XAVIER Johnson-Blount is prepared to take on added responsibility as Warrnambool Seahawks strive to defend their Big V division one title.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The American import will be without his former college teammate – NBL most improved player Nathan Sobey – when the Seahawks hit the floor in March.
Johnson-Blount, 26, returned to training on Tuesday night after flying into Australia on Friday, eager to play a bigger role in Sobey’s absence.
“Once I found out I was coming back here, I went to Albuquerque in New Mexico and I trained out there,” he said.
“It’s high altitude – one of the highest in the country – so it was good to train there.”
Johnson-Blount, who will play as a combination guard, is excited for his second Australian season.
He proved a force in his debut campaign, averaging 20.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists as the Seahawks ended an 18-year title drought.
“It’s nothing I can’t adjust to,” he said of adapting without Sobey.
“I watched him a lot last year on how to carry a team, so I am definitely a lot more comfortable now being the main guy and having to step up and put the team on my back.”
Johnson-Blount said he was “super comfortable” in the south-west and was excited to explore Australia in 2017.
“Coming out here I feel so much more relaxed than I was last year,” he said.
“Last year I was so focused on ball and making sure I did everything perfectly, I put a lot of pressure on myself.
“But being here another year I feel a lot more comfortable. I feel like I’ve been living here forever.”
The NCAA division one graduate, who nominated teenager Brock Carter as a player to watch, praised the friendly Warrnambool community for encouraging him to come back.
“I am a big family person. Me and my family are very close back at home,” Johnson-Blount said.
“It (the welcome) makes it a lot easier to leave them, coming to a community like this.
“I feel like I am one of the boys, not an import.”