Jan. 28, 2008

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- With 4:23 remaining in the first half of play against the Trojans of Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) College, Illinois-Springfield Prairie Star Kelvin Johnson scored his 289th point of the season and made UIS history as the first men's basketball player to score 1,000 points over a career. Johnson went on to score 24 points against the Trojans in the American Midwest Conference battle last Saturday (Jan. 24).

"Kelvin has been a mainstay for us and we're happy we got him," said head coach Kevin Gamble. "He took a chance on our program, being relatively new in intercollegiate basketball, and he has now reached an important milestone in a relatively short period of time.

"Every year, he has grown as both a person and a player and he has the rest of this season and one more to add to his accomplishments. I am proud to have him be the first UIS student-athlete to open up our 1,000 point club."

The 5'11" junior guard from Maywood, Illinois, is a three-year starter for the Prairie Stars. He already owns four school records, including most made field goals (369); most made free throws (222); most assists (344); and most steals (148). He was named the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Freshman of the Year and was named First Team All-American Midwest Conference in the 2005-06 season. In the 2006-07 season, he was named to the AMC All-Conference Team.

Johnson currently sits at 1,018 career points and is nationally ranked 25th in assists per game (4.273 per game).