stepped up his game since. He racked up 19 points behind an 8-for-15 shooting performance and tallied seven rebounds in the 55-47 victory over the Islanders and has averaged more than 15 points in the last 15 games.
In the most recent meeting with Central Arkansas on March 2, Johnson III went 6-for-11 from the floor with four treys and a game-high 20 points.
He leaves no doubt that he is a talented shooter and with two years left to play with the Roadrunners, he is confident his game will only improve.
“I’m always working to get better,” Johnson III said following UTSA's win in the home finale. “When I start to get into my rhythm during a game, I know that motivates my teammates. Once we start moving the ball and finding open guys, we’re a hard team to beat.”
With senior point guard Devin Gibson leaving after this season, there is no doubt that a leadership void has to be filled for next year. The Roadrunners are a team with eager underclassmen and up and coming seniors. Johnson III finds himself in the middle of his college career and has proven himself as a leader on the court. With another year of experience under his belt, he looks forward to taking on a bigger role for the team next season.
“Melvin’s a hard worker and good basketball player,” head coach Brooks Thompson said. “He knows that he’s a big part of our game plan and, with a strong senior, class returning next year, I think he’ll be the perfect spark for our team.”
With this regular season down to one game at UT Arlington on Saturday and a spot in the State Farm Southland Conference Tournament on the line, Johnson III and the Roadrunners definitely know the importance of what is at stake.
“We know we’re on the line for the playoffs,” Johnson said. “We’re going to go in there and play as hard as we can. If we play like we are capable of, we have the confidence that we can get a win. Don’t count us out yet.”
The Roadrunners moved into a three-way tie with Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana for sixth place at 8-7 in the league. Despite the numerous scenarios that exist — five teams still can share a piece of the regular season title and five more are still alive for one of the eight postseason spots — UTSA realizes Saturday’s contest is likely a must-win if it wants to extend the season. If Johnson III produces another performance like he did against Central Arkansas on Wednesday night, the Roadrunners will have a very good chance to secure one of the eight seeds for the next week’s tournament.
