398:. He signed with the Suns on September 27, 1988, after he performed well during pre-camp workouts and was considered as a strong candidate to make the team. Johns struggled during four preseason games with the Suns where he scored 12 points but committed 15 turnovers. He was waived by the Suns on November 1, 1988.
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but did not make the team. He played professionally in New
Zealand for one season and then returned to Grand Canyon where he became an assistant coach for the Antelopes from 1990 to 1993. Johns desired a career in coaching but was unable to find another position. On December 5, 1995, he drove his car
424:
but Johns did not show up. Westphal reflected: "The last period of his life, he was not acting like himself. We were concerned." In the week before his death, Johns visited his high school basketball coach to enquire about a job as a security guard and claimed that he would get his position at Grand
442:
On
December 5, 1995, Johns left the house of his mother and drove away in his car with Deborah Peters as a passenger. Police claimed that Johns ran a stop sign and drove into a concrete retaining wall at over 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). Johns and Peters were both killed on impact. The reason
433:
Johns had five children with multiple women. His mother claimed that he was able to take responsibility of his children but financial problems would get him down. Johns did not openly share his feelings to others with the exception of his sister, Deborah Peters, with whom he was close. He lived
27:
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Johns returned to the Grand Canyon
Antelopes as an assistant coach in 1990. Johns served in the position until 1993, when he chose to leave on his own accord. He worked as a substitute teacher in the
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positions by
Westphal. He had averaged 12.9 points per game during the 1987–88 regular season before he boosted his average to 30.2 points during a five-game run in the
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Johns graduated with a degree in criminal justice. The 1987–88 Antelopes men's basketball team was inducted into the Grand Canyon
Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989.
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Johns stayed in contact with
Westphal who tried to help him secure a permanent job. Westphal arranged a position for Johns as a security guard at
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88–86, including the winning basket when he hit a jump shot with two seconds remaining in overtime. Johns was selected as the
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at a high speed into a wall in
Phoenix, Arizona, killing himself and his sister, Deborah Peters, who was a passenger.
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in 1985–86 but did not play during either season. He returned to Grand Canyon in 1986 to play for the
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Johns graduated from
Phoenix Union as part of the last class before it closed in 1982.
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417:. Johns had aspirations of becoming a coach but was unable to find a position.
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who was "chunky and slow" as a sophomore. He turned himself into the starting
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and led the junior varsity team to a 19–1 record during the 1981–82 season.
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Johns attended four colleges in six seasons. He spent the 1982–83 season at
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647:"Grand Canyon Team to Reunite 25 Years After Improbable National Title"
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during the 1989 season. He also played in semiprofessional leagues.
249:(October 13, 1964 – December 5, 1995) was an American professional
561:"Grand Canyon's Johns showcases his growth on and off the court"
371:. Johns scored 41 points in the championship game to defeat the
305:, and raised in the Matthew Henson housing project. He attended
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The Suns sent Johns to New
Zealand, where he played for
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for Johns killing himself was not known by his family.
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American expatriate basketball people in New
Zealand
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434:between his mother's house and with a girlfriend.
977:Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball players
972:Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball coaches
888:"'I know what I need to do,' hoops talent says"
390:Johns was selected in the third round of the
359:for the Antelopes but was also utilised as a
284:Johns was selected in the third round of the
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967:Basketball players from Phoenix, Arizona
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309:where he played basketball. Johns was a
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698:"1987–88 Men's Basketball Team (1989)"
16:American basketball player (1964–1995)
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369:1988 NAIA men's basketball tournament
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862:"Last kiss for mum from fallen star"
531:"Last kiss for mum from fallen star"
645:Romantic, Bob (February 22, 2013).
415:Phoenix Union High School District
271:NAIA men's basketball championship
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952:American men's basketball players
947:American men's basketball coaches
860:Cobbs, Chris (December 7, 1995).
529:Cobbs, Chris (December 7, 1995).
377:Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player
269:. Johns led the Antelopes to the
259:Scottsdale CC Fighting Artichokes
79:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
810:. September 12, 1989. p. 25
729:. September 28, 1988. p. 16
379:for his tournament performance.
334:South Mountain Community College
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1002:South Mountain Cougars athletes
992:Road incident deaths in Arizona
962:Basketball coaches from Arizona
143:: 3rd round, 55th overall pick
784:. November 2, 1988. p. 65
758:. October 22, 1988. p. 22
559:Somers, Kent (March 8, 1988).
467:. December 8, 1995. p. 99
1:
894:. August 31, 1998. p. 64
836:. April 28, 1993. p. 41
619:Rubin, Paul (May 16, 1990).
355:Johns played primarily as a
330:Scottsdale Community College
214:Career highlights and awards
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917:Grand Canyon Antelopes bio
373:Auburn Montgomery Warhawks
332:and the 1983–84 season at
307:Phoenix Union High School
263:South Mountain CC Cougars
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982:Phoenix Suns draft picks
277:and was selected as the
87:202 lb (92 kg)
702:Grand Canyon University
651:Grand Canyon University
621:"Go, You Are Dismissed"
338:Grand Canyon University
957:Auckland Stars players
267:Grand Canyon Antelopes
247:Rodney Glenn Johns Sr.
71:Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
348:, and was coached by
281:of the tournament.
279:most valuable player
37:Personal information
409:Post-playing career
386:Professional career
342:College of Santa Fe
340:in 1984–85 and the
232:NAIA tournament MVP
21:
830:"Westphal's Rules"
727:The Daily Register
676:The New York Times
422:America West Arena
301:Johns was born in
255:college basketball
253:player. He played
103:(Phoenix, Arizona)
92:Career information
625:Phoenix New Times
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120:South Mountain CC
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892:Arizona Republic
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678:. March 23, 1988
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535:Arizona Republic
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465:Arizona Republic
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303:Phoenix, Arizona
288:by his hometown
148:Selected by the
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65:December 5, 1995
55:Phoenix, Arizona
52:October 13, 1964
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336:. Johns was at
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166:Coaching career
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911:External links
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672:"Results Plus"
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592:"Rodney Johns"
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403:Altos Auckland
392:1988 NBA draft
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324:College career
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286:1988 NBA draft
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84:Listed weight
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31:Johns in 1988
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987:Point guards
896:. Retrieved
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870:. Retrieved
868:. p. 13
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838:. Retrieved
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812:. Retrieved
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786:. Retrieved
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778:"Basketball"
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760:. Retrieved
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723:"Basketball"
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567:. p. 61
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539:. Retrieved
537:. p. 49
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469:. Retrieved
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461:"Obituaries"
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396:Phoenix Suns
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363:and in both
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311:late bloomer
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290:Phoenix Suns
283:
246:
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203:Grand Canyon
150:Phoenix Suns
126:Grand Canyon
67:(1995-12-05)
20:Rodney Johns
937:1995 deaths
932:1964 births
898:January 16,
872:January 16,
840:January 16,
814:January 16,
788:January 16,
762:January 16,
733:January 16,
707:January 16,
682:January 16,
656:January 16,
630:January 16,
601:January 16,
571:January 16,
541:January 16,
471:January 16,
357:point guard
205:(assistant)
160:Point guard
128:(1986–1988)
122:(1983–1984)
116:(1982–1983)
97:High school
926:Categories
782:Daily News
447:References
297:Early life
251:basketball
179:As player:
48:1964-10-13
346:Antelopes
199:1990–1993
194:As coach:
169:1990–1993
136:NBA draft
804:"Sports"
257:for the
156:Position
394:by the
365:forward
108:College
234:(1988)
57:, U.S.
438:Death
900:2024
874:2024
842:2024
816:2024
790:2024
764:2024
735:2024
709:2024
684:2024
658:2024
632:2024
603:2024
573:2024
543:2024
473:2024
275:1988
265:and
226:1988
184:1989
141:1988
62:Died
42:Born
273:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
