HUNTINGTON -- It just might be in the genes.

Marshall freshman basketball player Shaq Johnson runs fast, jumps high and is generally playing beyond his 18 years.

Why, you ask? Well, it could be hereditary.

Johnson's father, Derrell Johnson, played football at Nicholls State in Louisiana and coaches the girls' basketball team at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla., where his son went. Derrell Johnson also coached one of his son's AAU teams.

His mother, Pamela Hasty, was a basketball player at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.

He has a cousin, Cameron Wells, who plays for The Citadel and was the 2008 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year.

His late grandfather, Ivery Black, was a Texas Southern University assistant football coach who became a pro sports agent with clients that included Pro Football Hall of Fame member Lawrence Taylor.

"They always share their (sports) knowledge when we have family get-togethers," Johnson said.

One piece of Johnson's athletic ability that really jumps out (pun intended) is his 441/2-inch vertical leap, which is higher than anyone leaped at the 2008 NBA Draft combine.

That translates to the court by giving him the ability to score on drives to the basket, Johnson said.

Johnson leads the Marshall men's team in scoring average (15.5). Johnson is third on the team in minutes played per game (24.8). He's shooting 57 percent from the field and making 50 percent of his 3-pointers. He's also getting 4.3 rebounds per game and has five steals.

Surprised? Marshall head coach Donnie Jones isn't.

"Obviously, he was a good player coming in," Jones said on his weekly radio show. "He's physically strong and he's able to pick things up quickly."

Still, who would have expected Johnson to make such a big splash in four college games?

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard's performances in preseason practice were rewarded with a starting position for the opening game and he hasn't given it up. Old Dominion (1-2) visits Marshall (1-3) for an 11:30 a.m. Saturday game in Cam Henderson Center.

"I was going to do whatever I could to help my team get better," he said.

Marshall recruited Johnson out of Robert E. Lee where he was a two-time Florida Class 5A Player of the Year. He chose the Herd over Minnesota, VCU, Tulane, UCF and Jacksonville.

Johnson said he adjusted quickly to being away from home because of the coaches and teammates he has at Marshall.

Last weekend when Marshall played three games 95 miles south of Jacksonville in Daytona Beach the crowds included about 20 or 30 of his relatives and friends.

"I went out to eat with my dad and grandmother," he said.

That at least partly makes up for missing Thanksgiving dinner at home.

Johnson is off to a fantastic start in college, but many games are ahead.

His goals are simple.

"I just want our team to keep jelling, playing hard and playing together and doing things Coach Jones teaches us in practice," he said.

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