In his first and only season with the VCU Rams, graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. has logged nearly 1,000 minutes, is averaging 11.8 points per game and has become a rebound and block machine on the court for the Black and Gold.
Johns and the rest of the Rams cut down the nets in Brooklyn, N.Y., following a 68-56 comeback win over the Dayton Flyers in the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship game.
"It was amazing," he said of the moment in conversation with Adam Epstein on Wednesday (March 15). "It's something that we've been dreaming of [and] working for since the summertime. So to finally be able to do it and achieve it, it was truly awesome."
The 6'8 forward arrived over the summer from Michigan, a team that made the tournament last season -- VCU did not.
"[VCU} accepted me with open arms from the jump," he said. "The whole VCU nation, they really just accepted me, and I'm truly grateful, truly appreciative of that. I know how hard it can be to come into a new system and get along with different people. Like I said, they welcomed me with open arms, so it was truly easy to get here and get accommodated to here.
"[...] I always have love for Michigan, and I always want to see them succeed," Johns added. "I wish them nothing but the best, and of course, I would want to see them in [the tournament]. Unfortunately [they're] not this year."
Epstein nicknamed Johns "Mr. Consistency" for his excellence on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. He and sophomore forward Jalen DeLoach have presented opponents with a huge physical challenge on the court.
"I truly enjoy playing with Jalen," he said. "I think we're both two very versatile players -- we can both defend, we can both play really well, offense down low. But I think we really work together really well down there, and I feel like it's really hard for bigs to stop us both because if one of us isn't really going well, the other one is. So we just always push each other, we've always got each other's backs."
Check out more of the interview below.