LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville men's basketball announced Saturday morning that it would be activating point guard London Johnson for its game against Boston College in the KFC Yum! Center.
A release from Louisville said Johnson will be in uniform and available to play for the first time this season. Johnson's signing with Louisville last fall caused a bit of a stir. He was the first G-League player ever to sign with a college team.
He joined Louisville at the semester break with the intent to redshirt, but has traveled to games with the team and was also in uniform for Tuesday's game against Duke.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
His activation will raise further questions about the health status of star freshman Mikel Brown, who has missed the past five games with a back injury. His backup, Kobe Rodgers, also has been slowed by a couple of ailments.
Also Saturday, leading scorer Ryan Conwell was ruled out of the game against Boston College in a game-time decision. He suffered a knee injury in practice when he bumped knees with a teammate.
After Louisville's loss to Duke on Tuesday, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey was asked if Johnson might reconsider the redshirt in light of injuries. His statement then was, "No, there's no thought to that right now."
Johnson, a native of Norcross, Georgia, was a four-star high school recruit before reclassifying and joining the G-League Ignite team at age 17. He went on to play 100 G-League games across three seasons with the Ignite, the Maine Red Claws and the Cleveland Charge. His best year came in 2023-24, when he averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds.
While the numbers are modest, the upside is clear. Johnson was a state champion at Norcross High School, scoring 27 points in the Georgia Class 7A title game as a junior. He was a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist and starred for Jamaica's U17 national team, averaging 36 points per game in a FIBA competition at age 17.
While the signing of a G-League player raised some eyebrows around the country and the notion of doing it -- while not Louisville's action specifically -- drew some criticism, particularly from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, Kelsey called Johnson a "trailblazer."
"London brings experience, talent, toughness and a winning mindset," Kelsey said at the time. "Like all of the players that are welcomed into our organization, his life is about to change for the better, which is what we do, and we can't wait to get him to campus to start that process."
Louisville is scheduled to tip off against BC at noon in the KFC Yum! Center.
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