ISU men’s basketball forward Wesley Johnson wants to take his game to another level.

Later this summer, Johnson will take it to another country when he joins the Athletes in Action team for a series of exhibition games in Australia.

“I’ve never been overseas before, so I’m ready to go,” he said.

The sophomore forward will head to Xenia, Ohio, on Aug. 4 to begin training with the team before leaving on Aug. 9 for Sydney, Australia, for an eight-game series against a number of professional teams from the country’s National Basketball League.

Johnson will be joined by several other college basketball players throughout the nation during the 14-day trip.

“It’s an opportunity for Wesley to see another part of the world and to use basketball as an avenue for that,” said coach Greg McDermott.

Outside of sightseeing, the trip will give Johnson a chance to work on a few things before the Cyclones open up the 2007 season.

“Both Wesley and I would like him to shoot the ball a little bit more consistently, and for him to have the opportunity to do that in some live action prior to the start of our season is a real positive for him and our team,” McDermott said.

Besides shooting, Johnson said he hopes to improve on his dribbling and ball-handling skills. Having spent most of the summer working out at his hometown gym in Corsicana, Texas, Johnson said he also hopes to mature through his traveling and interactions with his new teammates.

“Off the court, it’s about growing up as a man and stuff like that,” Johnson said.

On the court, McDermott hopes Johnson will learn to take on more of a leadership role.

Johnson, who averaged 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in 31 games for the Cyclones last season, is one of the few remaining ISU players coming back with experience, after three departures from the team during this off-season.

“Due to the fact that we don’t have a lot of players returning, it would make sense that Wesley would have to emerge as a leader on our team,” McDermott said.

“Even though he’s only in his second season on the team, both he and I think he’s ready for that.”

Johnson, who earned Big 12 All-Rookie honors last season, will try to improve on a breakout freshman year that saw him hit 32 3-pointers last season.

“What he was able to accomplish his first season in the Big 12 was really remarkable in my mind,” McDermott said.

“There’s two ways to go from here: You’re happy with what you’ve accomplished in the past and settle on that, or you challenge yourself to take your game to the next level, and that’s what I’ve seen out of Wesley.”

For Johnson, it’s a chance to get off on the right foot and in another country.

“My goal is to just do things right on the court, and hopefully I can translate that over to the Cyclones,” Johnson said.

“It’s just a great opportunity.”

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