by Brian Crownover
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When the Chester Clippers won the PIAA 4A State Championship this year it was their playmakers Nasir Robinson and Karon Burton who gathered all the headlines.  They certainly couldn't have won it all on their own though.  Several key role players helped them during the successful season.  Senior forward Russell Johnson was one of those players.  Russell has the ability to scored, but on that team he was most needed on the interior for pulling down rebounds.

Despite not having a major opportunity to score, Russell still did enough to get noticed.  He could always be found playing hard and doing the dirty work inside.  He's an exceptional rebounder and a lot of his points came via the offensive glass this past season.  Russell does have the ability to play on the wing too though.  He's a solid ball handler who can get into the lane.  He also is capable of hitting from the perimeter, including out to three point range.  Physically, his most impressive trait is his length.

While he can play on the wing, he does need to develop a more consistent game on the outside.  That should come though as he spends more time out there (as he'll likely do at the college level).  Even without putting up huge numbers, Russell has still garnered interest from several college programs. 

Currently, Big Five programs Temple and La Salle are involved with Russell and have extended a scholarship offer.  Two other schools, Robert Morris,  and Marshall have offered him as well.  Russell indicates that he isn't fully qualified yet, but his test score is close.  Look for him to have the potential to be a solid player down the road.  At the very least, we know Russell will do whatever is asked of him on the court.