When he was in grade school, no more than 12 years old, his teachers and nuns looked him straight in the face and told him he'd never go to college.

When he enrolled at St. Thomas More Prep School after high school, college coaches said he wasn't athletic enough to play at the Division I level.

After walking on to the Penn State men's basketball team, he wasn't expected to amount to much more than the last man on the bench.

Even as the Big Ten's leading rebounder and the league's ninth-leading scorer, people continue to doubt Aaron Johnson, as well as his dreams to play basketball professionally after college.

But Johnson doesn't mind the criticism. In fact, he loves proving people wrong. He's done it his whole life and said he's not finished yet.

"I know that everyone doubts that I will," said Johnson, now a junior forward on the Penn State men's basketball team. "They just think that I am a great story for college, and after this, I will work at the MBNA Center and be a coach here. That's not gonna happen. I will play professionally somewhere."

He says that with the boldest look in his eyes and not the slightest bit of doubt in his voice. He's quick to admit he's not ready right now, but promised by the end of next season he will be on his way to the next level.

"He's the type of person who looks you right in the eye and gives you a firm handshake," said Howard Johnson, Aaron's father. "He won't be denied. He has to be convinced."

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As a young boy, Johnson struggled with his identity. But how could you blame him when his mother took him to a white barber, and he dressed in Abercrombie & Fitch clothes before hanging out with his black friends?

"I dressed like a white dude and my white friends thought Abercrombie was cool and my black friends were like 'What's up white boy, why you wearing that stuff?' " said Johnson, who is more commonly known as HoJo.

Having a white mother and a black father, Johnson didn't know whether to identify with the white or black kids. At times he even thought he was Mexican. But one thing Johnson did know was that the way he was treated because of his skin color wasn't fair.

Johnson left two high schools before he finally found a comfort zone at his third high school in three years. He didn't like the unfair advantage he said he received as the token minority boy at Malvern Prep and Bishop Shanahan. As a junior, Johnson entered West Chester East High School and its basketball program, quickly becoming an All-State selection and a Division I prospect.

Johnson was getting looks from Stanford, St. Joseph's, Southern California and Maryland -- his dream school -- until he hurt his lower lumbar during the summer before his senior year. By his high school graduation, Johnson refused to settle for the mostly Division II schools that were still interested. His unfortunate injury and below-average SAT scores forced him to take an alternate rout.

*****

Per his father's request, Johnson received a St. Thomas More Academy orientation tape in the mail at his home in Exton. However, Howard knew it would be a challenge to get Johnson to even watch the video. Howard knew that an all-boys prep school with a strict regimen and a dress code, which required a suit and tie, wasn't exactly what the oldest of his two sons had in mind.

"He said 'Dad, if you think that I'm going to this place, you're out of your mind.' " Howard said. "I said, 'You might be missing an opportunity,' and he said, 'Dad, you always say that.' "

On the way home from visiting another prep school, Howard had been persistent enough to convince Johnson to stop at St. Thomas More in Connecticut.

Johnson drifted off to the trophy case, in what Howard said was an OK-looking gym, with bleachers on just one side. Howard saw the amazement in HoJo's eyes as he caught a glimpse of the extravagant trophy collection with memorabilia of former Maryland and Washington Bullets player Tom McMillan, among other pros.

Little did Johnson know that after a year of uniform inspections before meals, snowball fights with eighth graders and plenty of basketball, he would be a success story that St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn would tell future players. Quinn tells the tale that Johnson is a great player, but not the greatest athlete. He was smart, which always kept him a step ahead of the game. He brought heart, determination, a winning attitude, competitiveness, and fun to the Chancellor squad.

"We always tell our kids, 'Don't walk away, find a way,' " Quinn said. "He's always found a way to survive. That's just a spirit that he has. You can't teach what he has."

*****

Cilk McSweeney, who is currently redshirting at Penn State and was Johnson's prep school teammate, was practicing with the scout team when he glanced over to catch a glimpse of a shirtless Johnson dancing on the sidelines.

"As of now, I am the No. 1 Hip-Hop dancer in the country," said Johnson, who, at 6-feet-9, 240-pounds hardly looks the part. "You'll look at the reports. I am."

Teammates say intense dance contests take place at parties between Johnson, 6-foot-10 center Kevin Fellows, and 6-foot-11 center John Kelly, who recently transferred to Iona, according to a Jan. 11 story in The (Bergen, N.J.) Record.

Johnson is no doubt the loud, crazy, and most visible player on the Nittany Lion basketball team, but when he's in the game and has the goggles on, protecting his previously detached retina, there's no goofing around. Johnson recorded his eighth double-double of the season in Penn State's 66-62 loss to Michigan Saturday. He averages a team-high 9.9 rebounds and 14.7 points per game.

"He's competitive, and I think he works hard," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "He's trying to see where his game can take him, and his demeanor has changed a little bit [since he walked onto the team]."

In the summer, Johnson takes his game to Philadelphia where he plays in a league with NBA players such as Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Marc Jackson. In the meantime, he strives to possess Shaq's domination, Iverson's heart and Charles Barkley's fearlessness.

****

Johnson took an interest in basketball when his grade school coach approached him after a baseball game, mainly because of the 8-year-old's size.

Up until then, Johnson was primarily a baseball player, but was also involved with football and tennis.

Johnson's career on the diamond didn't last much longer because he developed a love for basketball. Also, he said his coaches drove him to quit baseball because they didn't give him a fair chance.

"Basketball is different," he said. "I love basketball, and so far no matter what they've done, they can't hold me back. "

After Penn State's game with Illinois on Jan. 12, Howard called his son and told him he needed to drop a few pounds. Johnson knows he should because he's not the most athletic NCAA player and he doesn't jump over the rim or dunk.

HoJo wasn't offended. In fact, he's privileged that his father, a former Bloomsburg College and New York Knicks summer league player, can relive his dream though his son. And Johnson said he's certain the thrill is far from over.

"I just love basketball and couldn't imagine not doing it, so I'll ride it out as long as I'm privileged to love the sport," he said. "Until that day stops where they cut me or I'm 30 and it hasn't happened, my dream will live."