HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 18, 2010) Junior guard Trumaine Johnson became the newest member of the University of Houston men's basketball program Friday after signing a Statement of Financial Aid, head coach James Dickey announced.
"We are so excited to welcome Trumaine to our basketball program," Dickey said. "He is an explosive guard who can score and play hard-nosed defense. Trumaine is a veteran who helped lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. His experience certainly will be valuable to our program."
Following his signing, an excited Johnson said he was happy to return to an area he knows well.
"Houston is my hometown, and I have always been a fan of the Cougars," Johnson said. "This is home, and everybody loves home. I am glad to be back."
With his signing, Johnson became the sixth member -Dickey's initial recruiting class at Houston.
He joined Navarro Junior College guard Darian Thibodeaux, Midland Junior College forward Jonathon Simmons, Second Baptist High forward Mikhail McLean, Hyde Park Academy guard Fabyon Harris and Little Rock Central forward Alandise Harris.
Throughout his recruitment, Johnson said he always enjoyed speaking with Dickey, associate coach Alvin Brooks and assistant coaches Daniyal Robinson and Ulric Maligi. That played a major impact on his final decision.
"I felt very comfortable speaking with Coach Dickey and all the coaches,'' Johnson said. "I enjoyed their personalities and felt relaxed around them."
A Houston native, Johnson graduated from Kingwood High in 2007 before competing at San Diego for two seasons from 2007 to 2009. He helped lead the Toreros to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
He attended school at Diablo Valley College but did not play basketball during the 2009-10 season.
As a sophomore at San Diego in 2008-09, Johnson averaged 11.6 points to finish third among the Toreros in scoring. He led USD in scoring four times that year, including a season-best 22 points in games against San Francisco and Santa Clara.
Johnson posted 5.7 points per game as a freshman in 2007-08, including a season-high 22 points against Pepperdine. Starting 16 of 35 games that year, he raised his scoring average to 7.6 points per game in West Coast Conference play.
During his high school career, Johnson scored 40 or more points in a game four times and helped lead two teams to the state semifinals. As a senior at Kingwood High, he averaged 9.0 points, 7.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game while helping lead the team to the state semifinals and a national ranking in the USA Today Super 25.
Johnson also was tabbed as the District Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-District and All-Region honors.
He spent his sophomore and junior seasons at Diboll High where he received numerous awards. As a junior, he averaged 28 points, 8 assists and 3 steals on the way to being named the league's Most Valuable Player and earning All-Region and All-State Honors.
During his first year at Diboll High, he earned All-District First-Team and All-Region Accolades and was named the league's Newcomer of the Year. Johnson also helped lead the Mustangs to the state semifinals and a No. 1 ranking in the state.
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