Sophomore Chris Johnson is one of the rising stars on the men's basketball team, and he could have an NBA future.

A lean rebounding machine at 6'6" and 191 pounds, Johnson has taken the Atlantic 10 by storm this season. One of the leaders in many statistical categories for the 17-6 Dayton Flyers, he has also made a statement for a career in professional basketball.

Johnson's journey to UD began when his family moved from his native Orlando to Columbus in the summer following his eighth grade year. Adjusting to the new environment and the increased fervor of playing high school basketball, he then committed to Dayton following his junior year.

That would kickstart a burst of continuous development as he dominated the state during his senior season at Brookhaven High School. Johnson averaged 26.2 points per game on 63 percent shooting and was on the All-Ohio First Team in Division I.

"The first day I walked in the gym I had never seen him play before, and it is an open gym so it is up and down. But he was doing a little bit of everything and he was talking a lot and playing hard," head coach Brian Gregory said about his prized catch. "It is just something you get attracted to in terms of how hard he played."

Johnson entered the UD men's basketball player in the same class as current players Luke Fabrizius, Josh Benson and Paul Williams. Despite the increased competition levels and several other players at his wing forward spot on the court, he proceeded to lead all UD freshmen in scoring.

For his efforts, he also made it onto the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Rookie Team, but vowed to put in more work for a successful sophomore season.

"I just worked harder in the gym. Consistently, religiously working harder and just working on my skill work," Johnson said about the change he made to his game over the summer. "Working on getting more jump shots up and being there consistently."

Entering play this week, Johnson had totals of 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in just 24.1 minutes per ball game. He set new career highs of 26 points and 20 rebounds in the first game of conference play against Duquesne in early January.

Among qualified players in the A-10, he was the only one to rank in the top 10 in both rebounds per game and three-point shooting percentage. Additionally, along with teammate Chris Wright, he was one of just four players in the conference to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per 40 minutes played.

"Well, I mean he has a tremendous work ethic, and the best part about him is he is willing to admit his weaknesses and flaws and work on those," Gregory said. "He has to still get a lot better handling the basketball and so forth and I think he understands that. But just the day in and day out intensity that he approaches his workouts kind of set the tone for what he's doing right now."

Johnson missed the majority of two games with a concussion during non-conference play in December. He set the tone of his return with vengeance against Duquesne and then continued to excel in A-10 play, currently ranking fourth with an average of 9.1 rebounds in conference games.

On a team loaded with experience and size, Johnson has stood out as being one of the most improved. He praised his current teammates for the lessons he has learned from them and noted that the Atlantic 10 championship remains one of their many goals.

"It is great having seven seniors on the team-experienced players teaching me a lot of things as a sophomore," he said. "They help me out but also I try to help them out with their senior year, just leaving on a good note."

Adored by his coaches and noted for his hustle and efficiency on the court, the sky is the limit now for the lanky forward. Some thoughts are that he could make the leap to the NBA following his UD career and all signs from this year point to such long-term success for Chris Johnson.