SIU’s Xavier Johnson leading country in scoring, says trust a big key to success

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KBSI) – In three seasons at George Mason and one at Southern Illinois, Xavier Johnson had never even eclipsed 8 points per game.

He has more than tripled that this season, and it stems largely from one five-letter word: trust.

“They believe in me. They’ve seen the work I’ve put in. It’s just paying off right now,” Johnson said.

“Whether he’s scoring 24 points a game or him getting 10 assists, the ball’s going to be in his hands, and we trust him to make the right play,” SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said.

Johnson is leading the nation at 24.3 points per game and has eclipsed 30 points on three occasions, which includes the last two games against Saint Louis and Oklahoma State. 

Johnson said decisiveness is an important part of his game. 

“Reading the defense and just taking what they’re giving you, not trying to force anything and just going out there and trying to be decisive, just trying to put pressure on the defense and trying to read and react off of what they’re doing,” he said.

Johnson sprained his MCL in July and worked his way back to 100 percent just in time for the season, and Mullins credited Johnson’s incredible work ethic and character for the way he approached his recovery and has blossomed into one of the best players in the country. 

“He was extremely focused, extremely driven, motivated, had great workouts getting back onto the court, and we wanted to make sure he was 100 percent healthy before we brought him on,” Mullins said. “I’m just happy for him and proud of him.” 

And despite leading the nation in scoring, Johnson is among the nation’s best passers, averaging 5 assists per contest. 

Johnson said that unselfishness has always been a part of his game and has been magnified this year by his aggressiveness on the offensive end. 

“That’s always been me,” he said. “I love getting my teammates involved. I love giving them open shots, and I think it’s become even better now that I’m more aggressive, so the defense kind of has to react, so I can make the passes that I want to make, and these guys put in a lot of work before and after practice, so I want to give them the ball when they’re open.”