Former Cal State star nowat Rio Grande
It looks like former Cal State San Bernardino basketball big man Ivan Johnson has adapted quite well after his trade from the Anaheim Arsenal to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA's D-League.
Johnson averaged 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.90 assists in 35 games in Anaheim. He has played in four since joining the Vipers and is avergaing 14.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
It looks like the trade had more to do with need for both teams than performance, or lack there of. The Vipers needed a big man and Johnson is the biggest that team has. That was not the case in Anaheim which boasted a 7-footer in Marcus Campbell, out of Mississippi State.
Ironically the trade also involved a true local in Mike Efeverbha who went to the Arsenal from Iowa as part of the three-way trade. He prepped at Ganesha and starred at Cal State Northridge and filled the need Anaheim had for a guard.
The move also gets Johnson closer to his native San Antonio. The Vipers are based out of McAllen, Texas which is in the Southern tip.
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About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
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