Johnson gives Down Under lowdown

There are plenty of jokes out there about how difficult it is to get to Pullman, but their meaning pales in comparison when you consider the journey taken by Washington State University assistant basketball coach Ben Johnson.

A friend since middle school – and high school on-court rival – of WSU associate head coach Tony Bennett, the two played together at Wisconsin-Green Bay under Dick Bennett. But more recently, Johnson was living for a second time in Australia as a player-coach. His trip to WSU, along with the one made by his wife Nicky, an Aussie native, makes the drive down Hwy. 195 look easy.

Johnson took some time this week to answer questions about his name, his game and, naturally, life in the Outback.

S-R: So how much time did you spend in Australia?

BJ: I was in Australia on and off for six years, three after college and then for 2 1/2 years I went back.

S-R: Was there any particular reason you went back for a second tour?

BJ: Three years ago, I had the chance to go back there and play as well as coach. Kind of a dual role, which I really enjoyed.

S-R: Can’t believe the transition to life there is too easy.

BJ: Driving on the other side of the road, that was the hardest thing to get used to. They’ve got all these roundabouts. They don’t have any stop signs. You yield – they say give way. They also speak in slang. Australians don’t speak in complete sentences. They abbreviate everything.

S-R: So back in the car, did you ever start up the windshield wipers when you were going for the turn signal?

BJ: That happens all the time. And whenever you get in your car, you always walk in the wrong side. My wife’s Australian and she does the same thing over here now.

S-R: You have to think moving here is a tremendous culture shock for her.

BJ: You’d have to ask her. She’s a small-town girl, so that’s not major stuff. But the weather, that’s the biggest thing. She’s from the most tropical, beautiful climate in the entire world and this is really cold to her. About three weeks ago, when we got dumped on, she walks outside and goes, ‘I hate this!’ Just screamed it at the top of her lungs.

S-R: Careful now, we’re not trying to get you in any trouble here.

BJ: I do a good enough job of that on my own. I don’t need your help.

S-R: Moving on then, do you get people talking to you about the other Ben Johnson? (The Canadian sprinter had an Olympic gold medal taken away in 1988 because of a positive drug test.)

BJ: If I had a dime … I get grilled on that every day. Someone tries to ask me on that every day. I need to make people start paying me for every time they say that. I’d be a rich man.