ORLANDO-If Scott Johnson had his way, he’d never be noticed on television.
“When my family and friends see me on TV, it’s exciting for them, but I would rather be in the background. If there is a close-up of me, it’s often not a good thing,” Johnson said.
When SEC Player of the Year Lawrence Roberts went down in the Bulldogs’ SEC tournament loss to Vanderbilt, Johnson got the face time he didn’t want.
Johnson, an assistant athletic trainer, is in charge of keeping the men’s basketball team and the cheerleaders healthy.
“With Lawrence, we were fortunate to not have much swelling. That allowed us to do as much as possible.”
Johnson said Roberts would not have missed State’s NCAA tournament games for anything.
“Lawrence is tough-a tremendous competitor. He wants to be on the floor. He said, ‘I am gonna play whether it hurts, so I need to know what it feels like.’ We used electric stimulation, coupled with heat and ice.”
Roberts isn’t the only person that Johnson has helped out this season.
Shane Power’s knee troubles have united the two on many occasions.
“After Shane’s knee surgery, we immediately wanted to reduce swelling and pain to get him comfortable with doing everyday activity like going to class,” Johnson explained. “We wanted to improve his range of motion and strength.”
That’s not the only time that Johnson has helped Power this season.
“We joke about reuniting the next holiday weekend. He had an allergic reaction to some medicine Labor Day weekend and called me sick as a dog on Christmas Eve,” Johnson said. “He felt bad about it, but knew it needed to be done.”
“We can be pretty loose when taping Shane. Despite knee problems, his ankles have stayed healthy,” he added.
Johnson said getting to know the players helps him do his job better and adds to the enjoyment of the job.
“I try to get to know them on a personal level and build trust in case there’s an injury,” he explained. “It’s not just No. 50 or No. 21.”
In Friday’s game against Monmouth Johnson again got face time on TV when Roberts received a blow to the eye.
“It was a blunt blow, we were fortunate that he didn’t get scratched,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the guys have a good-natured sense of humor and frequently joke around.
“You should know that Dr Pepper is the official sports drink of trainers,” Power said.
“I got one coming back from Auburn and Piotr said, ‘Scott, you gotta be healthy.’ I said do as I say, not as I do,” Johnson explained.
Sure enough, as Johnson taped the players before Saturday’s practice a half-empty bottle of the soft drink sat on the desk in Johnson’s hotel room, along with a bag of powdered doughnuts.
Do as he says, not as he eats and help him stay off of TV.