Openjobmetis Varese Basketball announces that it has reached an agreement with player Melvin Johnson. American shooting guard, class of 1993, Johnson has signed a one-year contract that will bind him to the Red & Whites club until the end of 2016/2017 season. An athletic player with high point-scoring abilities and with a talent for the rebound, Johnson took part in the recent Summer League in Las Vegas where he played a match with the Houston Rockets (8 points). Having cut his teeth at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU Rams), this is Melvin’s first time in Europe.

Massimo Ferraiuolo, Team Manager, Openjobmetis Varese Basketball: «We are very happy with the arrival of Melvin Johnson who, since our first meeting, showed a great desire to get involved. From the personal point of view, this is a guy who can truly boast about his qualities. His sporting career, however, tells of an athlete whose best weapon is his deep shooting. We are confident that with our jersey he will display the right attitude and his technical abilities».

Melvin Johnson, Shooting Guard, Openjobmetis Varese Basketball: «I'm very excited about starting this new adventure in Italy. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the city of Varese and its team. This makes me very happy and motivated. I will always try to do my best with enthusiasm, competitiveness and great shooting. I’ve been told that Varese Basketball is much loved by its fans - coming out of a college, I know how important this is because they represent the sixth man on court. I'm truly happy to be playing in Varese, a team with an expert and passionate fan base».

Player Profile

Date of birth: June 19, 1993

Place of birth: Bronx (New York, USA)

Height: 191 cm

Position: Shooting guard

Career

Johnson attended Virginia Commonwealth University, a college where he majored in criminology. He played 4 seasons with the Rams as leading player, showcasing his talent as shooter (3 points at 35.5% in 4 years) for which he obtained a record of 285 three-pointers at VCU. In his last year in college, he played 36 games scoring an average of 17.4 points per game (46.2% two-pointers, 38.1% three-pointers and 81.4% free throws) with 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists.