Photo courtesy of Ken Hoyte
By David Cordova
New York City is a place that is known for their guard play. In the Big Apple, backcourts are the one thing that makes the world go round, as there is one that runs the team (point guard) & the other that has the green light to shoot at a high volume (two-guard or shooting guard).
At Brooklyn Collegiate High School, there is one backcourt that has made themselves noticed in the span of a season. That duo consists of rising senior Glen “Jo-Jo” Anderson and rising junior Majesty Johnson, both of whom are 5-foot-8.
This season, this duo played some great basketball and led their team to some crucial victories within the PSAL and non-league victories. Their cohesion in the backcourt is very reminiscent of both Malik Boothe and Erving Walker back in 2007, when they attended Catholic school powerhouse Christ the King High School in Queens. Boothe later went on to St. John’s and Walker went to Florida.
“What motivates me is me is one, my parents. They push me hard every day, they make sure I go to school on time, my coaches as well, they just want the best for me. And they spend all they time, they money, and they invest in me, and all I want to do is make them proud.” says Johnson.
“Growing up in Harlem, struggling, my mom struggling, so that just motivates me to keep going hard and continue with my success,” says Anderson.
Although they attend school in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, both Anderson and Johnson make the trip everyday from the Harlem section of Manhattan. Both come from an area where the struggle is prevalent, but if you have the right motivation and support system, can make it out and do great things in the future.
“It’s very different, it’s very small, everybody’s in their space, you got good ballplayers everywhere, so when you go to the park, you want to be the top guy, everybody’s talking about everybody else, you just keep pushing, keep pushing to get your name up,” says Anderson of being from Harlem.
“In Harlem, there’s a lot of bad influences out there, people I grew up with since I was young, they chose the wrong path, they chose the streets, and they used to play ball, but I just followed [the right path]. Basketball is my dream,” said Johnson.
On the court, Johnson is a good ballhandler with good court vision, and has a great IQ, as well as his shooting. But things that he plans to improve on are defense and his physicality. As for Anderson, he has a improving jumper, and is always great getting his teammates and creating.
This season, both players helped lead Brooklyn Collegiate to prominence in the PSAL, posting a 17-11 overall record and 7-7 in the in the ultra-tough PSAL Brooklyn AA division. Anderson averaged 16.3 points, 8.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Johnson added 11.6 points, 5.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game.
“Brooklyn Collegiate, I started there my freshman year. Definitely helped me elevate my game. My freshman year, I never wanted to take a jump shot, now I’m in my junior year going into my senior year, I’m more comfortable taking a jump shot. I’m becoming a better leader, the team pushes me to be a better leader, to tell me get to practice on time, preparing for college, six in the morning A.M. practices, all that is great. So, it’s preparing me for college, and pushing me to the next level.” says Anderson about his time with the Lions.
One area where Johnson is definitely an asset to the Lions is his speed. Johnson may be small, but he can also hurt you by getting to the court in 2.5 seconds. “Like, when big men tend to go get the rebound, I come from like, behind and steal the ball from behind them, or, I use my speed against bigger guards.” he says.
On his time at Brooklyn Collegiate, he added: “My first year at Brooklyn Collegiate, playing “AA” basketball, as you know, like, it’s the toughest division in PSAL, so coming from eighth grade to ninth grade was a big step for me. And I worked out hard, like I played well my freshman year. Second year, I came out hard and had a better year all-around, but there’s still more work to go.”
Last year, the Lions had a very tough schedule, and they did well against teams such as Hillhouse (CT), Long Island Lutheran, Eagle Academy, Lawrence Woodmere, St. Anthony’s and Lincoln Academy (GA). They even knocked off a powerhouse program from Brooklyn in Lincoln, which at the time was the defending city and state Federation champions. The Lions would beat them, 66-59, at home on December 7th, and then in Coney Island, 62-59, on January 16th.
Johnson felt content about how the season ended up. “I feel like we did good, we won more games this year than last year, but we ended up falling short in the same round [second round of the PSAL city playoffs] to the same team, [Curtis High School from Staten Island].”
On the two victories against Lincoln, he added: “It felt good, because this year’s team was the first team to beat Lincoln, home & away, so I’m proud of that.”
Anderson’s thoughts on the season and the wins against Lincoln were: “I would say that was heart, we’re lion-hearted, so all that came from the heart, we just trusted and believed in one another, and me as the leader, again, I just got my teammates involved when they {the opposition] shut me down, I create for others like I said, which is great, and then we ended up with two big victories, but we fell short again to Curtis in the playoffs, so I was upset.”
This summer, both players have been playing for Castle Athletics, a program in the Adidas Gauntlet Silver circuit, with Johnson on the 16U team and Anderson on the 17U squad.
“Playing with Castle for Coach Rudy [King], always pushing me to go to the gym, get this jump shot correct, he believes in me, he definitely believes in me a lot, he tells me that I’m a Division I player, just gotta get my game downpact and sharp and I should be good at the next level.” said Anderson.
“This summer is going to be real big for me,” says Johnson, “I’ve been putting in a lot of late-night hours [in the gym], and my Castle team, we’ve been trying to put ourselves on the map lately, we’re 4-for-6 in our first six tournaments, and we’re just coming for everything.”
In regards to their recruitment, both Johnson and Anderson have been lightly-recruited. As of the present date, Johnson holds interest from schools such as Georgetown, Rider and New Mexico, but has no offers. “I’m just trying to get more, get my first offer,” said Johnson. As for Anderson, he holds three offers from Howard, Bryant and Iona.
So far this summer, with Brooklyn Collegiate, they have been on a good note, going undefeated last weekend at the Fordham University team camp. That performance gives the team a chance to jell and gain some chemistry before the season starts in early December.
Now as far as both of them, when asked if they felt like they were the best backcourt in Brooklyn, Johnson replied, “Absolutely.”
Anderson took it further, by saying, “No doubt, I think me and Majesty, number one, are definitely two of the smartest point guards in the PSAL. Maj actually pushes me, even though he’s younger than me, he actually pushes me a lot, that’s a great dude and we’re just both motivated to keep going with our success.”
Next season will be their last one together, as Anderson will be a senior and Johnson will be a junior. But when all is said and done, they will both be remembered as one of the best backcourts in the PSAL, because of their talent, hard work and determination to win.
Whatever colleges land either of them, have a chance at landing winners. Wherever they go, they will both share that toughness and swagger. Why is that? Because if you can make it in Harlem, chances are you can make it anywhere.
Highlights of Glen “Jo-Jo” Anderson and Majesty Johnson:
Courtesy of Coach K’s Basketball Channel.
Courtesy of Coach K’s Basketball Channel.
Courtesy of Coach K’s Basketball Channel.
Courtesy of Coach K’s Basketball Channel.
Courtesy of East Coast Hoops.
Courtesy of East Coast Hoops.
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