When Johnny Chaname saw more than 25 family members inside the Lyndhurst gym on Saturday, the senior star felt a little extra pressure for the Golden Bears’ game against Dickinson,
Despite some early struggles, Chaname eventually calmed those nerves and reached the milestone that brought all of his family there that day – the 1,000th point of his career.
With a 3-pointer in the third quarter, Chaname became just the fourth boy in Lyndhurst history to score 1,000 career points.
“I was struggling a little bit in the first half,” said Chaname, who entered the game needing 12 points to reach 1,000. “I just had to see the ball go in. I had a couple of layups before, and then I made the big 3-pointer (for the milestone). I think I just settled in because it was a little nerve wracking seeing all my family there and knowing that I had to put on a show for them.”
While it ultimately came in a 63-62 loss with Dickinson scoring on a drive in the final seconds, Chaname indeed put on a show, finishing with a game-high 29 points while making seven 3-pointers.
The scoring barrage capped off a week where Chaname’s normally strong shooting was at a different level. He made seven 3-pointers to finish with 32 points and six steals in a win over Ridgefield on Monday. Two days later, against St. Mary’s of Rutherford, Chaname struck for 26 points and five assists with six made 3-pointers.
Chaname’s hot shooting makes him The Observer Co-Athlete of the Week.
For the season, Chaname is averaging 23.5 points per game, fourth most in Bergen County.
“He’s been on a heater,” Lyndhurst head coach Perrin Mosca said. “He’s always been a good shooter, but just these last couple of games have been crazy. And (the ball’s) coming out of his hand nice. So it’s looking good.”
Chaname’s shot wasn’t falling early in the season, when he hit just 11 3-pointers in six December games. Instead, he adjusted by attacking the rim with even more aggression, allowing the “slumping” guard to still average 19.5 points in those games.
“That’s why he’s a good scorer because he gets to the rim,” Mosca said. “He’s probably averaging six to eight free throws a game. That’s how shooters get their points. So when you’re not hitting the outside shot, you’re taking it to the hole and you’re still scoring.”
Those slumps were a thing of the past once the calendar turned to January. Chaname began the new year with a career-high eight 3-pointers to finish with 34 points in a loss to undefeated and state-ranked Tenafly. Starting with that game, he has made at least four 3-pointers in six of his last seven contests and has averaged 27.0 points per game.
“The nerves can get to you sometimes, but I just calmed down,” said Chaname. “My coaches helped me throughout. They kept telling me that I’m going to find (my shot), I’m going to find it. I’m finding it at a pretty good time right now. Hopefully it can extend out to the rest of the season.”
As impressive as Chaname’s stats have been, his road to 1,000 points is an unlikely one. Chaname didn’t play as a freshman and as a sophomore reserve, averaged just 5.0 points per game.
Last year, as a junior, Chaname enjoyed a breakthrough season, averaging 21.1 points per game.
“When was coming in last year, there’s no way I thought he would get to a thousand points,” Mosca said. “He had a great year last year out of the blue. I knew he was a good scorer because he did have a couple big games as a sophomore, but I didn’t know it was going to be like that. He’s special.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)