Marques Johnson

Men's Basketball

‘Where Are They Now Wednesday’ – Marques Johnson

Our student-athletes are what make Georgia State so special. Our 'Where Are They Now Wednesday' segments feature former student-athletes from across all of our sports and not only look back on their accomplishments, but where they are now.

Excelling both on and off the court, Marques Johnson put together both an impressive career on the court while also preparing himself for what would come after his playing days were over. Earning team captain honors as a senior, Johnson graduated before his senior season and then earned a Masters' degree. Originally transferring to Georgia State, Johnson played in 88 games, making 49 starts, while earning CAA All-Academic accolades. With the influence of a former GSU staff member, Johnson has used those degrees to help him climb the corporate ladder and continue to be successful while starting a family in recent years.

Talk a little bit about what you have been up to the last 10 years (work, sports, family)
The past 10 years has been quite a transition. Going from being a collegiate athlete with professional sport aspirations; to being a successful medical sales/consultant. Right after college, I was training and going to camps and leagues across the country in hopes to land on a professional basketball roster. After chasing this dream for some years (2012-2016) and playing in a few minor leagues (UBA, CBA) and also having the privilege to play on some tour teams in China; I decided it was time to enter the "real world."

While I was searching to find what my next career move would be outside of sports, I stayed close to the game by training a lot of the top grass-roots talent in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. I started my real-world job experience in logistics. I learned a lot in that industry, but ultimately wanted more. I then found myself interviewing for sales opportunities in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry. I was honored to accept and start my career with Stryker (Med Dev Company). I moved to Indianapolis for this entry roll as an associate sales rep, and quickly found my stride in the industry. Ten months later I would get promoted to Senior Level Rep and took over a territory in the Chicagoland area.

My then girlfriend (now wife) packed up and moved to Chicago with me at the beginning of 2017. We also ended up getting engaged right before this move down in Mexico. I found a lot of success in this new role and was able to take the territory I was covering to the highest revenue it had seen in years and earned my first quota achievement along with 'Hunter of the Year' in 2018. In 2018, my wife and I got married in Colorado and traveled as much as we could in that first year of marriage, knowing we would want children soon. After a few good years at Stryker and with our first child on the way in 2020, I accepted an offer from a pharmaceutical company (Abbvie). It was a very hard decision to make, but with our first child being born and us being hours away from family, I needed a work life balance that would allow to be home a lot more. Ten months later I received a call from Stryker asking me to come back and cover the Stryker territory in my hometown of Fort Wayne. My wife and I were elated as this would bring me back to Stryker and back home around family so our kids could grow up around family. We moved back to Fort Wayne in March of 2021, bought a home, had our second child, and couldn't be more happy! While I still love to play some basketball, my new sport passion is golf. Our house is located on the golf course so in the summer days, my wife can never find me in the house (haha kidding, kind of).  We now have a full family: my son, MJ Lux Johnson (2 years old) my daughter, Ari Cruz Johnson (almost 4 months old) my wife, Amanda Johnson.

How did your experience at GSU help you get to where you are now?
I would say that my experience at GSU helped me by exposing me to a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Being exposed to that level of diversity allowed me to relate and communicate with a wide-range of backgrounds and cultures. Another thing that helped me at GSU was meeting Dena Patton. She was a firm believer in my cognitive ability and if it wasn't for her, I would have never taken school as serious as I did, and I would never have left GSU with a Masters' degree.

You came to Georgia State as a transfer. What made GSU the right fit for you?
I did transfer to GSU and to be honest with you, I am not sure why I thought it was the "right fit."  I just knew that I was chasing a dream, and GSU had an opportunity for me. Little did I know I would have an amazing experience, both, on and off the court. I never saw Georgia State's campus or facilities before being enrolled. I never met any of the other players on the team. I just knew Coach Barnes as he had been recruiting me at Ole Miss and assistant coach Scepter Brownlee was one of my childhood trainers and mentors. I knew GSU had some high-major talent and in the conference we were in, we had a serious chance to win and go to the dance. 

You were a captain on the 2010-11 team. What did it mean to be honored by your teammates in that way?
Being named a captain by your peers always feels good. That was a group of men that I would line up and go to war with, everyday, and they selected me as their captain?! It made me feel like I was doing something right, and it was being recognized by my peers, my teammates, my brothers. 

Do you still stay in touch with any of your teammates from back in the days?
There are a handful of guys I still communicate with from time-to-time. Even though we do not talk everyday, as soon as we do get a chance to chat the feeling is so nostalgic and it feels like we are right back in those college days. Some guys I still communicate with are Dante Curry, Jihad Ali, and James "Boom" Fields. Lots of memories with those dudes right there. 

The team took trips all over the place during your career at GSU. Do you have a trip that sticks out that you really enjoyed?
The trip that sticks out most to me would have to be the trip we took my senior year to the Bahamas. We got a chance to not just see how our team is actually going to stack up, but also, it was the most bonded our team had ever been. When we left that trip, it truly felt like we weren't just a team, but we were a family. Not to mention we went out there and didn't lose a game. 

You proved that you really valued academics during your time at GSU. Why was that so important to you?
As I mentioned earlier, it was Dena Patton who woke up the scholar in me. If you asked me what I was going to do the rest of my life, I would have said BASKETBALL.  Dena woke me up out of this. I remember her always asking, "well what if basketball doesn't work out for some reason. You might get hurt. Maybe you get burnt out…. What are you going to do then?" She would always ask these type of questions to me and I am forever thankful for that. She was one of the first people who made me think of life without basketball. She believed in my mind, and it made me take pride in my academics. I am so happy I listened to her.  

All these years later, is there something you wish you could go back and tell the college version of yourself?
If there was one thing I could go back and tell myself, it would be … "soak up every second or this."  What I mean by that is to simply be in the moment. Time flies and you don't understand that until it has passed. I wish I would have soaked into those moments even more and taken even more advantage of what is at your grasp, especially for a student-athlete. 
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