A Milwaukee eighth-grader hopes to grow on and off the basketball court, but he's already the People's Champ
MILWAUKEE - MacDowell Montessori School eighth-grader Dooney Johnson has made an impression with his skills on the basketball court, but recent recognition for his contributions off of it has inspired him to do more.
Johnson received the National Basketball Players Association's the People's Champ Award last month at the second annual NBPA Players' Voice Awards NextGen.
The award is given to "the player who gives as much off the court as they do on it, always striving to make his or her community better through service and advocacy," the organization says. Nominations for the award were accepted for nearly two weeks before finalists were chosen July 22. Then the winner was chosen in open voting.
"I really like helping people as much as I can," he said. "When I get recognized for that and not just basketball, it feels really good."
Dooney's father, Torre Johnson, said seeing the community show support for his son as more than a basketball player was impactful for them both.
"It was good for him to see that there are people out here that love him and voted for him," Torre said. "That was a big deal for me to see that he does have the people behind him, and they do support him and want him to be successful at the next level."
Torre himself knows a thing or two about the next level. The onetime Milwaukee Juneau star averaged 17 points and nine rebounds as a senior before going on to play in junior college and then at Oklahoma State in the 2005-06 season and UW-Milwaukee in 2007-08. As he mentors Dooney to reach his potential, Torre has drawn upon his own experiences to reinforce lessons.
"He tells me a lot of stories about keeping your emotions in check, keeping your composure," Dooney said. "You can’t let anybody break you down. If you get knocked down, you’ve got to get up."
For Torre, anecdotes to that end help instill an emphasis on the mental side of being a professional that can get lost in the journey to improve as a player.
"My job is also to make sure he’s prepared for everything throughout this journey, because it is a marathon," Torre said. "That's the biggest issue in our community: Our kids play a lot of sports, period, and they don’t get the mental aspect of what’s required to play at that professional or collegiate level."
Working on his composure and mental fortitude may have also played a role in Dooney's recent off-the-court recognition. His nomination included not only community service performed with his teammates but the description of a bullying incident Dooney helped stop involving a classmate.
"He’s one of those guys, he stands up for the average person," Torre said. "Now that I know that my son likes that type of (service opportunity), I’m trying to reach out to other programs to get him more involved in the community."
An offer already extended from Grambling State is a reminder that college basketball soon could be within reach, but Dooney is focused on finishing middle school so he can join friends on the Juneau High School basketball team. Torre gushes at the thought of his son in the same high school colors he once wore, while Dooney also sees an opportunity to get one over on his dad.
"That would be pretty cool to live on the legacy, and beat some of his records too," Dooney said with a laugh.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee eighth-grade basketball player earns community service award
