Behind the Balance: TJ Johnson ’28 — Keydet Basketball

Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

TJ Johnson ’28 has been shooting a basketball ever since he can remember. He comes from a basketball family — both his parents played, and now he and his younger brothers have joined the family tradition.  

The economics and business major saw attending Virginia Military Institute as a great opportunity from the standpoint of being an athlete and also a cadet.  

“My dad played basketball at West Point, so the idea of a military institute wasn’t foreign to me. I grew up hearing his stories about West Point,” he said. “I knew it was going to be challenging, but at the same time, I knew there were a lot of benefits that would come with it as well. It wasn’t something I was afraid of. I thought it was a great opportunity for me, both on the court and off the court.”

Johnson is a second-year transfer, so there was an adjustment period entering the Rat Line.  

“Everything is stripped away. I’m getting yelled at by guys who are my age or younger. It was challenging for me to accept,” Johnson admitted. “There were times when I was really frustrated and angry and questioned a lot of things. I think the transition from last year to this year; I’ve learned a lot about myself.” 

He said he’s been able to adapt to different situations well. The Rat Line definitely tested that, but he came out stronger.   

“I’m a very calm person. I try not to get too high or too down. I’d say, my ability to handle stress and pressure has improved,” he said. 

The way he’s able to traverse a busy schedule as a cadet-athlete and taking 14 credits is also something he works on daily. Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more. 

The weeks when the team has two away games, they’ll leave on a Tuesday and return late Saturday night, for example. 

“It makes it difficult. We just have to communicate with our instructors and tell them what days we’re going to be missing, and then they’ll let us know what work we need to make up,” he explained. “So many things are digital now that you can just do it on your computer in the hotel room or on the bus. I spend a lot of time on the bus working on schoolwork, writing papers, that kind of thing.” 

His days while on post start early at 6:30 a.m. to review film footage at 7 a.m. Then, it’s onto breakfast and classes. He tries to work in weightlifting between classes and his daily practices, too, along with an individual workout with an assistant coach. Practice is at 4 p.m., which can last up to an hour or longer. He eats dinner, heads back to his room and it’s homework for the rest of the night. He says he’s up until about midnight some nights finishing assignments. Then, the cycle repeats.  

“I really don’t get too overwhelmed. I try to put things in God’s hands and know He’s going to take care of me,” Johnson said. “He’s gotten me this far. So why wouldn’t He help me get through an essay or an exam? I try to not stress about it too much. It is difficult trying to fit everything in and get everything done and turned in on time with quality work. You make it work.”

Johnson has also proved his responsibility to the team and to the Institute. He was recently selected to serve as one of three student-athletes nationwide to serve on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. As a student-athlete on the committee, Johnson will be tasked with giving an athlete’s perspective of everything happening in the current collegiate sports landscape such as NIL, the transfer portal and many other areas. 

He finds comfort in talking with his family as much as possible. He calls his parents multiple times a week and tries to catch up with his brothers — one who’s away at college on the West Coast and the other still in high school. 

“I’m really close with both my parents, and don’t get to see them often either. But, you know, it’s something I’ve gotten used to.” 

Johnson said that VM offers the tools to face any of his challenges. 

“There’s a lot of adversity, and you learn to adapt to adversity and overcome it,” he said. “The way the Institute is set up, it will help me whenever life starts to hit in the future, I will have already been through an extended period of time of adversity and learned how to how to face it.” 

Plus, the bonds he’s made with his teammates help push him. Last year, the team had eight players going through the Rat Line at the same time.  

“We were all going through the same challenges, same adversity, and we were able to  lean on each other.”