Arizona State’s Anthony Johnson Reacts After Season-Opening Win
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TEMPE -- Arizona State won their season-opening game over Southern Utah on Tuesday night by a score of 81-64.
One of the key contributors to the victory was Anthony "Pig" Johnson, who scored 17 points in 22 minutes of action.
The former NAIA star spoke to media following the win, and Arizona State on SI was there for it.
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Below is a transcript of Johnson's conversation with media.
On Origins of "Pig" Nickname
"My mother. It was a childhood nickname for me playing football."
On Adjusting to New Team
"My teammates trust me. I trust coach. I trust what he got going on. So whatever he got going on, I just fall into it. Whatever you got, whatever I got to do to win, I'm willing to do it."
On Mindset While on Floor
"I don't really care about points. Whatever I got to do the win, I'm willing to do it. If it's I got to score no points getting 10 assists, I'm willing to do it."
On Molding With European Players
"I mean, it mold kind of good, because we push them. We push them to keep up with us. So they run fast. We run fast. So we just got to keep each other on the same track, be on the same page."
On Recruitment to Arizona State
"Yeah, I was expecting it, but I wasn't expecting it from Arizona State, but that's what came so that was, that was God choice."
On Desire to Start
"I mean, I would like to start, but it don't matter, because whenever I get in, I'm willing to play dog minutes, whenever I got to do the win."
On PG Moe Odum
"That's my point guard. Love him to death. Whatever he need me to do."
On James Harden's Impact
"He made us compete like he made us take it to the next level. Because before he got there, we was playing kind of slow, like we knew everything, but when we got there, it was a whole different turn. So he got us back together, basically, because we was all new, all coming from different places, and he made us gel together."
On Reaching Goals
"We weren't close to achieve it because we let them score 40 points in the paint. And that's not a big no no for Hurley - no points in the paint. So we gotta step it up."
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.