Support flows in for WSU basketball great ‘Cheese’ Johnson following surgery
Wichita State basketball great Lynbert “Cheese” Johnson, 62, is in stable condition in a Wichita hospital after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery following a heart attack over the weekend.
According to friends who have visited him, Johnson is recovering and is in high spirits. Former Shocker Terry Atwater, who visited on Tuesday, said Johnson has been overwhelmed by the support from all over the country.
“I walk in and he told me, ‘Terry, man, I just started crying’ and I asked why. And he told me about all of the love from all over the nation,” Atwater said. “He said, ‘That’s why I cried. I just didn’t know I had that kind of love, man.’”
Always smiling and always cracking jokes, Johnson is loved in the Wichita community and back home in New York City. In the past few days, Johnson has been visited by former teammates and his former coach at WSU, Gene Smithson; taken calls from former Shockers such as Cliff Levingston, Xavier McDaniel and Mike Denny; and received texts from New York basketball legend Walt Frazier.
As Johnson and Atwater sat together and reflected, they realized how strong the Shocker bond is.
They were never teammates — Johnson played for WSU from 1975-79, while Atwater played in 1982-83 — and they were on opposite ends of the star spectrum — Johnson averaged 22.2 points and 10.6 rebounds as a senior, while Atwater was a bench player his lone season — but the two have remained close friends.
“We were talking and we were like, ‘Do you think these young guys playing now really understand the brotherhood they’re a part of?’” Atwater said. “We never played on the same team, but he’s my brother. That’s my brother. If he goes down, I’m going to be there for him and I know if I ever went down, he would be there for me. It’s like that for all of us.”
Johnson travels between the two places he calls home, Wichita and New York City. He remains an active part with the current WSU basketball program, regularly coming to practices and games and speaking with the current generation of Shockers.
WSU coach Gregg Marshall said he texted with Johnson after he learned about the news and hopes to see him around the program soon.
“My last text to him was, ‘We need you. When are you going to be back?’” Marshall said. “He’s such a positive guy and loves Wichita State and loves the program. Everybody loves him. How could you not? He’s such a wonderful personality.
“I’m looking forward to getting him back and being around him and him stopping by practice and talking with the fellas. He almost looks like he could still play. I’m surprised he had a heart attack, but I’m glad they fixed him up. With the quadruple bypass, I think he’ll be better than ever.”
Atwater said that although weakened by the surgery, Johnson remains in high spirits. He didn’t let an opportunity go without getting in a joke of his own before leaving Johnson.
“I told him since he was just laying there like that, I oughta dunk on him right now,” Atwater said, laughing. “But Cheese is doing well. It’s Cheese, he’s not going to stop fighting.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 3:45 PM.
.jpg)