Four years before Charles “Mandy” Johnson was besieged by college recruiters, when he was considered the best high school basketball player in New Jersey, he already knew what the recruiting wars were all about.
When Johnson was in eighth grade, attending P.S. 23 in Jersey City’s Marion section, he was the focus of a tug-of-war between two Jersey City high school basketball coaches -Rich Myrlak, representing St. Michael’s of Jersey City and Bob Hurley, the head coach at St. Anthony.
“I started to understand then that I had talent,” Johnson recalled. “Because both coaches were trying hard to recruit me. I knew Rich Myrlak from playing at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and he wanted me to go to St. Michael’s. That’s where I first got spotted. Coach Hurley also wanted me, so I knew I must have been special. In fact, I was all set to go to St. Michael’s. I gave them a verbal commitment.”
But that wasn’t enough for Hurley.
“He asked to sit down and talk to my parents,” Johnson said. “Well, he must have done a hell of a selling job on my parents, because the next thing I know, I’m going to St. Anthony.”
The rest, as has been written countless times before, was history – because Mandy Johnson went to St. Anthony and literally changed the way the school’s basketball program would be perceived forever.
“It was a decision that changed my whole life,” Johnson said. “And at a very young age, it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
On to St. Anthony
Johnson went on to St. Anthony in 1977 and soon became, in Hurley’s mind, the best player to ever grace the Friars’ storied program. And that includes Hurley’s own two sons, one of whom, Bobby, went on to become a collegiate All-American and a first round NBA draft pick.
“There has never been a better high school basketball player,” Hurley said of Johnson, who was a two-time First Team All-State selection. “Still to this day, at least once a week, his name is brought up by someone. Mandy’s practice habits, his work ethic, were incomparable. He would grunt and groan for two hours and push everyone else along with him.”
Johnson started a long string of highly successful guards that went on to play major college basketball and opened the door for big-time recruiters to come calling on Friar players from that point on.
When he graduated in 1981, Johnson was then the fifth leading scorer in Hudson County history with 1,875 points, only trailing legends like Bill Raftery, Richie O’Connor, Danny Callandrillo and Mike O’Koren. He currently remains the school’s No. 3 all-time leading scorer, trailing only current Georgetown standout Anthony Perry and former NBA player Rodrick Rhodes.
During his time at St. Anthony, Johnson led the Friars to two NJSIAA Parochial C State championships. Recently, Johnson was named by the Newark Star-Ledger as one of the best players in New Jersey for the decade of the 1980s.
Although Johnson became a starter for Hurley right away, he was never allowed to get a big head.
“Coach Hurley never let me get out of control,” Johnson said. “He kept everything in perspective and made sure that ego didn’t get in the way.”
After his brilliant high school career, practically every major college in the nation coveted Johnson. He was the first St. Anthony player to receive such attention.
“It really was too big for me to handle, with 300 Division I schools calling my house all the time,” Johnson said. “It got so bad that I had to stop the calls. Coach Hurley handled it all for me. It was really overwhelming, with no privacy. I was getting calls at 2 a.m. It got out of hand. I was young and impressionable. You hear recruiting stories, but I never expected it to be so big.”
One school, Marquette University in Milwaukee, took a special interest in Johnson.
“Marquette stressed academics and I was impressed with that,” said Johnson, who said that it helped that recruiters like current Utah head coach Rick Majerus and former Marquette assistant Ric Cobb were intricate in their recruiting of Johnson.
“Al McGuire [the legendary Marquette coach, who died last week] would also call the house sometimes,” Johnson said. “That meant a lot that he took a special interest, even though he wasn’t coaching anymore. There is some sadness that he died. Marquette lost an icon, a guy with a good heart, with commitment and loyalty to the university.”
Johnson played four years at Marquette, scoring 1,126 points and helping the Warriors to two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Last week, Johnson earned his place to be remembered forever in Hudson County athletic history, when he was inducted, along with 17 others, into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame, at the 11th Annual induction ceremonies at the Hi-Hat Restaurant in Bayonne.
Others honored
Four Union City natives joined Johnson in the induction ceremonies. They were: Gordon Chiesa, the current assistant coach for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, and Bill Baird, who played basketball at Union Hill (1945-1949) and the University of Rhode Island (1949-1954) before moving on to a career in athletic education in Rhode Island. Also honored were the late Phil “Muggsy” Miller, a basketball pioneer, and his son, famed referee and trainer Phil “Doc” Miller, Jr.
Others honored included: Bayonne’s John “Bucky” Connelly, posthumously, for basketball; North Bergen’s Brian Guaschino for track and field; West New York’s Sal Vega for track and field; Jersey City’s George Waddleton, Dennis McGovern, Richie Long and Cathy Meyers O’Callahan for basketball.
Also, Jersey City’s Peter and Paul Berezney for football; Hoboken’s Joe Palermo for basketball; Jersey City’s Ray Bellino for baseball; the late Morris “Rosie” Rosenberg for sports journalism, and Harvey Zucker as the Marty Seglio Memorial Community Service Award inductee.
Johnson was surprised that he was able to earn a Hall of Fame honor at 37 years old. He became the first Friar player to ever earn the honor. Hurley was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach two years ago.
“When I look at the other people who made the Hall of Fame and the time they put in, I figured that it wasn’t supposed to happen this soon,” he said. “But I’m proud of being part of the St. Anthony tradition. It feels good to be part of the tradition. As an African-American, our youngsters need role models. I hope that an honor like this can show other youngsters that dreams do come true. And it doesn’t hurt to dream.”
Added Johnson, “Basketball opened so many doors for me. I got to travel to all parts of the country and meet so many people. It’s amazing how that little round thing can take you a long way. I always stress that to kids.”
The game of basketball has taken Johnson back to his hometown. He currently serves as an assistant director for the Jersey City Department of Recreation.
He also keeps a close watch on his three children, daughter Amanda, 12, son Matthew, 11, and daughter Hannah, now four years old.
“Matthew is going to be a better player than I was,” Johnson said. “He has the ability and he’s gifted. And he has no choice where he’s going to high school.”
Which means that Mandy Johnson will still keep the winning Friar tradition alive.
There is one thing that remains to be answered. Just where does a young man named Charles earn the moniker of “Mandy?” Did it have anything to do with Barry Manilow?
“It’s something I don’t talk about often,” Johnson said. “But it started when my mother used to call me her ‘little Mandy man,’ when I was a baby. It just stuck. Everyone started calling me Mandy. That’s how it started. Now, people know me as Mandy Johnson. I’m automatically Mandy first.”
Added Johnson, “But Barry Manilow has always been one of my favorites, because of that song.”