LAKELAND, Fla.- Former Southeastern University men's basketball player Dwayne Johnson signed his first professional contract Friday with the Liepajas Lauvas of Latvia's Latvijas Basketbola Liga. The team made the signing official today.
The NAIA First Team All-American averaged 20.8 points and 5.1 assists per game for the Fire, leading them to a 27-7 record, and their first appearance in the NAIA Division II Fab Four.
"It's such a blessing from God, all I could think about was all that God brought me through from sitting out, averaging 11 points to 20, so I just thank Him for this blessing," said Johnson of the offer.
Johnson participated in a pro prospect camp in Miami last weekend and caught the eye of many coaches from overseas teams. "The experience was a little different, it was a little hard to understand the coaches at first, but they seemed like genuine men," said Johnson.
The Miami native spent two seasons at Southeastern after prepping at Florida State College of Jacksonville. He played 31 games during the 2011-2012 season and averaged 11.4 points and 4.3 assists per game. After sitting out the following season, Johnson had a breakout year in 2013-2014, earning All-Sun Conference and All-American honors.
"The mark that Dwayne has made on our program and our school will never be forgotten because of how he carried himself," said Coach R-Jay Barsh. "As a coach, you know what he's capable of, and when he actually does it, it validates everything in your relationship.
"There's so much that goes into a young man's maturation to become a professional athlete and a college graduate," said Barsh.
The 185 centimeter, 86 kilogram point guard will be reporting to Latvia in August to begin his first pro season.
