After a successful four-year career at LMU, Erik Johansson returned to the Lions as a graduate assistant for the men's basketball program in 2020-21 and 2020-22. Johansson stayed on staff at his alma mater as the program's first-ever video coordinator in 2022-23, and comleted his second year in that role in 2023-24. Johansson finished his final season of collegiate basketball at LMU in 2019-2020 and was named to the WCC All-Academic Team selection in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Also a two-time NABC Honors Court Recipient for Outstanding Academic Achievement.
In 2022-23 at LMU, the Lions beat Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, and BYU all in the same season, with two of those wins coming with the Zags and Gaels holding top-15 rankings. The Lions earned the highest ranked win in program history on Jan. 19, 2023, by defeating the sixth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane and ending GU's 75-game home win streak, run of 93 straight wins over unranked teams, and 25 consecutive wins over the Lions. The Lions beat their second nationally ranked team on Feb. 9, 2023, as LMU defended home court and beat 15th-ranked Saint Mary's at Gersten Pavilion becoming the first LMU basketball team with multiple wins over top-15 programs and multiple wins over ranked teams for the first time in over a decade. In total, LMU beat four NCAA Tournament teams in 2022-23, with LMU defeating both Nevada and Grand Canyon in consecutive games in the non-conference. The Lions also won the Jamaica Classic in November of 2022 with wins over Georgetown and Wake Forest in Montego Bay.
LMU won 19 games in 2022-23 third year, the third-most since 1990. By the numbers, 2022-23 saw achievements that few LMU team had done in over three decades. The Lions won 10 non-conference games for just the third time since 1988 and won nine WCC contests for the second time since 1991. The success in conference play resulted in a fourth-place finish and LMU's first double-bye into the WCC Tournament in 11 seasons.
Cam Shelton was named to the All-WCC First Team after leading the WCC in overall scoring at 21.23 ppg and scoring in conference games at 23.31 ppg. Shelton had the most 30-point games in the WCC in 2022-23 and became the first LMU player since Terrell Lowery in 1992 to score 40-points in a game. Shelton was WCC Player of the Week three times, named as a Lou Henson Award National Player of the Year finalist, and was named the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week after leading LMU to the win over Gonzaga in Spokane.
Keli Leaupepe was named to the WCC Honorable Mention Team, and both of LMU’s captains, Shelton and Leaupepe, were named to the WCC All-Academic Team. The Lions set another new program-record team GPA in Winter of 2022 and had four players make the Dean's List that semester.
The 2020-21 season saw meteoric growths across the board for LMU men’s basketball. The Lions finished in the top three of the West Coast Conference standings for the first time since 2005-06. Johanssson helped guide his team through the COVID-19 pandemic and posted a winning record in the WCC for the first time since 2011-12. LMU has posted a top-100 ranking in the NCAA’s NET, college basketball’s comprehensive metric that takes into account record, quality opponents faced, and game location, among others. LMU’s 95 ranking is the highest NET (or RPI at that time) since the Elite Eight season of 1990.
HIGHLIGHTS AT LMU...
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS... At the time of graduation: 14
th all-time with 111 made threes and 19
th LMU player in program history with 100+ made threes… 13
th all-time with 316 attempted threes… 22
nd all-time with a .351 percentage from three… Fifth all-time with 118 game played in an LMU uniform… T-30
th all-time with 62 games started.
IN 2019-20 • SENIOR... Played in all 32 games, finishing second on the team with 30 starts and 26.0 minutes per game… Led the team with 45 make threes on 125 attempts… Fifth on the team with 6.2 points per game… Scored in double-digits on seven different occasions… Scored 11 points in the final game of the Junkanoo Jam against Duquesne (11/24/19)… Scored 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the home win against Prairie View A&M (12/13/19)… Scored 15 points at UC Davis (12/16/19)… Closed out non-conference play with 17 points against Morgan State (12/28/19).. Recorded a career-high 19 points in the PCH Cup at Pepperdine (1/16/20)… Grabbed a career-high seven rebounds against BYU (2/13/20)… Scored 12 points at Portland (2/22/20) and 11 points against Pacific (2/27/20) in back-to-back games… Shot 39.0 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three, and 88.9 percent from the free throw line on the season... Named to the WCC All-Academic Team selection in 2019-20... Named to the 2019-20 NABC Honors Court Selection for Outstanding Academic Achievement.
IN 2018-19 • JUNIOR... Played in 30 games for the Lions, making 10 starts on the year… Scored a season-high nine points on three occasions: UC Davis (12/28/18), at Pacific (2/23/19), and in the CBI at South Florida (3/28/19)… Grabbed a career-high four rebounds against Boise State (12/19/18)… Hit the go-ahead three pointer at San Francisco (3/2/19) with 2:05 remaining to push LMU ahead 65-62, and ultimately beat the Dons… Named to the WCC All-Academic Team selection in 2018-19... Named to the 2018-19 NABC Honors Court Selection for Outstanding Academic Achievement.
IN 2017-18 • SOPHOMORE... Played in 30 games for the Lions, making 15 starts on the year including the final 12 games of the season... Scored a season-high nine points with three made threes on two different occasions, first at Pepperdine (1/25/18) and in the WCC quarterfinals against #7 Gonzaga (3/3/18)... Also made three field goals, for eight points, in the regular season finale win over Pacific (2/24/18)… Earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention Team accolades.
IN 2016-17 • FRESHMAN... Played in 25 of the Lions' 29 games in the regular season, scoring 3.4 points per game, hitting 25-for-71 from three (35.2 percent)... scored 15 points on 5-for-7 three-pointers in win over Portland State (11/25/16)... added eight points against No. 19 Saint Mary's (12/29/16) and nine more against Pacific (1/26/17)... has averaged 10.8 minutes per game in 2016-17, earning seven starts.
BEFORE LMU...Graduated from Täljegymnasiet while also playing for the Södertälje Kings club program... was a member of three Swedish League championships with Södertälje Kings. Played in 66 games, averaging over six minutes and two points per game while playing in the top league in Sweden.... Johansson, 20, has been playing in the Sweden national program since 2011, when he started with the U16 team. In his most recent international experience, he played in the 2016 FIBA Europe Cup for the senior national team, scoring just under two points with a rebound. He also played for the senior national team in the 2015 FIBA Europe Cup, playing in four games... "Erik has had the opportunity to play for the Sweden national team program for over five years, taking on some of the best players in Europe in that time span," said Dunlap. "He is an older player that will add even more experience to our program.""... At the 2016 U20 European Championships, he played in seven games while averaging over 25 minutes and eight points per contest. He finished the tournament hitting over 55 percent from the field. In 2015, he averaged 6.8 points and 1.6 rebounds for the U20 team. In the same tournament in 2014 for the U18 team, he averaged 10 points and 2.6 rebounds and in 2014 he averaged 4.1 points and three rebounds. He first joined the U18 team in 2013, averaging 4.1 points and three rebounds... He began with the Swedish national team as a member of the U16 team in 2011 and 2012, averaging 4.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2011 and then 13 points and 5.3 rebounds in 2012.
PERSONAL... Erik Olav Johansson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and is the son of Gro and Bo Johansson... has two brothers... came to LMU because "of the great academics and basketball program, with a coaching staff that I think can help me take me to the next level and help me build a career."... he is an undeclared Liberal Arts major.
