Photo by Steven St. JohnTribune

Tribune

UNM forward Aaron Johnson lifts up strength and conditioning coach Aaron Day during practice. Heading into his first season at New Mexico, Johnson's personality has lightened the mood at Lobo practices. "He brings an element to this team we haven't had on the court, and his personality is infectious," said head coach Ritchie McKay.

RELATED STORIES

• UNM Men's Basketball: Freshman center faces setback

Related Links

• No harm, no Fowler Blog

More LoboZone

• Richard Stevens: Faces I'll remember are the smallest ones
• Michael Garcia: Here's to you, athletes, coaches and friends. These memories - and lessons - will last forever.
• Tribune sports: Five faves

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Albuquerque Old Town
• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

His forte on the basketball court is to survive and thrive in the physical arena of the paint - where elbows and poundings are part of the game.

There was a time, however, when Johnson once had to pull away from physical contact, pull away from basketball.

It wasn't really a matter of fear. It was a matter of necessity.

More to the point, it was a matter of life and death. The prospect of Johnson never again taking the court became a frightful possibility.

One Johnson chose to ignore.

"Never playing again never crossed my mind," said the 6-foot-8 Johnson, a senior transfer from Penn State now with the University of New Mexico men's basketball team. "I never think I can't. I always overcome, so I was ready to get this (disorder) over with."

The disorder is called ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura), a blood condition that creates a low count of platelets, which are clots that seal up the blood and keep it from doing things like leaking out of your body.

It makes it difficult for someone to survive a blow to the head or excessive external bleeding, said Dr. Robert Hromas, chief of Hematology and Oncology at UNM Hospital.

Doctors told Johnson in the summer of 2005 he could "continuously bleed to death" if he got cut, said Howard Johnson, Aaron's father.

And the way Johnson plays - and where he plays - put him directly into harm's way.

"He was asking me, `Why me? Why is this happening to me?,' " Howard said. "Things didn't work out at Penn State, but he was finally ready to move on. Then this happened."

Johnson was on his way to jump starting his career at UNM when the blood disorder was discovered.

It hit Johnson like a hard elbow.

But neither Johnson nor his parents simply accepted the bad news. His parents put him into one hospital and then another, looking for a cure and a return to the court.

And they found it.

In August, Johnson and his family decided to seek a second opinion. A new hospital provided the right dose of steroids for Johnson to increase his platelet count, Johnson said.

No problems since.

The cure, and the return to the court as a Lobo, has returned the color to Johnson's face. He is as vibrant as ever, a revitalized fusion of rebounds and wise cracks that seems to produce effortless energy during UNM practices.

"All I know is that I'm grateful for every day," Johnson said. "It's luck, faith, God, whatever you want to call it. But I can live my life regularly now, so I have nothing to complain about."

Johnson returned in time for the fall 2005 semester as a Lobo, and though he visits UNM hospital once or twice a month to gauge his platelet count, his health is intact.

Coach Ritchie McKay, who declined comment on Johnson's disorder, said Johnson weighed more than 280 pounds when he arrived last fall. Now he's a svelte 252.

"He's running the floor and quickly making an impact," McKay said. "He brings an element to this team we haven't had on the court, and his personality is infectious."

Two things were never debatable about Johnson, no matter what the scale said - his playing ability and his personality.

Johnson's resurgence starts on the court and stretches to team morale. He's an undoubted talent who finds a way to score and rebound without great leaping ability or athletic greatness.

He also finds a way to clown teammates and coaches without hesitation.

"I love to talk," Johnson said. "It's like a hobby of mine. I'm the People's Champ."

Freshman Sean Imadiyi said the loud-mouthed, comical Johnson makes being a Lobo easier.

"He relaxes everybody," Imadiyi said. "He's always encouraging and always making jokes, but he can be serious and helps you in basketball. He's a funny guy."

Despite conquering the disorder and building up teammates, Johnson wasn't spared his share of drama when he arrived in Albuquerque.

McKay stripped Johnson of his 2006-07 scholarship because of Johnson's well-publicized bar fight with police in September 2005. Johnson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of evading arrest and was briefly suspended from the Lobos.

"It's been a rough couple of years, so this is family time," Johnson said. "I'm starting a new season."

Howard said his son has learned from his setbacks - and mistakes.

"Is Aaron accident prone? I don't know," Howard said. "This is the sequence that Aaron has had to deal with. This was the deck of cards that God put on the table and Aaron played them. Now he has a real opportunity to get beyond this. I'm proud of him because he's doing it."

As a senior, Johnson has one shot to revel in worry-free college basketball.

Beyond basketball, Johnson said he's just happy to be here.

"I love green chile, my family, New Mexico, our team and our coaches," Johnson said.

"And I love Subway. You have to stay healthy."

A lesson learned the hard way, but a lesson well learned.