Spectrum 9-04 - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's Monthly ...

The Spectrum • Redwood City’s Monthly Magazine
SPORTS
Cherokees retire
Johnson’s jersey
When Charles Johnson stepped on the basketball court at Sequoia
High School, he was known as the “The Little Big Man of Penin
sula Hoops.” Johnson was the best basketball player to ever come
out of Sequoia High School.
“CJ” helped Sequoia to three winning seasons in the late 1960s. In his senior year,
the Cherokees reaching the Tournament of Champions.
Johnson’s high school accomplishments will be acknowledged when his number 11
was retired Feb. 11 during the Sequoia/ Carlmont game.
“It is an honor and pleasure, to have something designated as yours. It means something
to me,” Johnson said. “You have a short time on this planet and if you can do something
that leaves a legacy it is amazing.”
Pete Simos, Sequoia’s current head coach, believes Johnson’s jersey retirement is
long overdue.
“When I first came here, I wondered why was his jersey was not retired,” Simos
said. “I know that I have talked to the team about his exploits here and all of the great
things he has done and they will be looking forward to the ceremony.”
After graduating Sequoia, Johnson went to University of California at Berkeley on a
basketball scholarship,
where he
By Lee Hubbard, Special to The Spectrum
played guard for the
Golden Bears.
Johnson was a three-year starter and captain 1969 through 1971. He was drafted by the
Golden State Warriors in the sixth round and he played with the Warriors from 1972-
1978, including the 1974-75 championship team.
“Charles was quite an athlete,” said Joe Ellis, his teammate on the Golden State
Warriors from 1971-1972. “He was able to do whatever he wanted to do on the court, as
he had a nice jump shot and he was excellent defensively.”
After playing for the Warriors, Johnson played his final two years in the NBA with
the Washington Bullets, including the 1977-78 championship team.
Johnson was raised in Redwood City, attended Washington Elementary School,
McKinley Junior High School and Sequoia High School, graduating in 1967. Johnson
was a multi-sport athlete, excelling in both basketball and track and field. He was named
all-Central Coast Section in the long jump, setting a mark of 24 feet, 7 1/2 inches.
It was on the hardwood, however, where he made a name for himself. Starting out,
he did not realize how good he was until he moved up to the varsity team as a sophomore.
“When I was a sophomore they came to me and told me that they wanted me to play
varsity basketball,” Johnson said. “... I did not think I was ready for varsity until I got
involved in the competition. Then I realized that I could compete.”
Once on the team, he excelled. He was a lights-out shooting guard who could defend.
As he got better, his teams got better. His sophomore year, the team tied for third
place in league play. His junior year, the team tied for second and in his senior year, the
team tied for first.
“Each year was like a stepping stone,” Johnson said. “During my senior year, when
we came in first, we played our rivals, Palo Alto, in a one-game playoff. We beat them and
then we moved on to the TOC.”
The TOC, or Tournament of Champions as it is called, was the precursor to the
state championship. Sequoia was matched up against a tough Bishop O’Dowd team from
Oakland. Sequoia lost the game, but Johnson’s play earned him a 10-minute standing ovation.
“It was completely unexpected and it was humbling,” Johnson recalled. “I did not
really understand it at the time or what was going on. I just went out and played the game
as it should be played. I did not even know that these people were appreciating me. But
after that happened, I realized what they were doing.”
Today, Johnson lives in the East Bay, working with various charities.
Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the Daily Journal on Feb. 10.
February 2005 • 21