RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball head coach Jeff Neubauer announced today that Tarius Johnson has transferred to EKU for the 2012-13 season.
Johnson spent the 2011-12 season playing at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The 6-5 forward helped lead the Raiders to a 21-14 overall record and an appearance in the 2012 NJCAA tournament. Johnson played his first two years of collegiate basketball under head coach Gene Bess, who is the all-time wins leader at the junior collegiate level.
“Tarius is an outstanding young man who has just completed a super season at Three Rivers,” Neubauer said. “He is certainly a winner and leader who played a major role in their advancement to the national tournament. Tarius is a competitor who will make his teammates at EKU better.”
The native of Jackson, Tenn., led Three Rivers in both scoring (20.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg) as a sophomore, while his scoring average ranked 10th nationally. Johnson, a third-team NJCAA All-American, posted 34 points and 10 rebounds against Spartanburg Methodist (S.C.) in the opening round of the NJCAA tourney.
Johnson is the third student-athlete to sign with the EKU basketball team for the upcoming season. Two other transfers – Corey Walden (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Dominique Hagans (Lexington, Ky.) – committed to Eastern Kentucky in November.
